San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services continues to wrestle with budget cuts and backlogs, and the upcoming year isn’t going to be easy.
The city is facing a projected 2025-26 budget deficit of $35.6 million — and the parks department won’t go unscathed. The budget is expected to decrease park funding by $2.5 million next year, according to Sheena Talosig, spokesperson for the department.
“We do everything we can to stretch our resources — grants, partnerships, volunteers and contractors all help us maintain parks,” she told San José Spotlight. “We’re also always looking for ways to be more efficient, but the bottom line is that we just don’t have enough staff to meet the need. With a $550 million maintenance backlog, it’s clear that sustainable funding for park staffing is critical to keeping our parks safe, clean and accessible.”…