Vancouver Park Board proposes service and program changes to meet 2010 budget shortfall

November 13, 2009 (No. 62) - The Vancouver Park Board has proposed a range of service and program changes to address a $2.8 million operating budget shortfall for 2010. The changes are part of a strategy to meet the $60 million funding gap in the City's operating budget for next year. Although in 2010 the Park Board will receive $4.2 million more from the City compared to 2009, the current financial pressures outstrip the additional funding.

The decision of which services and programs to adjust was guided by the following general principles of the recent Core Services Review which prioritized park and recreation services:

• Parks – preserve maintenance of high use/demand parks
• Recreation – preserve core programs in community centres, rinks and pools to ensure access and meet demand
• Maintenance – preserve park and recreation facilities and structures
• Revenue Services – protect services, programs and businesses that return net revenues to the Park Board.

Key areas of the recommended cutbacks totalling $2.8 million are:

• Parks – street cleaning, litter, plant material, street trees and park maintenance ($0.6 million)
• Recreation – prioritization and coordination of programs and facility hours ($1.3 million)
• Maintenance – prioritizing risk reduction and life cycle impact work ($0.8 million)
• Revenue Services – closure of businesses non-core to Park Board and currently subsidized ($0.1 million)

Details of the proposed service and program changes are available today in a staff report  on the public website. The Park Board will meet in a Special Board Meeting on Tuesday, November 17 (7pm, 2099 Beach Avenue) to review the report, hear from the public and finalize the 2010 budget initiatives. Once Council approves the 2010 operating budget in December, staff will begin to implement the service adjustments approved by the Board.

The Park Board believes that the budget initiatives will allow the most vital services for residents to be maintained as per its mandate.

The estimated full time equivalent of 55 Park Board staff will be affected by the measures. This translates to an estimated total of 13 net full time equivalent positions (when vacant and temporary/auxiliary positions are excluded). Strategies to manage and minimize the employee and customer service impacts of each of the initiatives have been developed as the Park Board remains committed to delivering quality parks and recreation services to the community.

Throughout 2009 and into 2010, the Park Board, along with all City Departments and Boards, is also carrying out other elements in the strategy to meet the ongoing budget challenges: 

• inflationary and market rate adjustments to fees and charges
• continuing with a hiring freeze and curtailing of discretionary expenditures
• implementation of shared services in finance, facilities management, IT and supply chain
• process improvements in identified areas such as absentee management and time entry

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For more information, contact: Joyce Courtney, Manager of Communications, at 604-257-8699
www.vancouverparks.ca

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation maintains 220 parks and 40 major facilities throughout the City of Vancouver. The Park Board's mission is to provide, preserve and advocate for parks and recreation services to benefit people, communities and the environment.