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Recreation department seeks to expand senior services while holding line on full-time staffing
Summary
The recreation director proposed a FY27 budget that separates Seniors into a stand-alone division, keeps scholarships in place (HUD-guided; $162,395 in fee reductions in 2025), and shows a small net reduction in FTEs (0.38). Council asked for clearer scholarship accounting and space scheduling for after-school hours.
The Takoma Park Recreation Department presented its FY27 budget to the council, proposing a small net decline in full-time equivalent staff while creating a separate Seniors division and preserving an expansive scholarship program. Director Greg Clark described camps, before/after-school care, special events and the new senior programming as priorities for the coming year.
Clark said the department's proposed staffing equals about 18.95 FTE, a net decrease of 0.38 FTE from FY26 largely driven by reductions in pool part-time staffing. He also emphasized that the department's cost-recovery rate is roughly 26% and that scholarships reduce realized revenue. "In 2025 we awarded $162,395 worth of scholarships," Clark said, noting the city applies HUD income guidance and treats scholarships as unrealized revenue rather than a separate dedicated fund.
Council members welcomed the new emphasis on seniors but asked staff to clarify where scholarship reductions appear in the budget and whether a dedicated ledger or line item could be used to track scholarship expense and demand year to year. Director Clark said the department will work with finance to explore options and that an administrative assistant currently manages scholarship intake and documentation.
The department also described shifting the teen lounge temporarily into the game room while police lobby construction occurs and said it expects to return the space to rec programming after construction and floor repairs are complete. Special events (egg hunt, Monster Bash) drew questions about staffing levels and ways to reduce long lines during peak activity; Clark said additional contractor funding could help but noted many item transfers reflect accounting reclassification to a new Seniors division.
Clark closed by listing emerging priorities: replacing the New Hampshire Avenue recreation center, expanding pickleball and active adult leagues, and quarterly outreach to underserved parts of the city.
What happens next Council asked staff to provide clearer scholarship accounting and to include more detail on any staffing or facility impacts in the reconciliation materials to be circulated prior to budget work sessions.
