Council and advocates press for baselined funding as Parks faces staffing losses and one-shot restorations

Council members and parks advocates used the FY26 executive budget hearing to press the administration to restore permanent funding for parks staff and programs after years of cuts.

What happened: Commissioner Sue Donahue and senior Parks staff summarized the Department of Parks and Recreation's FY26 executive plan, which the agency described as an operating budget of roughly $667.3 million and a 10-year capital plan of about $10.4 billion. Commissioner Donahue highlighted new baseline funding for fleet repair staff and baseline OTPS funding for an Office of Marine Debris Disposal. She also described a series of capital investments such as a Prospect Park garage reconstruction and pool and playground projects that have moved forward.

But much of the hearing focused on staffing and the use of "one-shot" (temporary) budget lines. Committee leaders and advocates repeatedly asked why programs that deliver ongoing services ' such as urban park rangers, park enforcement (PEP), forestry and lifeguards ' are still funded on short-term lines that must be renewed each year. Council Member Shekhar Krishnan said many roles are treated as temporary even though the work is clearly recurring and essential.

Urban park rangers and PEP: The parks commissioner told the committee DPR has a budgeted headcount of 89 ranger positions with an active headcount of 92; DOT/Parks operations staff said 50 of the ranger lines in FY25 were funded with one-shot dollars and asked the council to support baselining. PEP officers (park enforcement patrol) were budgeted at 369 tax-levy headcount with about 344 active PEP officers; committee members said the effective coverage per borough leaves many parks with only a handful of PEPs and asked how the agency prioritizes deployment. Parks described the PEP deployment as a combination of borough-level equity and a roving response team.

Lifeguards and water safety: Parks described progress on recruiting lifeguards, adding that roughly 930 lifeguards participated last season and that the agency needs about 1,000 to fully open pools and beaches. The commissioner said a 1,400 corps would allow an expanded second shift and additional programming such as senior swim. Parks described expanded training sites across four boroughs and retention bonuses for returning lifeguards; council members asked for continued work on recruitment and retention.

Natural areas and trees: Advocates and the Natural Areas Conservancy told the committee that elimination of forest-management staff in recent budgets reduced the city's capacity to manage invasive vines and other threats to regenerating urban forests. The administration added a $3 million one-shot allocation for natural areas in the executive plan; advocates asked the council to baseline that funding and to prioritize a citywide urban forest plan.

One-shots versus baseline: The hearing repeatedly returned to the same point: several essential functions ' second-shift park maintenance, urban park rangers, PEP enforcement, forestry and pool staffing ' are supported by one-shot lines. Council members and union representatives argued these must be baselined to provide job security and operational continuity. Parks acknowledged the value of permanent lines but noted that OMB controls baselining decisions and that some recent additions were one-shots intended to address critical shortfalls while broader budget negotiations continue.

Capital and bathrooms: Members also discussed a multi-year restroom initiative and other capital projects, and asked the agency for timelines for projects such as the Baywater Park pedestrian access and the 70 Ninth Street boat basin reconstruction. Parks affirmed a multi-year capital pipeline, including mayoral funding for restroom renovations and a $51 million allocation for a major Manhattan pool, but warned that large projects require multiple agency permits and complex design and procurement steps.

Ending: Committee chairs and advocates pressed for baselining of recurring staff and maintenance funding and asked Parks and OMB to return with strategies and budgets that ensure stable staffing for lifeguards, PEP, rangers and forestry crews. The commissioner said she will continue to press for baselining and for program stability while honoring the council's questions and requests.