Contractual park maintenance in Texas Park Departments

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent and characteristics of contracting for park maintenance services in the State of Texas. The source of data was information collected by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station from park departments in Texas. The investigation centered on the amount and type of maintenance contracted, respondents perceptions of the benefits of contracting, and correlations between the size of the community, park maintenance budgets, and selected variables. An analysis of past and present use of contracts was also conducted. The study attempted to identify what problems had been encountered, cost comparisons of maintenance alternatives, and whether legal (liability) problems were reduced or increased. Descriptive and correlative measures (F and t tests) provided the framework for the analysis of the survey data. The results showed 57% of the departments in Texas used some type of formal contract maintenance, but only 25% of the responding agencies had conducted a cost comparison study. Of the departments that had made cost comparisons, 54% indicated there was a 1/2 to 2/3 savings in the use of contracts. The data suggested that departments in smaller communities were more dependent on contract maintenance than larger departments, since the percentage of the budget used for contract maintenance tended to decrease as the population increased. However the population of the communities surveyed did not show any significant relationship to the amount of park maintenance contracting performed. The expenditures per capita for contract services were greater in cities with smaller population although the actual dollar amount spent for contract maintenance was greater in the larger park departments. No legal problems relating to contract maintenance, and no contractor default had been encountered. Respondents with extensive contract maintenance experience tended to have a more positive perception of the benefits of contracting, despite having encountered more minor problems, than respondents with less contracting experience.