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Parks director endorses mayor's parks budget to send to BOMA, flags maintenance staffing needs
Summary
Director Gilley told the Parks Board the mayor's parks budget contains no net cuts but shifts some operations to the PIP fund; the board voted to recommend the parks portion to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen while staff said two' maintenance hires are still needed.
Director Gilley reviewed the parks section of the mayor's proposed budget and asked the Parks Board to recommend it to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
"Overall, there's not any cuts to the budget," Gilley said, pointing board members to packet pages 6 through 15. He said the administration moved some maintenance and asset purchases into the PIP fund, left hotel-tax-funded event lines largely unchanged, and budgeted to replace the Country Hills golf cart fleet. He added staff included contingency funding should the department receive the latest LPRF grant.
The request to the board was procedural: the board does not adopt the budget but forwards a recommendation to BOMA. A board member asked whether the budget added maintenance staff. Gilley said it did not: "Right now, nobody's getting any new positions. Not any department. We'll keep asking, but, hopefully, at some point, we can add 1," he said, later estimating the parks department likely needs two to three additional maintenance positions over time to keep pace with new facilities and trail acreage the city will inherit.
Gilley also described forthcoming capital work: bids are opening this week for site work on a maintenance-shop relocation and Heritage Park bids have been sent to TDEC for review. Staff are also working on a bike pump track design for Veterans Park and expect movement on that project later this summer.
Board members pressed on fees and the possibility of future increases. Gilley said staff will ask the city in the coming months to analyze user fees and shelter/field rentals as one lever to meet operating needs.
The board made a motion to recommend the parks portion of the mayor's budget to BOMA and voted in favor; the recommendation will move to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for final action.
