We wanted to send an update to the Play Fair Coalition in light of today’s announcement of the FY21 Executive Budget. While this is not the final iteration of the City budget, it is an important signal of where the Mayor’s office is placing its priorities and looking to make savings during the current crisis.

Unsurprisingly, there are steep overall cuts to the budget for NYC Parks proposed in the FY21 Executive Budget. Some of the budget cuts that have been publicly mentioned are the following:

• Delays in seasonal spending – $5M in FY20 and $6M in FY21
• Closing all outdoor pools for the 2020 season (late June to Labor Day) given COVID-19 - $12M in FY21
• Delay purchases of non-critical, non COVID-19 items - $10M in FY20 and $1.5M in FY21
• Reduction to tree and sidewalks program given delays to non-essential work - $6M in FY21
• Reduction in Tree Pruning – contract reduction (retaining emergency capacity) $5.7M in FY21
• Reduction of Tree Stump Removal Program – contract reduction - $1M in FY21
• Suspension of 1,000 summer camp slots run by Parks Department for the 2020 season- $0.6M in FY21

What is not as clear at this time is the impact on staffing for the agency. As we dig into the details on the proposed FY21 Executive Budget, we remain committed to the idea that NYC Parks will need critical staffing for maintenance and operations in the coming months and the year ahead. 

You can read NY4P’s statement on the FY21 Executive Budget here: Statement on Mayor’s Executive Budget for Parks