FY2024 Budget and Parks: Shortfall Continues

Written By Joe Mayock

Last week, Mayor Adams and the City Council passed the Fiscal Year 2024 city budget. While we were able to stave off significant funding cuts, the NYC Parks budget falls well short of the mayor’s commitments and does not move the needle on crucial parks maintenance and staffing needs, with total agency headcount remaining below pre-COVID funding levels. Some budget details:

  • Added 100 new and permanent maintenance positions (of the 1,000 positions requested in our budget asks)

  • Renewed City Council funding for 50 Urban Park Rangers (of the 280 Council Funded Play Fair positions requested in the Play Fair Coalition’s budget asks)

  • Renewed $2.6 million in funding for GreenThumb

  • Renewed $2.5 million in funding for natural areas restoration

  • Renewed $2 million in funding for Tree Stump removal

  • Renewed over $5 million for the Parks Equity Initiative

Thank you to NY4P and all of our other Play Fair Campaign partners! And a special shout out to Parks Committee Chair Shekar Krishnan. We are so grateful to have such a motivated and committed advocate as our partner.

Joe Mayock
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