The money committee of the City Council got a dose of fiscal reality from finance officials Monday but no real plan yet for funding any of the park proposals percolating at City Hall these days.

The $24 million surplus that was in hand on Dec. 31 above the city's general fund policy of a 17 percent budget reserve? It will be consumed as part of a budgeted drawdown to balance the 2016 budget, city finance officials told the Ways and Means Committee.

The state aid for the next two years that's targeted to helping to pay the city's remaining library debt? That's needed to cover a spike in those payments, at least until 2019, when some bonds can be refinanced.

Extra tax base from the expiration of tax-increment districts? Some of that will be needed if neighborhood programs are to continue in the general fund.

Pension relief caused by a full merger of an old city pension fund with its state counterpart? Too speculative.

Growth in the city tax base from construction? That will about cover the inflationary creep of existing city programs.

There's a public hearing Wednesday at 10 a.m. on one of the park funding proposals, but it may not be the one the council votes on, potentially on April 29. Some compromise plan might appear at the next Ways and Means meeting in two weeks. The mayor and five council members met Friday, but there reportedly was no progress on identifying sources of money to finance a potential park-streets deal.

Meanwhile, the city DFL convention on Sunday voted overwhelming support of a Park Board-backed proposal to raise at least $15 million annually for 20 years for neighborhood park repairs, renovations and operations. But it also said that the alternative proposal floated by council members Lisa Goodman and Barbara Johnson to provide $11 million for 20 years would work too.

Left out of the resolution was a 10-year proposal by Mayor Betsy Hodges to fund $20 million for street repaving and $10 million for parks annually.

Park officials indicated last week they're willing to wait until the April 29 council meeting before committing to a petition drive or following through on a request to the Charter Commission to put the levy referendum on the ballot as a charter amendment.

Photo above: Children swing at Folwell Park in north Minneapolis. File photo by Jeff Wheeler.)