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Parks requests $6 million to close operations gap, adds 14 maintenance positions and readies Levi Carter opening
Summary
Parks and Recreation proposed a $6 million increase to close an operations and maintenance funding gap, add 14 positions (11 for maintenance), and support the October opening of the Levi Carter Sports Complex and other donor-funded capital projects.
Dan Cedar, assistant director for Parks and Recreation, said the department's 2027 budget includes a $6,000,000 increase to address a previously identified funding shortfall for operations and maintenance and to add staffing.
Cedar said 14 positions are proposed (11 for parks maintenance, one administrative position and two enterprise-fund roles for Tranquility Park complex). He noted a goal of adding a tree trimmer for every district and increasing seasonal staff pay to remain competitive ($15.50 to ~$16.50/hour for lifeguards, plus smaller raises for returning seasonal staff). He reviewed projects including the Levi Carter Sports Complex opening (scheduled in October) and donor-funded improvements to ball fields and playgrounds. Council members asked about enterprise division appropriations and were told capital timing (Tranquility) accounts for much of the year-to-year fluctuation.
Why it matters: the funding changes affect park maintenance, recreation staffing and operations citywide, and the department expects increased capacity to maintain facilities for public use.
