County Weighs Combination Of Recreation Departments

Proposal Follows Report Highlighting Benefits

Recreation programs including nature camps and sports activities could be consolidated under one department of Montgomery County government, eliminating duplication and probably saving money, under a proposal officials are considering.

A County Council committee will take a look at the proposal next week, after a report last month by the Office of Legislative Oversight that recommended combining programs. Such activities in Montgomery have fallen under the Recreation Department, part of the executive branch, and the Parks Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission.

"There is strong interest in trying to reconcile this finally," said Michael Knapp (D-Upcounty), chairman of the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee, which reviewed the matter at a work session this month. "I think everyone looks at it and scratches their head and says, 'Why are we structured this way, exactly?' "

The consolidation would make it simpler for people to register for camps, classes and other activities, the report said. Two registration systems are currently used, depending on which department is sponsoring a program. In the long run, the move would offer the "potential for cost savings" and improvements in efficiency, the report said, although it noted there would be costs associated with the transition.

"I hope it provides a stronger array of programs under one roof," Knapp said. With a merger, overlap could be avoided, and resources might be left for new activities, perhaps more after-school programs, Knapp said.

"Why do we want to run two of the same thing?" he said. "Why not run one and run it well?"

A proposal to merge the departments failed in the 1990s. The idea to pursue restructuring again came from council member Marc Elrich (D-At Large), a member of the planning committee who requested the report from the oversight office.

Elrich said he was interested in more coordination and efficiency, especially in an era of budget shortfalls and the recession. "It seemed that it made sense to bring this all under a single department where the council could have oversight," he said.

The report noted several areas of duplication. Both departments, for example, offer camps in art, nature and science, and sports and fitness. Classes were also duplicated in arts and crafts, cooking and student programs.

The report said that the departments had "limited success" in working together and that consolidation "should facilitate the delivery of a more streamlined and user-friendly system of recreation programs."

The oversight report gives no recommendation about which department should become the home for all programs, and each agency has said it should be the one to house the programs.

The office of County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) weighed in with a letter last month supporting the consolidation of recreation programs into the Recreation Department, which the county executive oversees. It said that consolidation would help make for a more consistent mission, simplify program registration and allow more coordination of long-term planning.