2021 City Budget Season: Help Us Advocate for Increased Parks Funding

Each year during the City of Austin’s budgeting process, Austin Parks Foundation works to ensure our cherished green spaces get the funding they deserve. In partnership with park advocates, volunteers and other green space organizations we have proven that when we speak up for our parks as a collective, City Council listens!

This year, we are asking for $6,900,000 in funding to support facilities and programs on behalf of the Parks and Recreation Department. This covers citywide updates/maintenance as well as some specific areas of need. As in past years, our asks are aligned with the City of Austin’s Strategic Direction 2023 - specifically: Health & Environment; Government That Works For All; Culture & Lifelong Learning; and Safety. 

You can see our full budget asks with project summaries here, but below is an overview:

Health & Environment

• Facilities Maintenance Positions (4.5 FTEs) $315,000 - Ongoing
• Grounds Maintenance Positions and Contracts/Materials (3 FTEs) - $300,000 - Ongoing
• Dottie Jordan Recreation Center Restroom Rehabilitation andAccessibility Improvements - $350,000 - Ongoing
• Turner Roberts Annex Roof - $85,000 - Onetime 
• Park Rangers - $1,677,000 - Onetime 

Government That Works for All

• Dottie Jordan Recreation Center Restroom Park Development CADD Technician (1 FTE) and Accessibility Improvements - $30,000 - Ongoing
• PARD Partnerships (1 FTE) - $95,000 - Ongoing
• Community Engagement Funding - $75,000 - Ongoing 

Culture & Lifelong Learning

• Ballfield Maintenance (Citywide) - $400,000 - Onetime
• Court Resurfacing Projects (Citywide) - $100,00 - Onetime
• Afterschool Programs - $1,000,000 - Onetime 
• School Park Equipment and Furnishing Replacements and Court Resurfacing - $60,000 - Onetime

Safety

• Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex Roof and HVACReplacements - $750,000 - Onetime

Mobility 

• Afterschool Programs Transportation -$300,000 - Onetime

Economic Opportunity and Affordability

• Youth Cadet Program Expansion - $1,363,00

Based on previous releases, we expect the proposed draft budget to come out on or around Monday, July 12. From there, council will take it up for public comment at its first post-recess meeting on Thursday, July 22, and for discussion and adoption over August 11-13.

Following the budget’s public release we will need your voice! We’ll also be calling on you - our community - leading up to the public comment period and the week of budget adoption. 

Be on the lookout for more specific calls to action following the release of the proposed city budget on July 12th, when we will have a better idea of what we still need to push for, and what areas may have been satisfactorily funded in council’s first draft. 

As always - thank you for your continued support of Austin’s parks! It will take all of us to ensure parks are well cared for and properly funded for generations to come.