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Q&A
Discussion on Parks Department budget and staffing concerns
1:51:49
ยท
4 min
Council Member Krishnan expresses concern over the declining Parks Department budget and ongoing hiring freeze. He questions Director Jiha about the adequacy of current staffing levels, particularly for forestry workers.
- Krishnan highlights the decrease in the Parks Department budget over recent fiscal years
- Jiha defends the administration's actions, citing additions to the baseline budget and new full-time positions
- Discussion touches on the two-for-one hiring policy and its impact on the department's ability to fill positions
Shekar Krishnan
1:51:49
Thank you so much speaker Adams, chair Brannan, and thank you budget director.
1:51:53
You know, before I start my question, just wanna take a step back for a second and just look at where we are.
1:51:57
Every year, mister budget director, we've been here facing cuts from this administration for libraries, for early childhood education, for school lunches to name a few.
1:52:08
We go back and forth.
1:52:09
We fight.
1:52:09
We restore some of them.
1:52:11
And in all of this, as the speaker said, it is just a dance, but it's a dance where we're not moving anywhere.
1:52:20
If anything, we're moving backwards at a time when the federal government is already taking us backwards.
1:52:25
And perhaps that is clearest when you look at the parks department budget over these years.
1:52:34
In f y twenty three, the Parks Department budget was 624,000,000 at adoption.
1:52:39
In f y twenty four, it was 638,000,000 at adoption.
1:52:44
And last year, f y twenty five, it was 618,000,000 at adoption.
1:52:50
We're moving backwards and the budget is getting reduced.
1:52:54
That's also at a time when, and correct me if I'm wrong, isn't it true that the vast majority of the positions in the Parks Department with a few exceptions are still subject to a hiring freeze where for those vast majority of those positions, again with a few exceptions, the Parks Department cannot hire one person unless two people leave the department.
1:53:19
Isn't that hiring freeze still in place for most of those positions?
Jacques Jiha
1:53:23
I mean, to clarify, this administration has added about 135,000,000 in baseline to the Parks Department budget.
1:53:34
And now Parks has also added about seven eighty new full time position.
1:53:40
The two for one is still in place, as I said earlier, because a financial plan assumes savings from the two for one.
1:53:49
We just don't announce a policy and that the money comes right away.
1:53:53
You implement it over time, over the financial plan.
1:53:55
So if you were to undo it, you have to remove those savings that funds a lot of critical programs from that plan.
1:54:04
And at this moment in time, the city is not in a position, okay, to remove those savings and to undo the two for one.
1:54:13
Because, as I said, positions that are critical, we exempt them.
1:54:17
We talk to the agencies.
1:54:18
We discuss with the agencies.
1:54:20
If there are critical positions that they need, they come and they talk to us.
1:54:24
We remove, we exempt these positions so that they could improve their operational capacity.
1:54:29
But we cannot say a blanket statement, we're going to undo all the savings that are built into the financial plan as a result of foreign policy.
Shekar Krishnan
1:54:39
Here's what I'm saying.
1:54:40
I think the facts are pretty clear.
1:54:42
On the larger budget overall for the city, frankly, there's been no vision from this administration in city hall as to what to invest in and how to do so to make sure every family thrives.
1:54:51
The parks department budget has gone down considerably, and on top of that, they're not able to hire.
1:54:57
And if you look at some specific lines in particular, the forestry division.
1:55:02
The adopted budget had 265 forestry workers.
1:55:05
That's about 50 forestry workers for each of the five boroughs in New York City to take care of our street trees, to take care of our parks during the wildfires that we've seen in the fall.
1:55:17
Do you think 50 forestry workers for each borough is adequate to care for our trees, especially during the moments of wildfires that we've seen?
Jacques Jiha
1:55:26
I don't know what's adequate, what's not adequate.
1:55:28
That's an operational question.
1:55:31
What I can tell you is we have added funding to the Parks Department budget, and we've been working with the Parks Department as best as we can.
1:55:39
We just added $12,400,000, okay, to fund the second shift.
1:55:44
And this is for 100 hotspot locations in 64 parks throughout New York City.
1:55:51
We added money for the Shear Liquorism Schism Recreational Center, about 54 heads, and OTPS.
1:55:59
And we added swim safety expansion resources for 4,800 students.
1:56:03
So it's not like we're not adding.
1:56:04
We're adding resources to the parks department.
Shekar Krishnan
1:56:07
Yes.
1:56:07
And I know you you testified to that as well.
1:56:09
And I and I do note too there weren't pegs this year, but the fact of the matter is we need to be moving forward and we're not.
1:56:14
And I would say 50 forestry workers to care to care for a vast number of trees and forests, especially with wildfires for each borough, is severely inadequate.
1:56:23
Now you look at the urban park rangers, there's about 350 urban park rangers.
1:56:28
That's about 70, give or take, urban park rangers for every single borough in New York City.
1:56:34
Do you think that's a sufficient number?
Jacques Jiha
1:56:36
Again, as I said, it's an operational question.
1:56:38
I don't know, you know, I don't know what's adequate or what's not adequate.
1:56:41
You have to talk to the Parks Department to get an answer to that.
Shekar Krishnan
1:56:44
I I can how you're looking at the numbers, it's not adequate.