The big picture
Austin's maintenance for public space is broken into several categories. Staffing for that work within the Parks and Recreation Department, or PARD, was initially estimated to cost about $19.48 million in fiscal year 2024-25 to cover:
- Grounds maintenance, led by 110 parks maintenance staff and about three dozen more workers handling playgrounds, athletic facilities, graffiti issues and administration
- Facility maintenance, with more than 40 workers tackling repairs at parks department buildings
- Forestry management, with 35 staff for tree maintenance, planting and watering, as well as program administration and training
- Land management, with four positions for environmental science, operations coordination, community outreach and program development
Zooming out
The extra support was sponsored by council members Alison Alter and Paige Ellis. They brought the budget amendments to address what they called "long-standing staffing shortages" at the parks department.
Their proposal followed a recommendation from the resident parks board, a request from nonprofit Austin Parks Foundation and an appeal from PARD after years of petitioning for extra help. City staff noted that service levels in Austin parks now fall below the standards recommended by the National Recreation and Park Association.
Austin's total parks acreage has grown by about 4% in the past decade with hundreds of new acres added. Over the same time, the city's parks maintenance team only added about one-fourth the number of staff needed to care for new land and facilities, based on city estimates.
What they're saying
In a statement, Alter said the move was needed to give parks all over the city some much-needed attention that can be built on in future budgets.
“In Austin we love our parks and we can see they need more care. That’s why over the last year I worked with PARD and the budget office to quantify the gaps," Alter said. "This year’s investments are just the first step to deliver the level of service our community deserves. We need to do more next year and the year after."
Ellis said her support built on community-wide calls for increased services like lawnmowing and trash pickup, and to keep natural areas safe in the face of wildfire risk.
“Far too often, basic city services aren't delivered effectively,” Ellis said in a statement. “Our parks are much more than just a basic service, they’re our lifeblood. So I was proud to lead the initiative with Council Member Alison Alter to secure funding for maintenance equipment and 16 full time parks employees.”
