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Q&A
Council Member Krishnan questions Parks Commissioner about urban park rangers' funding and roles
3:24:53
·
4 min
Council Member Shekar Krishnan engages in a Q&A session with Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue about urban park rangers, focusing on their funding, headcount, and daily responsibilities. Krishnan expresses concern over the temporary nature of funding for many urban park ranger positions and pushes for more permanent funding.
- Current budgeted headcount for urban park rangers is 89, with 50 positions funded by temporary "one-shot" funding.
- Urban park rangers' primary duties include environmental education, rule enforcement, and wildlife protection in city parks.
- Krishnan emphasizes the importance of stable funding for these workers and their families.
Shekar Krishnan
3:24:53
Let's move to urban park rangers.
3:24:55
They provide an essential service to our city.
3:24:59
They were created in 1979.
3:25:01
They helped to connect New Yorkers with their parks.
3:25:03
They helped New Yorkers of all ages understand and expand their knowledge about the history of parks, the wildlife there, the plants.
3:25:10
But sadly, the funding for most of these positions again is not permanent.
3:25:14
And urban park rangers live with the uncertainty that the funding for their positions will not be renewed each year.
3:25:21
That is no way to live.
3:25:22
It is no way to support workers who are serving our city every day who are concerned also not only about their jobs but how to care for their families, pay their rent, pay their mortgage, pay for childcare.
3:25:32
And so it's shocking to me again that this mayor who claims to care deeply about not only public safety and quality of life but supposedly for making our city more affordable for workers would not do more to ensure that the parks workers have what they need to be able to afford living in this city to support their families.
3:25:52
Supporting our parks budget is fundamentally a workers issue.
3:25:56
What is the current budgeted headcount and actual headcount for urban park rangers in New York City?
Sue Donoghue
3:26:02
So the current budgeted headcount is 89 total positions and the actual headcount is 92.
Shekar Krishnan
3:26:09
80 nine, so about 90, right?
3:26:12
That's about 18 urban park rangers per borough.
3:26:16
Right?
3:26:16
If it were not for the council fighting to reinstate the funding each year for urban park rangers, how many urban park rangers would cease to be employed by the Parks Department?
Sue Donoghue
3:26:30
So of the current f y twenty five budget for 89 urban park ranger lines, 50 are one shot funded.
3:26:37
However, this one shot funding was renewed in the f y twenty six executive budget so we know that these lines will remain in place.
Shekar Krishnan
3:26:44
So I just want to be clear about this.
3:26:46
Right?
3:26:46
90 urban park rangers across the city, 50, more than half, are funded on temporary funding that the council every year fights and restores.
3:26:57
That means more than half of these jobs, workers who care for our parks and their wildlife, who support their families, do not know every July 1 whether they will be employed.
3:27:09
Does the Parks Department support the council in a push for the administration to baseline these positions?
Sue Donoghue
3:27:16
We are very appreciative of the council's previous advocacy, support, and funding, but I can say that Parks is committed to delivering on our mission to offer vibrant parks for all New Yorkers with whatever resources are provided.
3:27:32
One shot funding items are included in our agency's budget really every year and help provide our agency with the resources needed to fulfill our mission.
3:27:41
This funding provides tremendous value and the agency staff serving in those lines we know are hugely important as you say to our team and to the agency.
Shekar Krishnan
3:27:51
Absolutely.
3:27:51
As we have counsel have made clear every year to City Hall, given how important these lines are, given that these are workers jobs on the line, the fact that we have to negotiate them every year down to the wire to make sure those jobs continue is not acceptable.
3:28:05
What is the typical daily schedule for an urban park ranger?
Sue Donoghue
3:28:09
So the primary focus is some of what you talked about already.
3:28:14
The primary focus for our urban park rangers each day is one, connecting New Yorkers to the natural world through environmental education and outdoor recreation programs, protecting New York City's natural areas by patrolling and enforcing rules and regulations, and then also importantly protecting New York City's wildlife and natural resources by responding they respond to reports when there's a sick or injured animal or wildlife within parks.
3:28:43
So there are three primary duties along with related administrative work that really what makes up a ranger's typical day.
Shekar Krishnan
3:28:52
And we're very grateful to them for that service.