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Boulder parks department outlines $2.2 million reduction target after citywide $10 million shortfall
Summary
City parks staff told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board that a recent city decision to implement a hiring freeze and identify a roughly $10 million general-fund gap will require the department to identify about $2.2 million in reductions through a mix of personnel, operating and capital adjustments.
Scott Schoenberg, deputy director of Parks and Recreation, told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board that the city is projecting “about a $10,000,000 shortfall” in general fund operating dollars this year and asked departments to find savings.
That shortfall prompted department staff to present a target of roughly $2,200,000 in reductions for Parks and Recreation — described as a combination of personnel savings from vacancies, operating-line reductions and targeted changes to capital projects — and to brief the board on next steps for July budget approval and CIP alignment.
The proposed reductions come after the city issued a hiring freeze while staff and the city manager’s office work through which positions are critical and which reductions would be recommended to council. Jackson, the department’s business services manager, described the department’s work as a “brainstorming session” and said staff are preparing targeted proposals for the city manager. “We are not the sole decision makers in this,” Jackson said, noting that requests for exemptions would be reviewed by the city manager’s office and require justification.
Why it matters: Parks and Recreation’s operating budget supports lifeguards, seasonal recreation staff, recreation programs that generate revenue and ongoing maintenance of parks and facilities. Department leaders said they want to avoid across-the-board cuts and instead take targeted reductions that preserve core services and revenue generators where possible.
Key details presented to the board included: - A 5% reduction target applied as a rolling guideline across funds; staff said the 5% figure is a “moving target” because of the city’s many dedicated funds and legal restrictions on some expenditures. - An estimated $1.2 million projected decline in the dedicated 0.25¢ sales tax fund and an expected property-tax-related loss “of almost $2,500,000 total” across years, figures Jackson summarized from the department’s revenue forecast. - A departmental target of $2,200,000 in reductions for the coming year; staff suggested vacancies and hiring delays could realize $600,000–$800,000 of near-term savings if current vacancies remain unfilled. - Staffing numbers: the department reported about 148 positions filled, roughly 170 funded positions equating to 153 FTE, about 20 current vacancies and roughly 540 seasonal/nonstandard employees (seasonal hires are critical to summer operations).
On staffing and service impact, Jackson and other staff emphasized the department’s reliance on seasonal employees and program-generated revenue. They said personnel is about 40% of operating costs and that some vacancies — from lifeguards to recreation instructors — could reduce service levels or force cancellation of classes if staff cannot be hired. Scott Schoenberg said department leadership expects to ask for case-by-case exemptions to the hiring freeze for critical roles but that those requests must be justified to the city manager.
On capital projects and CIP alignment, staff said they will prioritize work already under contract and consider delaying or phasing projects where staffing or contracting capacity is constrained. Mark Wolf, parks project staff, warned that market escalation and contractor availability mean some projects will require rephasing or additional funding; staff said they will propose targeted cuts rather than pro rata reductions to preserve high-priority work.
Board members asked for comparative data on prior reductions (for example, COVID-era cuts) and requested benchmarking and historical project lists to help the board weigh tradeoffs. Jackson said staff will return in July with refined numbers, scenarios and recommended exemptions for critical positions.
Outlook: Staff said they plan to return to the board in July with recommended operating-budget reductions and CIP changes for the board’s review before city council consideration. The city manager’s office will make final decisions on exemptions and larger tradeoffs.
