San Francisco Rec & Park Budget Avoids Cuts, Layoffs
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - A new, $117 million budget has been approved by San Francisco's Recreation and Park Commission without any new service cuts or layoffs. It's a "steady as you go" approach, with the department relying increasingly on revenue to make ends meet.
Word that pink slips would not be mailed this year was welcome news, following several years of severe cuts within San Francisco's Rec and Park Department.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:
"So what you see today is a success story," declared Rec and Park general manager Phil Ginsberg. "A story of this department fighting back from very, very, very, very, very dire budget circumstances."
"This is a good budget. We have stopped the bleeding," Ginsberg summed up the budget moments before it was unanimously approved by the commission.
Despite the fact that the department avoided layoffs and program cuts, Ginsberg acknowledged that problems lingered.
"We are not adding back into this budget the 200 gardeners that we are short in our system. We are not able to add back into our budget at least 30 custodians that we really need," said Ginsberg.
Commission president Mark Buell warned that a permanent new funding source was needed to resolve long-term, chronic money problems.
"I want to ring the bell of caution that sustainability in funding is where we need to head," said Buell. "There's no question that there's an enormous amount of pressure on us to generate revenue rather than lay off gardeners or close rec centers. But at some point you reach a point where you can't do that anymore."
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