Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Residents urge council to restore parks and recreation funding, citing maintenance and youth programs at risk
Summary
Multiple residents and nonprofit leaders told the Montgomery County Council during FY26 budget public hearings that the county executive’s recommended parks funding is insufficient to maintain facilities, programs and field availability, and asked the council to fully fund the Recreation and Parks Department’s request.
Montgomery County residents told the County Council at a public hearing that proposed cuts to parks and recreation funding would reduce access to maintained fields, after‑school programs, and services that community members rely on.
Mike Ricci, chair of the county Recreation Parks Advisory Board, said the executive’s recommendation “underfunds parks beyond even the most extreme black swan scenarios that the department had contemplated” and urged the council to “fully fund recreation and parks.”
Speakers described parks and rec as core, widely used services that support young people, seniors and volunteers. Lisonbee Gillespie said the department requested “a 7.2 budget increase, but the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
