Achieve CAPRA Accreditation from the National Recreation and Parks Association by 2024   

In 2020, the City created an internal working group to review the requirements for pursuing the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) Accreditation. Issued by the National Recreation and Park Association, the CAPRA Accreditation provides Parks and Recreation departments with a system for measuring the overall quality of their operation, management, and service to the community. CAPRA evaluates applicants on 154 qualitative measures. The intent of the accreditation is to demonstrate an agency meets national standards.

Based upon the Working Group’s review, this strategic target was re-evaluated, and it was determined that carrying out the CAPRA Accreditation process further would have fiscal impacts beyond current resources and re-allocating the required staff time and resources to this effort would impact current service delivery. The CAPRA accreditation is a two-year, multi-step process that includes the submission of a preliminary application, mandatory trainings, site visits, and the development of a 100-page self-assessment report and Master Plan.

While the City will no longer formally pursue this target, the initial assessment reaffirmed that Parks & Recreation’s existing policies, procedures, and management systems are already in alignment with professional best practices. The City has been a leader in providing quality recreation programs and well-maintained parks and trails for decades. For more information on its year-around programming and amenities, visit https://www.talgov.com/parks/ParksHome.

Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs. Last updated: August 2022.