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Minneapolis Park Board battles mayor over budget
The Minneapolis Park Board and the mayor's office are working to find common ground to close a $3.1 million funding gap. FOX 9's Leon Purvis has the latest details.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and mayor's office are at odds over how much money the city's parks should get in 2027, and the stakes include jobs, recreation centers and park upkeep.
2027 budget battle takes center stage
By the numbers:
The mayor is recommending a 2.5% budget increase for the park board, while the board is pushing for a 5.86% increase — a difference of $3.1 million.
Mayor Jacob Frey says many city departments are already seeing smaller increases or outright cuts, and he believes the Park Board can close that gap by consolidating resources with the city.
What they're saying:
The Park Board says it needs more funding to keep operations running smoothly.
According to the board, the mayor's proposed budget could put 26 employees out of work and affect rec centers and park maintenance across the city.
FOX 9's Leon Purvis spoke with the mayor ahead of the park board's meeting.
"Recreation service can continue if we look at ways to consolidate," said Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis. "I mean, look at the park board right now, spends $1.8 million on HR, $1.9 million on finance, and $3.5 million on IT. The city also spends millions of dollars on IT, on HR, on payroll, on finance."
The mayor believes consolidating those departments under the city's responsibility would make both sides more efficient.
Minneapolis Park Board responds to mayor
The other side:
The park board pushed back on the consolidation argument, saying the idea of duplicating services doesn't add up for them.
Minneapolis Parks Board Superintendent Alfred Bangoura said the board has not seen enough specifics from the city to move in that direction.
"We said at the very beginning, duplication of services clearly for us doesn't make any sense," said Bangoura. "We have history on a service redesign. We've talked about, and Director Wiseman talked about those numbers and what it means to duplicate, and so we don't see anything coming back from the city specifically around what that means."
What's next:
More budget talks are expected through the end of the year.
The Source: This story uses information gathered by FOX 9 reporter Leon Purvis and previous FOX 9 reporting.