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Council questions staffing and budget-neutral claim for new Parks and Recreation administrative division
Summary
Council members pressed the administration about nine headcount in the newly created Parks and Recreation administrative division, where five positions were moved from Public Works and four are new; finance and department leaders were asked to show whether the reorganization is truly budget neutral.
Alexandria Nichols, the newly appointed director of Parks and Recreation, appeared before the City Council's budget hearing to explain a newly created Parks and Recreation Administrative Division that is shown in the 2025 operating budget with nine positions and a $1,112,683 total expenditure line for the division.
The division’s director, Alexandria Nichols, told the committee she is “excited about the implementation of the master plan and for the development of the Parks and Recreation Administrative Division,” and described planned administrative roles including an assistant director, an administrative manager and support managers for finance, human resources and communications.
Council members pressed the administration and the finance director for details about whether the division is budget neutral as earlier described to the council. The finance director said that “about 5 positions from Public Works admin moved over to parks and recreation admin,” and council members repeatedly asked for a clearer accounting of which positions and dollars shifted and which are newly added.
Public Works Assistant Director John Laird and department staff explained that several individual positions were transferred from Public Works into the new Parks and Recreation administrative line: a PC technician, a project director, two project coordinators and the assistant manager of marketing were cited as moves from Public Works. Nichols confirmed some moves and said other positions are newly created in the administration division. She also identified several named staff already working in the division: Ursula Harris (project director), Matthew Flask (PC technician) and Rob Kennedy (assistant administrator).
Council members repeatedly requested a detailed reconciliation from finance showing the exact dollar amounts moved from Public Works and any true net change in headcount or cost. The council president and several members said they were told the reorganization would be budget neutral and asked staff to supply documentation showing how vacant positions, absorbed property-management roles and reclassified titles affect totals.
Nichols said the department has been consulting with Jane Miller, a master‑plan consultant and subcontractor on the Olin master plan, to shape the administrative structure and that implementation began last summer. She said the consultant’s fees are not charged to the new administrative line and that the master plan has not yet been formally presented to council.
Council members emphasized the operational risks if the division lacks experienced staff. Councilman Kerry McCormick, among others, urged the council and administration to “give her what she needs” so the new director can succeed, noting the public-facing nature of parks and recreation services. Several members asked that the chair be included in ongoing implementation discussions and that the administration provide a schedule for when the council will receive the master plan and the consultant’s final recommendations.
The committee asked for a list of the nine positions, identification of which five were moved, copies of the consultant report when finalized, and a line-by-line reconciliation showing transfers and vacancies so the council can verify whether the change is budget neutral. Staff agreed to provide the requested documentation.
