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Friday, April 10
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Play Fair for Parks Coalition Responds to City Council’s FY27 Budget Response
Advocates urge mayor and Council to ensure NYC Parks funding for hundreds of critical staff positions
New York, NY — The Play Fair for Parks Coalition (Play Fair) today responded to the New York City Council’s FY27 Preliminary Budget Response, highlighting its acknowledgment that our parks system remains significantly underfunded in the Mayor’s proposed budget. Coalition leaders emphasized the urgent need to ensure that 276 parks workers do not lose their jobs in July and establish baseline funding for these key positions, while implementing additional one-shot investments to meet NYC Parks' broader staffing needs as the agency recovers from losing 600 personnel in critical areas in recent years. They called upon Mayor Mamdani and the Council to work together toward what the Council’s response characterizes as a shared priority.
Statement from Play Fair Co-Chairs, New Yorkers for Parks Executive Director Adam Ganser and New York League of Conservation Voters President Julie Tighe:
“The City Council’s response makes clear that parks are among the most underfunded priorities in the Mayor’s Preliminary Budget. We are encouraged to see it calls out the lack of funding for maintenance, safety, and critical staff positions. Now we need the Mamdani administration and Council to come together to address these gaps in the adopted FY27 budget. Specifically, we urge the administration to avoid major job losses and baseline the 276 NYC Parks jobs currently dependent on annual one-shot investments, and the Council to implement a complementary round of one-shots to cover the agency’s immediate staffing needs. These actions in partnership would constitute a meaningful follow-through to achieve Mayor Mamdani’s commitment to reverse the status quo of underinvestment and dedicate 1% of the City’s budget for parks. In addition, while we appreciate the Council calling out the need for raising revenue from parks concessions, the Play Fair Coalition underscores our support for ensuring that parks revenue concessions stays with NYC Parks to help maintain and operate our parks system. Millions of New Yorkers rely on parks as affordable infrastructure. It’s time we treat them as such.”
About New Yorkers for Parks
New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P) is the citywide independent organization championing quality parks and open spaces for all New Yorkers in all neighborhoods. For over a century, NY4P has led the movement to protect, invest in, and celebrate New York City’s parks.
About Play Fair Coalition
Play Fair for Parks is an advocacy campaign and 400+ member coalition calling for #1Percent4Parks and elevating parks issues citywide. New Yorkers for Parks co-founded Play Fair along with the New York League of Conservation Voters and District Council 37, the NYC Parks workers’ union.