That's a good thing, says Lyman, who thinks the city can't keep up with maintaining the land it already has.

"In my opinion, they have these grandiose champagne ideas on a beer budget," Lyman said. "There's not enough benefit to justify the expense."

According to Edwards, the city budgets $192,000 — of which residents who live in open space developments pay $160,000 through fees — to maintain trails and open space.

City officials also said the offer from the residents was less than the value of the land.

Brunson said he asked for an additional $100,000 to be added to the city's $50,000 budget to improve open space for the upcoming fiscal year which starts July 1. The city is also considering whether it wants to keep acquiring new land, or if it already has enough.

"We (think) the trails and the open spaces the city has required are a benefit," Brunson said. "Even if we don't get them all maintained today maybe our kids can. We don't want to give away what we've worked really hard to establish."

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E-mail: achoate@desnews.com