AUSTIN, Texas — Two Austin City Council members say the Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) is dealing with staffing shortages and the city needs to do more to fix it.
Councilmembers Paige Ellis and Alison Alter have filed an amendment to the city's proposed $5.9 billion budget to try and secure more than a dozen new PARD positions.
The amendment proposes $730,000 to fund the purchase of new equipment and more than $1.5 million to hire 16 full-time workers to "provide a baseline of service in accordance with a formula developed internally by PARD" that asks for a "return to the same level of service offered in 2014."
“The concern I hear again and again is that too many basic city services aren't being delivered effectively,” Ellis said. “And our parks are much more than just a basic service, they’re our lifeblood. These staffing and maintenance issues have bogged us down for too long and I’m proud that we’re coming together as a City Council to do something about it.”
Alter, who serves as the chair of the city's Audit & Finance Committee, identified the need for additional PARD staffing.
"I am proud to co-lead on this initiative to bring our parks maintenance up to the standard our community deserves," Alter said.
"Looking at our parks, we can all see that they are deeply loved, yet in need of more care. Over the last year, I worked with our Parks and Recreation Department and the budget office to quantify the gaps in our parks service, which provided a roadmap towards meeting these needs."
On Wednesday, the Austin City Council gathered for a budget adoption reading. Members may take until Friday to approve the entire budget for Fiscal Year 2025.