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Parks coordinator at risk as commission prioritizes staffing in budget review
Summary
Poulsbo's Parks & Recreation advisory commission put staffing at the top of its budget priorities, flagging the parks coordinator position — currently ARPA-funded — as at risk if it is not converted to general-fund support. Commissioners said the role leverages substantial volunteer labor and maintains inspections and programs.
The Poulsbo Parks & Recreation advisory commission prioritized staffing Thursday, singling out the parks coordinator position as the department's top new-program request to present to city council. The department said the role was funded temporarily through ARPA dollars and could be cut if the commission does not recommend converting it to general-fund support.
The department director (S4) told commissioners the coordinator "could potentially go away" without new funding. "If funding is not made available, her position could potentially go away because there's no money for it," S4 said, noting the city's options would include scrambling to reassign duties or seeking private support. Staff argued the coordinator produces outsized value by coordinating volunteers and partners.
S4 told the commission the parks program now forecasts roughly $360,000 in volunteer labor this year — a return the department used to argue general-fund support is justified for work that benefits all residents. Commissioners who favored funding said the position underpins inspections, volunteer coordination and program continuity that cannot reliably be supported by recreation fees alone.
At the meeting the commission placed the parks coordinator NPR at or near the top of its recommended list of requests to council and instructed staff to include the item in the presentation scheduled for the council meeting later in the month. The commission discussed general-fund versus program-revenue splits and asked staff to prepare talking points and cost figures for council consideration.
Speakers cited in this report include the Chair (S1) and the Parks & Recreation director (S4). No formal council action occurred at the meeting; the commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the mayor and city council for final budget decisions.
