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Parks & Recreation and Free Library outline FY27 priorities as council presses on trees, pools and rebuilds
Summary
Parks & Recreation and the Free Library detailed FY27 priorities before City Council, highlighting a $89.3M general‑fund Parks ask, urban forestry and a 25,000‑tree pruning backlog, 63 pools planned to open, about 2,357 installed cameras across 178 sites, and a $33M capital allocation for library HVAC replacements.
Commissioner Susan Slawson and Free Library President Kelly Richards presented their departments’ FY27 budget priorities to Philadelphia’s Council Appropriations Committee, answering detailed questions about staffing, deferred maintenance and service delivery across rec centers and branches.
Parks & Recreation asked for a general fund obligation of $89,318,447 for FY27 (a decrease of $518,345 from FY26 estimated obligations) and framed the budget around hiring and retention, summer service delivery and environmental programs. Slawson emphasized citywide meal and youth‑work plans—PPR expects to provide more than 800,000 meals and approximately 1,100 career‑connected learning jobs next summer—and said all 63 operational outdoor pools will be supported as part of a 70‑pool inventory. The department outlined safety steps including a summer rangers program and joint planning with the Philadelphia Police Department.
Urban forestry and a large street‑tree backlog drew sustained scrutiny. City…
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