www.ny4p.org/advocacy/parksplatform
Full report here [5pg Pdf]
:
OVERHAUL HOW THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IS FUNDED.
1) The Parks Department should have its own discretionary capital budget.
2) The Parks Department's maintenance budget should be increased,
and funding for core functions should be baselined -
meaning automatically renewed - in its annual expense budget.
3) The Parks Department provides an essential city service and should be
staffed accordingly.
INCREASE THE TRANSPARENCY AND EFFICIENCY
OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE
EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES.
4) The Parks Department should know the cost to maintain every City park,
as well as the amount of public and private funding that supports each.
5) The Parks Department should adopt the best practices of other capital projects
agencies to improve its own process.
6) Organizations in public-private partnerships with the Parks Department
should report annual revenues, expenses and other critical financial
information in a simple, consistent manner to be shared on the Department's website.
RESTRICT AND STRONGLY REGULATE THE PRIVATIZATION
OF PARKLAND.
7) Parkland alienation should not occur unless no other land is available
to serve an essential public need.
8) State and local laws regulating parkland alienation should be strengthened
to require earlier and broader notification of alienation actions, and to
mandate acre-for-acre replacement of lost parkland.
INTEGRATE PARKS PLANNING INTO NEIGHBORHOOD,
CITYWIDE AND RESILIENCY PLANNING.
9) Parks are part of a broad network of public spaces, and City agencies
should collaborate to maximize neighborhood open space and citywide
environmental benefits.
10) The City should be more proactive in involving neighborhood residents
in their parks, both as volunteer stewards and in planning for the future.
www.ny4p.org/advocacy/parksplatform
