Metro Parks seeks $6.7 million in operating boosts, proposes contract security and higher seasonal pay

Metro Parks Director Odom told the Budget & Finance Committee on May 20 that the mayor’s proposed budget includes about $6.7 million in operating enhancements for the department, including $2.4 million earmarked for contracted armed security at selected community centers and facilities, an increase of $476,900 intended to raise part‑time and seasonal pay, and six new full‑time equivalent (FTE) grounds/landscaping positions.

The request, Odom said, is intended to improve safety, boost maintenance capacity and raise pay to retain employees. "If approved, the safety and security enhancements will shift these responsibilities away from the park police unit, allowing them to focus more effectively on patrolling parks and greenways," Odom said. She added the pay improvements are intended to "attract and retain qualified employees" amid rising living costs.

The budget hearing focused on three recurring concerns: workforce shortages, demand for summer programming and how to provide a visible security presence at parks given staffing gaps. Stevon Nelms, assistant director for community recreation, told the committee that waiting lists for the summer enrichment program run about 75 to 100 people per site. "Typically, every year, the wait list is close to as long as the number of participants that got into the program," Nelms said. Director Odom confirmed the department "typically do[es] fill all the slots and end up turning people away." She said the program’s staff‑to‑participant safety ratio limits expansion without more hires.

Captain Greg Davis, who oversees park police operations for the Metro Nashville Police Department, described hiring challenges for park police candidates and noted many applicants withdraw during the academy: "A lot of our candidates that do make it, choose to step away. They weren't expecting what they were gonna walk into on day 1, day 2," Davis said. Committee members pressed on vacancies: committee discussion recorded 52 unfilled general‑fund positions in the department and 17 vacancies among the park police force out of 39 budgeted park‑police positions. Odom said parks has filled many positions in the past year but still has gaps that affect operations.

On security, Odom said the $2.4 million would fund contract officers rather than permanent Metro employees and likened the contract staffing model to the use of armed security at other Metro general‑services buildings. Council members asked whether unarmed or contracted security could provide a presence that helps deter crime while preserving sworn officers for patrols; Odom said the department is open to discussion but stressed contracted armed guards are the request submitted in the mayor’s proposal.

Committee members also questioned several program and revenue items in the parks packet. Odom highlighted recent parks accomplishments — more than 311,009 rounds of golf played this fiscal year despite two courses closing temporarily for renovations, recent openings and extensions of Cumberland River Greenway segments, a $4.1 million land‑acquisition grant for a 2.3‑acre tract adjacent to Fort Negley, and partnerships that produced new tech labs and other programs. Wayne Evans, who oversees Metro’s golf courses, said Shelby Golf Course’s rounds increased after renovation and that Shelby historically operated with fewer staff than a typical 18‑hole municipal course; parks has requested additional staff to reach parity across courses.

Councilmembers asked about delayed audit work orders and asset‑management systems. Odom explained parks joined a multi‑department rollout of a capital and asset management system led by ITS (the city’s information‑technology services) and that the department’s work‑order module kickoff occurred in October 2024, which she said explains the multiyear timing.

Several council members asked for more data before final budget decisions: cost‑per‑participant for summer programs, waiting‑list counts, demographic data on golf‑course users, and metrics from the Restore pilot at Napier. Odom and staff committed to providing additional figures and said some federal/state grant revenues listed in the parks packet were pending award and therefore not budgeted in the current book.

The committee did not take formal votes during the presentation. Staff said many of the listed items are in the mayor’s proposed budget; further action will come in subsequent work sessions and the council’s formal budget deliberations.

For now, parks officials urged the committee to consider the combined effect of pay increases, contracted security and added maintenance staff as measures intended to preserve service levels and public safety while the department works to fill vacancies.