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Q&A
Impact of long-term vs. temporary funding for parks workers
2:44:38
ยท
118 sec
Council Member Shekar Krishnan asks about the practical impact of long-term positions versus temporary funding streams for parks workers. Responses from Adam Ganser and Deborah Kirschner highlight:
- Loss of institutional knowledge due to reliance on seasonal workers
- Difficulty in building a stable workforce and professional development programs
- Challenges for park managers in planning for busy seasons due to budget uncertainties
- The importance of baseline staffing for building institutional knowledge and future agency assets
Shekar Krishnan
2:44:38
And my last question also is just can you talk about, any of you, the practical impact of funding long term positions for parks workers and these temporary one shot funding streams that we keep fighting for?
2:44:53
What impact does that have on park services?
2:44:56
Is that a way that we should be budgeting and running a parks department?
Adam Ganser
2:45:01
I think what you've seen since the days when the parks department had fully baseline staff is a loss of institutional knowledge, which might be an overused expression, but we're we're relying on seasonal workers, many of whom try to come back every year, but they're having to rehire these workers every year and you're not building a baselined workforce to build institutional knowledge to build for the future of the agency assets.
2:45:26
And you referred previously to the Ranger program.
2:45:29
The Ranger program has been around for thirty years.
2:45:31
Many of the last commissioners came out of that Ranger program.
2:45:35
And now, having the vast majority of those positions being reliant on one shot funding every year, you really can't build out what has been an exceptionally important and productive program for building professionals within the agency.
2:45:54
So this is happening at every level of the parks department.
2:45:59
Reliant on reliance on seasonal workers really defeats the overall goal of building institutional knowledge.
2:46:06
Please.
Deborah Kirschner
2:46:07
I can add one thing from Prospect Park.
2:46:09
I think with the one shot funding too, it really doesn't help park managers plan for their season.
2:46:15
The way the budget season line the way the budget lines up where you don't have a budget resolved until July 1.
2:46:20
The busy season starts by, you know, May 31.
2:46:24
We don't know how many turf crew workers we're gonna have.
2:46:27
We don't know how many parks maintenance.
2:46:28
So I know it's really hard for park managers to be able to plan for the high season when they don't even know how many number like, their head count is going to be.