[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6525502,"mediaKeyId","3396089-7fa728c87664315c052a4b22204e48ba","parentId",3396089,"title","Commission Hears Mayor's Proposed FY26 Parks Budget, Approves Several Measure P Recommendations","audioSeconds",4707,"startMs",2532000,"endMs",7239000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3396089-7fa728c87664315c052a4b22204e48ba&start=2532&end=7239","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3396089-7fa728c87664315c052a4b22204e48ba/thumbnail_2532000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6525502/Fresno-City/Fresno-County/California/Commission-Hears-Mayors-Proposed-FY26-Parks-Budget-Approves-Several-Measure-P-Recommendations","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6525502-81a057179d6d5881236b3456a17074b7/orig.mp4?Expires=1776143150&Signature=kU2WCD5gUdL1UACMkZvZN~6Ap33ZF-~7rVIDQoi1OXXRp0cRZllBkOxGBsAKnAADk3nEE4v1LWzSQvpJuqbHNn-Y0FdzPWCXT~AHMzJOMg56oxNe7xJ0X6YzI0Hr9UjhUuR75OCFI8LL6QLy9iQYDKmb3cfHMXee5j8KzzB-1pUIvmskPKv5kmd7jFH3iakuv2xtyzQ68mPoGnzDzquIVJp6c8m-KF6BZHk8umx-qYZynBQZ9PX4hrC567vKETGmdNJtJXk77O1uyantrfwowKCSZBoafR51ow6SeBuZcD3bZCm47WX0L-ZoDLLHJVdUCWYJstYEt9MiIH1Y9DaLgw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Fresno, CA","date","2025-05-19T00:00:00Z","article","City of Fresno parks staff presented the mayor's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget for the Parks, After School Recreation and Community Services Department and the capital projects portfolio; the commission discussed Measure P allocations, capital projects and staffing changes and approved several budget recommendations by voice vote.

Aaron Aguirre, parks director, and Summer Rooks, projects administrator, walked commissioners through revenue, appropriation and program tables tied to Measure P during the May 19 meeting. Staff highlighted subfunding created to separate citywide and \"high needs\" dollars and described the mayor's proposed allocations across six Measure P categories.

Key budget figures and portfolio details discussed during the presentation included:
- The presentation showed Category 1 (existing parks) with a beginning balance of $4,900,000 and projected sales-tax revenue of about $10.8 million, producing a Category 1 total of roughly $16.1 million as presented by staff.
- Staff said the mayor's proposal includes approximately $11.4 million in Category 4 funding to be passed through to the Fresno Arts Council to administer the expanded-access arts grants program.
- Aaron Aguirre described a personnel transfer in the mayor's proposal that would move a landscape crew (50 maintenance workers) from Public Works into the Parks Department to consolidate park maintenance under parks operations.
- Staff said the proposed budget shows park rangers funded under Measure P (about $1.496 million citywide plus $500,000 to highest-needs pockets as presented) but noted the operational positions remain in Police's personnel control and are reimbursed from parks funding.
- Summer Rooks said the capital portfolio includes dozens of active projects: 97 projects in various stages, 30 construction contracts awarded in the past year totaling roughly $61,000,000 (about $13,000,000 of the contracts were Measure P-funded, staff said), 24 projects near completion and plans for net new park acreage (about 25 acres of new parkland expected in coming years) and targeted acquisition funds.

Rooks described acquisition funding in the FY26 proposal: staff said the budget includes approximately $19.9 million of unallocated funding to purchase new land, broken down in the presentation as $11.5 million under the old high-needs definition (FY22'FY24), $7.7 million for the new high-needs definition, and $780,000 for citywide acquisitions. Rooks said that staff will work with other city departments to identify available parcels and will prioritize parcels that maximize acreage and equitable access.

Commissioners asked for clarifications on grant reliance and contingencies. Aguirre said most of the department's outside grant funding is state- and locally-sourced (for example, Proposition 68) and that the department had not yet seen broad federal grant interruptions that would affect the FY26 proposal. Commissioners and staff discussed timing and sequencing for the West Fresno Community Rehabilitation Master Plan (Frank H. Ball, Mariela Brown, Maxie L. Parks and Sunset community centers); Rooks said the master plan is near finalization and that phasing and grant opportunities will determine when construction can begin.

On staffing, Aguirre said the proposed headcount grows substantially in FY26 because the landscape crew transfer adds roughly 50 positions. Commissioners asked about the roles that will remain with Public Works (for example, urban forestry and tree arborists) and staff said tree care will remain with Public Works'Urban Forestry while landscape maintenance for park parcels would shift to Parks.

Commission votes and recommendations: The commission made three specific funding recommendations and approved them by voice vote. Chair McCoy moved to recommend three allocations in the FY26 budget: $657,300 for improvements at Think White, $2,300,000 for replacement restrooms at Nilsson Park and $400,000 for basketball court improvements at Nilsson Park; the motion was seconded and accepted by voice vote. Later the commission moved and approved a $50,000 recommendation to support Wellness on the West, a grassroots fitness and community event series in West Fresno; that motion was seconded and accepted by voice vote.

Why it matters: the mayor's proposed budget frames implementation of Measure P priorities (existing-park improvements, new-neighborhood parks, program funding, arts and cultural grants, San Joaquin River Parkway investments and administration). The acquisition funds and the transfer of maintenance staff were discussed as significant operational and strategic changes that will affect how parks are maintained and where new parkland may be located.

What commissioners requested or will watch next: a clearer public reporting back on the West Fresno master plan (staff said the plan will be finalized within about a month), staff follow-up on whether proposed acquisitions can be shifted between older and newer high-needs definitions, and continued outreach on phasing and grant opportunities to advance rehabilitation projects.

The commission adjourned and will meet again on May 27 for a final opportunity to forward recommendations to council before council budget hearings in early June.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Fresno Parks, Recreation, and Arts Commission 5/19/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Parks Department staff presented the mayor's proposed FY26 parks budget and capital portfolio, including Measure P breakdowns, workforce transfers, and acquisition funding; the commission made budget recommendations and approved three project allocations plus $50,000 to a West Fresno wellness group.","taxTitle","Fresno City, Fresno County, California","taxId",3699,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6525507,"Residents, Arts Council and Commissioners Debate Rubric, Panel Composition for $11.1 million Measure P Arts Grants",1209,1283000,2492000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3396089-7fa728c87664315c052a4b22204e48ba&start=1283&end=2492","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3396089-7fa728c87664315c052a4b22204e48ba/thumbnail_1283000.jpg","/articles/6525507/Fresno-City/Fresno-County/California/Residents-Arts-Council-and-Commissioners-Debate-Rubric-Panel-Composition-for-111-million-Measure-P-Arts-Grants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6525507-4525134cf0f6a5d0a8c127bc4dad032c/orig.mp4?Expires=1776143150&Signature=CpTqZkKG-5BNdsrExAoYlAxH-eGHDlNU9U1JA6oo6tDCEKOBfLYOeBGGVNYbtRztOTX0GVOygmrF3U1BeeNO30rrTx~kTDd9WRlDYEtKNfTchH9Sfd~mFn0rdnDNlvUpV0yv9WVhLHofN9e9tSpDBW5iWy9i44s3TOaE0DGGb56hprsLl~eeOzFPLsXp3hgcFwx7LgbaDdt-~wXpvXuHhy4SUwVL7SuRgvMfzw7kHk87FUSgoABc6gWkIuyAS5fpj2N7qCvkw2GGBs~8TsMR3lU2B9FWxA701QkSYsxqnVGij~XBocC61lJJVypj3RzN2hVZvWPFdrvk2a5fMZ05Eg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Fresno Arts Council briefed the Parks Commission on the city's Expanded Access to Arts and Culture grant process, and public commenters urged clearer scoring guidance and stronger community representation on review panels.

At a May 19 commission meeting, Lillia Gonzales Chavez of the Fresno Arts Council said the council adopted a letter-of-interest (LOI) screening step that helped weed out applicants with technical deficiencies. Chavez said the LOI deadline was extended and that the extension \"almost doubled the number\" of applicants the council received.

The commission received multiple public comments during unscheduled communication. Jade McAfee, a District 5 resident, told the commission the scoring rubric used by panelists is a single-point scale with limited descriptors, which she said creates room for subjective interpretation and makes it harder for applicants to improve year to year. \"It...makes it very hard to ensure equity,\" McAfee said. Roxanne Villaluz, who also attended the Arts Council meeting, echoed McAfee and asked for clearer alignment between rubric criteria and the Cultural Arts Plan and for panelist training.

Commissioners asked the Arts Council about panel composition. Chavez said the call for panelists closed with 46 applicants and that staff will review the list for conflicts of interest and district representation. She told commissioners the Arts Council will submit the final list of accepted panelists and their demographic information for commission review.

Commissioners also raised the scale of requests. In a follow-up exchange, Chavez said the Arts Council currently has \"just about 6.2\" (as stated at the meeting) available in one context and that requests total \"over $20,000,000.\" Separately in the Parks Department budget presentation that followed, commissioners heard that the mayor's proposed FY26 budget shows about $11.4 million in Measure P resources appropriated for the Arts Council to administer the expanded-access program; staff characterized that number as the appropriation shown in the FY26 proposal.

Chavez said the LOI step helped screen out applicants who were not ready to submit complete proposals and that the LOI process improved application quality. She said the Arts Council would review panelist applications and report back to the commission with the final panel roster. Commissioners and public commenters asked for a formal, public feedback loop so applicants could learn how to improve in future cycles.

Why it matters: the Arts Council will award Measure P-funded grants intended to expand access to arts and culture across Fresno, and the composition and scoring of review panels will shape which projects receive funding. Public commenters framed rubric clarity and panel training as key equity issues.

What commissioners asked for or were told: the Arts Council will provide the accepted panelists list and demographic details after conflicts are checked; the LOI step identified applicants who were not ready to apply; and the funding requests substantially exceed the funds shown in the administration's FY26 appropriation documents.

The commission did not vote on the grant program itself at this meeting. The presentation and public comments concluded before the commission moved to the mayor's parks budget presentation.","The Fresno Arts Council updated the parks commission on the expanded access arts and culture grant process, prompting public commenters to press for clearer scoring rubrics and panel diversity as the program faces many more applications than available funds.","actionData","errors"]

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Commission Hears Mayor's Proposed FY26 Parks Budget, Approves Several Measure P Recommendations

Residents, Arts Council and Commissioners Debate Rubric, Panel Composition for $11.1 million Measure P Arts Grants