Park Slope residents urge Mayor Adams to halt plans to cut Parks Department budget
In a recent letter to Mayor Eric Adams, the Park Slope Civic Council said the planned 5% cuts across most city agencies would be catastrophic for parks across the city.
Some Park Slope residents are urging the mayor to roll back plans to cut the New York City Parks Department budget.
In a recent letter to Mayor Eric Adams, the Park Slope Civic Council said the planned 5% cuts across most city agencies would be catastrophic for parks across the city.
With the new cuts on top of previous cuts earlier this year, the Parks Department would lose about 12% of its budget, according to the City Council. This would lead to over 1,000 seasonal jobs being lost and less scheduled maintenance in the parks.
"First of all, there are the visible cuts that park users can see, whether there is garbage that doesn't get picked up, bathrooms that don't get cleaned, damaged that doesn't get repaired," said Timothy Gilles, president of the Park Slope Civic Council. "... in the summer, the Parks Department is a source of seasonal employment for a lot of New Yorkers."
In a statement, the Parks Department said that it will do everything it can to minimize the impact to the cleanliness of their parks.
The mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment.
The group is also urging all New Yorkers to join their fight against budget cuts by sending letters to the mayor and their local City Council members.
