New boss wants Cincinnati Parks 'to evolve' with new goals and financial rules

On a summer afternoon, Wade Walcutt splits a group of children attending a nature camp in Roselawn into two teams for a game.

Pass this piece of cloth around silently, he instructs them, as he keeps time on his phone.

The kids complete the task and play again. This time, Walcutt – Cincinnati's new parks director – encourages them. Heartened, they complete the task faster.

In the next round of the game, Walcutt urges them to cheer each other on, louder and louder. The pieces of fabric are passed in a frenzy of giggles and smiles.

Again, their times improve.

Being excited about a task, communicating openly and encouraging each other makes things possible and helps everyone, Walcutt explains.

It's that kind of energy the 40-year-old brings to Cincinnati, to a beloved parks department enduring a challenging chapter even though it opened another new park this year.

The most crucial challenge is financial.

In the spring, outgoing director Willie Carden Jr. warned there won't be enough money to cover all of the system's expenses in the near future. Additional financial stress comes from an estimated $59 million worth of deferred repairs needed in the parks, which cover 9 percent of Cincinnati's total area.

Yet the parks department was repeatedly criticized in recent years for loose financial management, damaging the public's trust. Auditors and the city manager have been asking the parks department to tighten its controls for more than a year.

In short order, Walcutt is coming up to speed on the challenges and making changes.

He's already made some spending cuts and has begun a critical look at park assets.

“He is asking the questions he should be asking,” said Dianne Rosenberg, head of the five-person board that hired Walcutt. “He’s a quick study.”

'It’s just time for us to evolve'

Walcutt stands before his five bosses at the August meeting of the Cincinnati Board of Park Commissioners and talks about improving financial oversight.

It's a seemingly boring topic except for what's at stake: the future of the city's parks, playgrounds, 80,000 street trees, landscaped parkways and much more.

Roughly two years ago, city leaders, led by Mayor John Cranley, asked voters to approve the first parks tax in Cincinnati history.

The proposed tax would be permanently written into the city charter and provide parks with approximately $5.5 million more a year to pay for new parks projects and maintenance of existing parks.

An Enquirer investigation into parks spending in light of the proposed tax found:

An improper $200,000 donation made by the Park Board to its own levy campaign, a no-no for a public agency and a donation the board quickly rescinded after it was reported;

Questionable spending by department managers such as car allowances, expensive meals and a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon during a conference in Las Vegas;

And a tangled and problematic relationship with the Cincinnati Parks Foundation, a private nonprofit that by law should operate independently from the parks.

Voters rejected the levy decisively.

Critics of the proposed tax said it had come out of the blue with no effort to engage the public. There were concerns by environmentalists that the proposed projects would overdevelop natural spaces such as Burnet Woods. Some critics questioned whether the department needed more money or to simply tighten its belt.

In the aftermath, the parks department was audited by an outside firm at the order of the mayor. An annual audit by State Auditor Dave Yost also came down hard on the parks.

The reviews found the park's financial practices created the opportunity for undetected human error, a risk of unapproved transactions and the “lack of a permanent audit trail." Spending on credit card purchases was not always documented, for example.

The critiques led directly to Walcutt's proposal that August day before his board.

He asked permission to hire an outside accounting firm, Cincinnati-based Clark Schaefer Hackett, for roughly $20,000 to improve financial controls, The improvements will include instituting a double-entry system, so that spending can be properly recorded and verified.

“Really, it's just time for us to evolve,” Walcutt told the board.

His board agreed, passing the request unanimously.

Mending relationships with city leaders

The parks department is moving in new directions in additional ways during this transition of power.

The Park Board has returned to the negotiating table with the city manager's office after talks stalled earlier this year and the Park Board hired its own lawyer.

The parties have been trying to work out a legal agreement or memorandum of understanding that would define the checks and balances among the city, the Park Board and the nonprofit Cincinnati Parks Foundation.

Rosenberg declined to talk about the negotiations until they are complete but said she is hopeful the parties will reach a deal.

Walcutt is also smoothing over a fractured relationship between the parks and the city procurement office.

Last year, City Manager Harry Black verbally reprimanded Carden and his department for using inappropriate bidding practices for Smale Riverfront Park, the new wildly popular park between Cincinnati's professional sports stadiums. Parks' actions could have led to financial or legal trouble for the city, Black said.

Parks leaders initially said the department would be careful to follow city hiring and bidding rules going forward.

Then the city discovered more examples where parks failed to follow the rules, including its selection of the search firm that identified Walcutt as a candidate.

Walcutt, who is making $155,000 a year, does not want to speculate on decisions made by past leadership. He has not met Carden.

But he believes working with the city to follow the rules set out for public agencies, like his, is important.

"It's what we should have been doing from the beginning," Walcutt said.

Overarching goals to be set by year's end

To get started, Walcutt is meeting his staff and visiting parks, wrapping his head around all of his responsibilities and the culture inside his department.

He also wants to hear from the community.

"My job is to listen," Walcutt said.

Sorting out park finances is Walcutt's first priority, Rosenberg said.

She anticipates Walcutt will present a report by year's end on overarching goals for the department.

One of his goals may eventually be an attempt at another tax levy, Rosenberg said. "... I do anticipate at some point in the future that Wade will look at other funding sources."

Does she think a levy is necessary?

"It could be," Rosenberg said. "We will take a hard look at financials and our assets."

She expressed confidence in Walcutt.

“Change is not always bad,” Rosenberg said. “Change provides opportunity. We are most fortunate to have Wade at the helm.”

Cincinnati Parks Foundation leaders are similarly impressed.

“He brings a nice, fresh perspective and vision," said foundation director Jennifer Spieser. "He also has a young family that will use the parks."

Some spending is already being reduced.

The board didn’t extend Walcutt the $12,000 annual car allowance that Carden received, a perk that had been criticized by the mayor. Financial Manager Marijane Klug is no longer receiving a $4,800 annual car allowance either, Walcutt said.

“We need to look at what we’re doing and not doing, and ask questions about whether we should continue doing things the way we have,” Walcutt said.

One example already caught Walcutt’s eye – the elaborate floral displays decorating the Park Board's monthly meeting.

“I mean, they're beautiful,” Walcutt said, who asked a worker who prepares them “ 'that's got to take a lot of time for you.' "

He wants his employees to be able to showcase their skills without wasting resources. The employee suggested they do the displays quarterly.

"Quarterly seems more appropriate," Walcutt said.