The Civic Issue
NYC advocates have long called for Parks to receive 1% of the city budget. In reality, Parks gets 0.58% — a gap of nearly $500M/year. The result: 800 lost positions, declining condition ratings, dirty bathrooms, overflowing trash bins, and unmowed lawns across the city's 30,000 acres of parkland.
Headline Spending
$687.6M
identifiable in budget
Budget Lines (Adopted)
$327.2M
15 lines
Vendor Spending
$221.3M
15 vendors
| Line | Adopted | Spent |
|---|---|---|
POP JTP Program - City MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS | $49.5M | $27.7M |
Hotspots Staffing MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS | $26.0M | $11.8M |
Parks Improvement Plan - M&O PS MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS | $24.2M | $14.8M |
CAPITAL PROJECTS-DESIGN DESIGN & ENGINEERING | $28.2M | $16.6M |
HEAT LIGHT & POWER IC EXEC MGT/ADMIN SVCS-OTPS | $26.6M | $0 |
Central Park Conservancy Contribution MAINT & OPERATIONS - OTPS | $13.8M | $8.0M |
PEP PS (combined) URBAN PARK SERVICE | $35.7M | $17.6M |
BROOKLYN BORO-WIDE SERVICES (combined) MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS | $28.8M | $18.6M |
QUEENS BORO-WIDE SERVICES (combined) MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS | $27.4M | $17.8M |
MANHATTAN BORO-WIDE SERVICES (combined) MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS | $25.5M | $15.5M |
BRONX BORO-WIDE SERVICES (combined) MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS | $20.5M | $13.1M |
SI BORO-WIDE SERVICES MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS | $8.6M | $4.7M |
FORESTRY (umbrella) MAINT & OPERATIONS - OTPS | $10.3M | $2.8M |
NYC ZOOs MAINT & OPERATIONS - OTPS | $8.0M | $0 |
FINANCIAL PLAN SAVINGS (negative) M&O PS | -$6.0M | $0 |
| NEW YORK CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION | $35.1M | 170 txns |
| CONSIGLI CONSTRUCTION CO INC | $32.1M | 15 txns |
| CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY INC | $29.3M | 40 txns |
| WILLIAM A GROSS CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATES INC | $26.6M | 147 txns |
| JUDLAU CONTRACTING INC | $15.2M | 16 txns |
| TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND | $9.6M | 2 txns |
| PADILLA CONSTRUCTION SERVICES INC | $9.5M | 56 txns |
| LIRO ENGINEERS INC | $9.0M | 38 txns |
| STEVEN DUBNER LANDSCAPING | $8.9M | 40 txns |
| CDW GOVERNMENT LLC | $8.2M | 69 txns |
| JRCRUZ CORP | $8.0M | 70 txns |
| KELCO CONSTRUCTION INC | $7.9M | 31 txns |
| DRAGONETTI BROTHERS LANDSCAPING NURSERY & FLORIST INC | $7.8M | 40 txns |
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY | $7.3M | 10 txns |
| GRIFFINS LANDSCAPING CORP | $6.8M | 29 txns |
Total Identifiable Spending
$687.6M adopted / $709.2M modified (entire agency — dedicated)
Parks has a $687.6M adopted expense budget that funds 10 departments across maintenance, recreation, urban park service, and capital project design. The borough-level service lines (Queens $34M, Brooklyn $35M, Manhattan $34M, Bronx $25M, SI $8.6M) reveal the geographic distribution of maintenance resources. Financial Plan Savings lines total $15.8M adopted but zeroed out at the modified stage, indicating planned cuts that were reversed. The agency relies heavily on capital spending ($393.5M in IOTB/construction spending in FY2026) for park improvements, but this is project-by-project and not recurring operating support. City Council discretionary funding ($4.7M adopted → $231K modified) was slashed 95% mid-year. The Central Park Conservancy receives $15.6M (modified) as a direct contribution — the single largest conservancy payment, reflecting the public-private model that creates resource inequity between Central Park and neighborhood parks.
The FY2026 database doesn't include historical year-over-year trends to show whether the 0.58% share has been declining. Capital spending ($393.5M) can't be attributed to specific parks or improvement projects without project-level IDs. The 800 lost positions figure comes from advocacy reporting, not budget data — headcount would need to be compared across fiscal years in the payroll table. Condition ratings (cleanliness, structural soundness) are tracked by Parks Inspection Program (PIP) scores, not budget data. The Comptroller's report on Parks budget history is the authoritative source for the long-term funding trend.
Key Context
The "1% for Parks" campaign has been advocated by New Yorkers for Parks since the early 2000s. Mayor Adams has cited the 0.6% figure but has not committed to reaching 1%. The Comfort Station (bathroom) budget is just $103K combined across two named lines, with all other bathroom maintenance embedded in borough-wide services. The POP JTP (Parks Opportunity Program / Job Training Participant) at $53.3M is the largest single program — a workforce development initiative using per-diem workers for park maintenance. PEP (Parks Enforcement Patrol) at $35.7M provides safety officers across the park system. Heat, Light & Power ($26.6M) is a fixed cost that reduces the discretionary portion of the budget.