UPDATE: The city has finalized the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019). Read our statement here.
Take action: Tell your Council Member to protect parks before time runs out!
The Mayor and the City Council are in the final stages of budget negotiations for the new fiscal year beginning July 1st, and an agreement on the final budget could come as soon as this Monday. NY4P is still urgently concerned about a potential loss of 150 City Park Worker and Gardener positions, which would impact our parks, playgrounds, and open spaces right as the busiest season of park use begins. Not only would we see a decline in overall park maintenance conditions, but 150 hard-working New Yorkers would be left without a job.
We strongly believe that these staff positions are critical to the long-term care of our parks, and this is now the fifth year we’ve fought to have this $9.6 million funding preserved in the City budget. We believe this is a modest investment in keeping our parks cleaner and safer for everyone, while also investing in the critical infrastructure of the people that make our parks great.
While we have asked Mayor de Blasio’s administration time and again to baseline this funding, it has fallen to the City Council to keep the funding in place every year since 2013. It is urgent that you reach out to your local City Councilmember now to tell them to support this $9.6 million addition to the final budget, so that ALL of our local parks and playgrounds can be held to a higher standard of care. Sign this letter today - this is our last chance to fight for parks in this year’s City budget!