WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department told the Finance Committee it expects a nearly flat general-fund budget for 2026, reported a record year in facility rentals and outlined strategies to hold maintenance and service levels steady through greater use of volunteers, sponsorships and targeted contracting.

Director Ron Graal said the department posted a record number of facility rentals (6,420 reported) and is pursuing projects including the Mineola pavilion with targeted completion phases and an anticipated opening in 2027. Graal described several strategies to manage costs while keeping services, including identifying low- or no-mow park areas, integrating natural areas for stormwater management, greater use of contractual services for medians and other maintenance tasks and increasing sponsorship revenue (the department cited roughly $200,000 in program sponsorships).

Volunteer program and staffing

Graal told the committee the department now tracks about 37,000 volunteer hours, which he said the state values at about $1.3 million. He and staff said the department has a part-time volunteer coordinator and proposed, as a near-term goal, studying converting that position to full time to expand citywide volunteer coordination; staff clarified that full-time status was a future consideration and not in the adopted 2026 staffing levels.

Maintenance pressures

Committee members asked about areas where contracted services and vehicle/equipment maintenance had grown relative to budget; staff said those overages were largely due to being short full-time positions this year and relying on contractors and overtime to meet demand. Department leaders said shared resources with Public Works and selective contracting are part of the strategy to maintain service without large general-fund increases.

Sources and attribution

Remarks summarized from Parks, Recreation & Forestry Director Ron Graal and his staff (Mark Thompson, Melissa Lipska and Mark Schramm). No council action on capital projects occurred in the session.