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Following a claim LARPD filed against EBRPD this week, alleging that the regional park district is breaking a tax-sharing agreement, EBRPD officials defended its compliance. Seen here is the Robert Livermore Community Center, the main hub for LARPD’s offices and program facilities. (Courtesy of LARPD)
The East Bay Regional Park District has fulfilled service expectations in eastern Alameda County, including the appropriate use of tax revenue, EBRPD officials said standing firm in response to a legal claim by Livermore Area Recreation and Park District filed days earlier.
At the root of the issue is a voluntary 1992 tax-sharing agreement, wherein LARPD began issuing EBRPD a portion of the property tax revenue collected from its service area in the eastern part of the county. In exchange, EBRPD became responsible for regional park and trail services in the area, LARPD wrote in a statement April 1 announcing its claim against EBRPD.
The claim alleges that EBRPD violated the tax-sharing agreement, including the expenditure of tax revenue on projects outside the boundaries of Murray Township, another name for the LARPD service area.
“EBRPD was surprised to learn of the claim”, East Bay Parks officials told Livermore Vine.
They added that LARPD’s claim came as a particular shock because LARPD canceled a meeting scheduled for April 4 to discuss concerns about service expectations.
“We have made every effort to be transparent and cooperative,” EBRPD officials said.
Over the years, the regional agency has provided documentation to LARPD to prove their expenses in Murray Township, officials said. Further, they assert that the records demonstrate EBRPD has invested more in the township than the revenue it has received through the tax-sharing agreement.
They added, “We remain committed to open and constructive dialogue and hope that LARPD will choose to collaborate with us for the benefit of the community.”
