On Thursday, April 22, Mayor Reed delivered his proposed fiscal 2011 budget to Atlanta City Council. Facing a $37 million shortfall, almost all departments and services received some sort of cuts, and parks were no exception. That being said, the cuts to parks are acceptable over the short term, with the hope that they will be restored in the next few years as the economy continues to improve.

The Mayor’s proposed budget would reduce funding for the Office of Parks by eliminating 2 full-time and 20 seasonal workers. The impact of this cut would be to reduce park maintenance from a 9-working-days to an 11-working-days mowing cycle. A mowing cycle marks when a crew visits a park to mow the grass, pick up litter, edge walkways, etc. The 11-working-day mowing cycle is the same level of service that the city provided during the 2009 furloughs. The Mayor’s budget does propose significant investments in new lawnmowers, garbage trucks and other equipment, which is essential given the lack of such funding since 2007.The new equipment will make workers more productive and better able to meet the mowing schedule.

The budget is now before the Atlanta City Council, which will review and most likely make changes to the Mayor’s proposal. Council must pass, and the Mayor must sign, a final budget by June 30. Fiscal 2011 actually starts on July 1, 2010.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR ATLANTA’S PARKS! Your action helped ensure that, especially given the current economic conditions, the Mayor's parks budget is acceptable.

Park Pride will continue to monitor the situation and work with Council to ensure that there are no further cuts to parks.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to contact Mayor Reed to express their support for funding park maintenance. The current economic conditions are creating difficult choices for our elected officials, and it is important that they the breadth and depth of support for parks. Since we launched our campaign, more than 1500 people visited this page, where they could follow three simple steps to send a letter to Mayor Reed expressing their support for parks. More than 1000 people joined our Facebook page "1000 Strong for Atlanta's Parks".

Mayor Reed has a track record of being a strong supporter of Atlanta’s parks, working for the creation of a parks district, supporting a Constitutional amendment to support BeltLine funding, and endorsing the Act to Save Atlanta’s Parks (ASAP)! However, it will not be easy developing a budget during these extremely difficult economic times. Fortunately, park maintenance is part of the solution - a smart short-term and long-term investment that improves public safety and quality of life. Park Pride will continue to work with the Mayor to emphasize this message and build a partnership that will benefit our parks and our city.