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Q&A
Council Member Krishnan discusses urban park ranger staffing and funding concerns
1:58:12
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3 min
Council Member Shekar Krishnan raises concerns about the funding and staffing of urban park rangers in New York City. He discusses the importance of their role and the precarious nature of their employment due to temporary funding arrangements. The Parks Commissioner provides current staffing numbers, revealing that most urban park ranger positions are funded through temporary council allocations rather than baseline city funding.
- Urban park rangers play a crucial role in education, outreach, and park rule enforcement.
- Out of 89 total ranger positions, only 39 are baselined, while 50 are funded through temporary "one-shot" council funding.
- Council Member Krishnan expresses shock at the low number of rangers per borough and the lack of permanent funding for these essential workers.
Shekar Krishnan
1:58:12
Before moving to the second round, I just wanted to highlight another area of our urban park rangers.
1:58:17
Right?
1:58:18
We know that our park rangers, they are an essential provide an essential service in our city's parks, making sure New Yorkers of all ages understand and expand their knowledge about the history of parks, the many animals and plants that reside within them.
1:58:30
They were just at my children's school recently too.
1:58:33
But their funding for many of their positions isn't actually baselined.
1:58:37
And so every year, they have to live with the uncertainty that their jobs may not be funded or reinstated.
1:58:43
I know that.
1:58:44
I've spoken with many of them.
1:58:45
I've heard their concerns about it.
1:58:47
And they've really impacted me about the, again, the disparity between how important their roles are in our parks, yet how every year they are afraid and deeply concerned about losing their jobs.
1:59:01
And so, obviously, this is no way to be funding such essential workers in our park system.
1:59:08
It's no way, frankly, for us to be budgeting at all with these temporary positions.
1:59:13
We call them one shots, budget speak.
1:59:16
But jobs shouldn't be every year subject to renewal, especially jobs like these where they are serving our parks every day in perpetuity.
1:59:24
And so I just wanted to know what is the current head count for urban park rangers?
1:59:29
How many are actually permanent or baseline funded?
1:59:33
And how many are temporary or one shot funded?
Susan Donoghue
1:59:36
Yes, absolutely, council members.
1:59:39
So of the current budgeted headcount of 89 total ranger positions, 39 are baselined and 50 are one shot funded.
Shekar Krishnan
1:59:49
39 are baselined, 50 are one shot funded.
1:59:51
So that's about eighty, eighty nine Park Rangers total, right, for the whole city?
Susan Donoghue
1:59:56
Yep.
1:59:56
There's 90 yeah, almost 90 total Rangers.
1:59:59
Yep.
Shekar Krishnan
1:59:59
Got it.
1:59:59
So that's about 18 per borough.
2:00:02
I mean, you feel like that is an adequate number of park rangers for an entire borough, 18 park rangers?
Susan Donoghue
2:00:09
As you spoke to, council member, you're right, they do provide such an important service in terms of education and outreach and helping us enforce park rules.
2:00:20
Our park rangers are such a visible presence across the city.
2:00:25
They played a really important role.
2:00:27
We try and spread them out as equitably as we can and have them be, you know, have as much exposure to kids and students and free programming as possible.
Shekar Krishnan
2:00:38
It's just just shocking to me again because I think and with the breakdown you provided, that means most of the urban park rangers are funded by the council's temporary one shot funding.
2:00:50
So of 89, 50 of them are coming from us every year, putting that money into the council.
2:00:56
And that to me is just shocking to knowing the role that they play, knowing that every year and I know these workers I mentioned and I hear from them, but that most of their core of rangers is funded by the council's temporary line because city hall has not devoted the attention or the resources to actually fund their positions and support these workers.
2:01:18
I know everyone in the council, we are so grateful for the work that they do, but it's truly outrageous that that is the case.
2:01:25
And again, our urban park rangers, if you want to talk about public safety, play such a crucial role, keeping our parks safe in their own way, keeping our natural habitats and our wildlife safe.
2:01:36
Really, blows my mind.