In a test of cross-county cost sharing, Three Rivers Park District -- suburban Hennepin County's large regional park district -- and Scott County are preparing to manage Scott's regional parks together.

Meeting in Shakopee last week, park board members and county commissioners asked their attorneys to draft a legal agreement outlining how they will share staff, pool money and decision-making.

Scott County Commissioner Jerry Hennen drew smiles with his suggestion that the draft include a "prenuptial" clause that could dissolve the union "in case the wheels come off."

But both bodies appear likely to approve it before the end of the year.

Three Rivers, which has taxing authority in suburban Hennepin alone, already owns and operates five parks outside Hennepin County.

However, the new agreement with Scott County would set a precedent of special interest to suburban Hennepin taxpayers: Three Rivers would share resources with a neighboring county looking for help with regional parks that the county would continue to own.

Scott County insists that it isn't looking for a handout and that it's prepared to turn over its parks budget and three park planners to Three Rivers, as well as provide sheriff's patrols and some park maintenance. Three Rivers won't increase spending in Scott County for the next two years.

But Scott has three undeveloped regional parks comprising more than 1,000 acres that need trails, parking lots, bathrooms and programs. Under the proposed agreement, Three Rivers would operate but not own those parks, in addition to the three Scott parks it already owns and operates.

The agreement identifies Three Rivers as "the lead agency for operations and maintenance" for all regional parks and trails in Scott County.

From Three Rivers, caution

Three Rivers board members said they will watch closely to make sure the trade of staffers and resources doesn't hurt suburban Hennepin taxpayers.

Park commissioner Marilynn Corcoran said that it's smart to collaborate to deliver the best service, but that "doesn't mean giving away the store."

"If there is a trail, we may help design it, but they will be paying for it," she said.

Park commissioner Rosemary Franzese said Three Rivers' staff is already overworked, and she worries that attending to Scott's needs will dilute staff efforts in Hennepin County.

Park commissioner Mark Haggerty, chairman of the park board's finance committee, said Three Rivers will develop a way to document and monitor the costs and benefits of the arrangement.

If Three Rivers can use its experienced staff to reel in grants to develop Scott County's parks, "then everybody benefits," he said.

But, he added, he would not support spending suburban Hennepin tax dollars to develop a park in Scott County.

Haggerty said he opposed Three Rivers' opening Silverwood Park last year in St. Anthony because it is in Ramsey County, not easily reached by suburban Hennepin residents and primarily serves northeast Minneapolis, Ramsey and Anoka counties -- none of which contribute funding to Three Rivers.

"The taxpayers of suburban Hennepin County should not be paying for that, and that is not going to happen again,'' Haggerty said.

"If there is going to be a huge project in Scott County, it is only going to come if we and Scott County work out some kind of taxing and bonding arrangement."

From Scott, reassurance

Scott County already makes a monetary contribution to Three Rivers. It is the only county outside Hennepin to do so.

This year Scott will pay $532,000 of the $1.4 million cost of operating Cleary Lake Regional Park and Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve, two of the three Scott parks that Three Rivers owns and operates. But Three Rivers' doesn't pay the entire balance of that bill.

Visitor fees cover $570,000 of the cost, and a regional parks grant provides $93,000. Three Rivers itself will pay $129,000 and is talking with Scott about how to fund the remaining $114,000, said Howard Koolick, Three Rivers' finance manager.

To hold up its end of the new partnership, Scott would continue its annual contribution for Cleary Lake and Murphy-Hanrehan and forward to Three Rivers any other money in its park budget (about $100,000 this year).

Moreover, the county would put its park manager and two planners to work for Three Rivers while continuing to pay their salaries and benefits, amounting to $300,000.

The goal of the partnership, said Scott County administrator Gary Shelton, is "to provide the best level of service in regional parks that we can in a cooperative way to get the most bang out of every tax dollar that is being spent."

"I personally think," he said, "that it is important to all taxpayers that we find ways to work together so that we don't have duplication anywhere."

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711