Parks department details budget needs and warns of November tax-election trade-offs

Keith Reagan, the city’s Administrative Service Administrator, presented the parks section of a proposed budget for council and said the city faces ‘‘about $7,000,000’’ in unmet needs across departments. He explained that the proposed package is structured as a 'yes' budget (what would be funded if voters approve the tax election) and a 'no' scenario that would require staff to identify service reductions. "We're about $7,000,000 different," Reagan said, and he positioned the November special election as necessary when a city must move tax dollars between operating and debt-service categories.

Reagan walked through line items included in the yes package for parks and recreation: restoration of ongoing funding for Surf and Swim (about $677,000), $46,000 for a new senior-center staffing/operations allocation, $754,000 in one-time maintenance equipment, vehicle replacements (roughly $347,000) and partial funding for park security this year. He said that if voters reject the tax swap, staff would have to reduce services or reallocate within constrained budgets and that council will have additional briefings and open houses to explain the proposals.