Committee on Parks and Recreation meeting
March 23, 2026, 11:30 AM
The Committee on Parks and Recreation held its FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on the Department of Parks and Recreation. The committee took testimony and recorded no votes.
What was discussed
- Committee convenes and swears in the Parks Department Chair Ty Hankerson opened the Committee on Parks and Recreation's hearing on the FY2027 Preliminary Budget and Preliminary Mayor's Management Report for the Department of Parks and Recreation, and Committee Counsel swore in the agency witnesses.
- Chair Hankerson frames the FY27 parks budget and the 1% goal Chair Ty Hankerson said the $654 million preliminary budget is $33.7 million below FY26 and still far short of the Mayor's campaign pledge of 1% for parks, criticizing reliance on one-shot funding for core services, lifeguards and staffing.
- Commissioner Shimamura presents the FY27 parks budget and agency overview Commissioner Tricia Shimamura testified on the $654 million operating budget and $12 billion capital plan, highlighting the new Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center, the Community Parks Initiative, a data-driven tree-planting program, lifeguard recruitment, and improved cleanliness ratings, while
- Will the administration fund parks at 1% of the city budget? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Chair Ty Hankerson she is in regular, encouraging conversations with the administration about the Mayor's 1% pledge but has no commitment yet amid a serious budget crisis, and said she would direct any added funding to proven, data-driven programs like second
- What savings did the Chief Savings Officer find, and will services be affected? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Chair Ty Hankerson that Parks submitted its EO 12 savings report on March 20 and had not yet met with OMB, but assured that identified efficiencies would have no impact on services to New Yorkers.
- Why do park bathrooms cost so much to build, and can it be reduced? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Chair Ty Hankerson that Parks provides over 700 public restrooms and that new construction typically runs $3–5 million; she and Deputy Commissioner Eric Boorstyn described pilots—the Portland Loo and prefabricated modular restrooms—to speed construction and cut
- Will the six one-shot staffing initiatives be baselined? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Chair Ty Hankerson the one-shots total about 277 positions—forestry management, Urban Park Rangers, stump removal, Green Thumb, maintenance park workers and PEP officers—and said she would welcome baselining for the certainty it gives, while Deputy Commissioner
- How did forestry and natural-areas funding get lost, and what was the impact? Matt Drury told Chair Ty Hankerson that the Forest Management Framework's one-shot funding lapsed in FY25, and that of 27 affected staff, 23 stayed with the agency in other roles while four resigned; Commissioner Shimamura said 73 staff currently care for the natural areas.
- Will Parks match DSNY pay for staff who worked the snowstorm? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Chair Ty Hankerson that maintenance staff who responded to February's snowstorms were paid, including overtime, and that overnight stays in rec centers were offered rather than required; she agreed to look further into pay comparisons with DSNY and per-diem
- How will budget changes affect Central Park maintenance and East Harlem capital projects? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Council Member Yusef Salaam she was unaware of an $18 million Central Park cut, explaining the roughly $16 million city contribution stems from the Central Park Conservancy license agreement, and said the East River Esplanade and Highbridge pool projects are moving
- Does the budget fund staffing for growing recreation membership and enough lifeguards? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Council Member Yusef Salaam that over $1 billion is going into recreation facilities and that new centers typically get added staffing at opening, and credited pay raises and retention bonuses—about 70–80% of lifeguards returning—for lifting last summer's count to
- Why do accessibility projects take years, and who fixes tree-root sidewalk damage? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Council Member Lynn C. Schulman that a fully funded Forest Park accessibility project is delayed by lengthy design and inter-agency review, that the agency is working to shorten timelines, and that sidewalk damage from tree roots is generally the property owner's
- How do the new tree-planting process and temporary park art work? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura explained to Council Member Lynn C. Schulman that Parks now plants on a comprehensive nine-year, data-driven schedule that will reach every city block, and that temporary public art is permitted for up to 364 days to avoid triggering permanent-artwork review under the
- What gets cut when parks isn't funded at 1%, and does lifting the hiring freeze cost vacancies? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Council Member Shekar Krishnan that the one-shot positions—about 277 of a 5,000-person workforce, including roughly half the Rangers and a third of PEP—are heavily supplemental, and confirmed the hiring freeze is being lifted in exchange for eliminating some vacant
- What drives the $33.7M budget drop, and how will flat headcount affect services? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura and Matt Drury told Finance Chair Linda Lee that about $22 million of the $33.7 million decrease is the one-shot bundle, roughly $6 million is Council discretionary funding, and the rest is grants, and that headcount is essentially flat with services dependent on
- What savings and revenue opportunities has Parks identified? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Finance Chair Linda Lee that the Chief Savings Officer report is preliminary with no service impact, that Parks contributes over $50 million a year through concessions, and cited a new City Hall deliverista battery-swapping concession; David Cerron later said the
- How is Parks improving PEP officer retention? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Chair Ty Hankerson that the 16-week training makes retention critical, and that a campaign to treat Park Enforcement Patrol as a career rather than a stepping stone cut annual attrition from about 25% to 15%.
- Brewer presses on broken water fountains, tree pits, park cleaning and concessions Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Council Member Gale A. Brewer that water fountains are turned on in spring, that landmarked restroom renovations carry high costs, that the nine-year plan will address vacant tree pits, that large parks are cleaned seven days a week, and agreed to follow up on
- How will Parks handle tree-root sidewalk damage and homeowner concerns? Commissioner Tricia Shimamura told Majority Whip Kamillah Hanks that Parks has a mandate to plant every plantable street with no opt-out, but aims to notify residents in advance, and that Matt Drury said forestry uses wider tree pits and better species selection to reduce conflicts with sidewalks
- Will second-shift staffing continue, and can Parks help save Bushwick City Farm? Marit Larson confirmed to Council Member Sandy Nurse that Highland Park and Cityline Park have baselined, year-round second-shift staff, and Commissioner Shimamura and Matt Drury agreed to look into the Bushwick City Farm garden facing a DOB eviction threat.
Agenda
1 item
- T2026-1376 New York City Council Budget and Oversight Hearings on The Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2027, The Preliminary Capital Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2030 and The Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report 11:30 a.m. Department of Parks & Recreation 1:30 p.m. Public Hearing Held by Committee