Scottsdale staff outline Parks, Recreation and Preserve operating budgets tied to 0.15 sales tax

The Budget Review Commission on April 10 heard a high-level presentation of the Parks and Recreation and Preserve department’s proposed operating budgets for fiscal year 2025–26, driven by the city’s recently approved 0.15 parks and preserve sales tax and recommendations from the department’s master plan.

Senior Director Nick Molinari told the commission the budget package was shaped by an 18‑month parks and recreation master plan and an operations analysis that examined staffing, equipment deployment and the balance of contracted versus in‑house work. “This past year, we really do approach the fiscal year 25, 26 budget through a position of advantage being that we recently completed the parks and recreation master plan,” Molinari said.

The presentation included division‑level figures and cost drivers. Molinari said the combined department totals include about 249 full‑time equivalent positions; personnel services were listed at about $19.1 million, contractual services $14.4 million, commodities $3.4 million and capital outlay roughly $500,000. For the Parks and Recreation division alone he gave personnel services of $18.1 million, contractual $12.3 million and commodities $3.2 million.

Molinari highlighted three main cost drivers: part‑time hours, new full‑time positions (largely to be funded from the parks and preserve tax) and contracted landscape maintenance. He told the commission the city has seen year‑over‑year increases in contracted landscape costs after a recent solicitation produced higher bids, and that tree care and storm damage remain major cost pressures for the division, which stewards “approximately 30,000 trees.”

The department’s proposals assume the sales‑tax revenue will be allocated according to the ballot structure discussed with voters. Molinari described the 51% park improvement bucket and the 14% maintenance allocation, noting the Protect and Preserve Scottsdale task force had recommended more maintenance staffing and that the department intends a phased approach to hiring. “Our request in year 1 is to bring on 4 of those” previously identified positions, Molinari said, adding the department plans to rely more on contracted maintenance in year 1 while it plans placements and equipment for future in‑house staffing.

Specific budget items presented include requests for new positions funded by the parks and preserve sales tax — a principal planner, an urban forester, a maintenance technician for Chaparral Park and a neighborhood parks foreman — and a package of contractual services for tree care, storm‑damage response, turf maintenance, restroom cleaning and other items. Equipment requests listed included sod cutters, utility vehicles, battery powered equipment and asset/work management software.

Commissioners asked about overtime and vacancies: Molinari said the parks division typically exceeds its overtime budget in years with heavy storm damage and that the division currently showed nine vacancies among full‑time positions. He also explained that part‑time roles are often seasonal and appear as ongoing vacancies in reports. Commission members sought clarity on how much of the new tax revenue would be spent in year 1; Molinari and staff said some allocations will be reserved or carried forward because program ramp‑up and capital projects require multi‑year planning and bidding.

No formal vote was taken on the operating packages during the meeting; commissioners reserved judgment and asked staff for follow‑up detail on specific line items and plans for phasing hires and capital work.

Ending: The department’s requests and the commission’s questions focused on balancing near‑term maintenance needs with longer‑term planning. Staff said they will return with additional detail as the commission prepares a report to council at a joint meeting April 22 (as discussed during the meeting), and that many of the 0.15 tax funded projects will be phased to avoid hiring and procurement risks in the first year.