Dallas park officials said Thursday that plans to close four community centers, slash three dozen jobs and a series of other cuts they’ve identified so far still leave the department short of its roughly $14 million budget reduction goal for next year.
Department officials told park board members they’ve identified about $8.9 million in proposed cuts and service reductions so far, along with another possible $2.4 million in new fees and other revenue, but several board members continued pushing back on some of the proposals.
Park Board member Fonya Mondell called reducing aquatic center operations and recreation center hours “not negotiable” and described the proposed closure of four community facilities as “gut-wrenching.”
“Where do these people go?” Mondell said.
The list of potential cuts includes:
Closing Arcadia Recreation Center, Umphress Recreation Center, Teen Tech Center and Marcus Annex Senior Center ($1,011,432)
Reducing recreation center operations to 40 hours per week ($1,050,920)
Eliminating 20 vacant positions ($1 million)
Reducing litter pickup frequency ($996,573)
Eliminating 16 Park Maintenance Operations workers ($761,926)
Reducing mowing frequency ($740,000)
Moving Cedar Crest Golf Course to a private operator ($572,285)
Closing the department’s internal paint services shop ($570,974)
Reducing stipends to partner groups, including the Dallas Zoo and Dallas Arboretum, by 3% ($468,659)
Switching from Dallas police overtime to contracted park security ($200,000)
Moving Bachman, Harry Stone, Tietze and Freta Exline aquatic centers to four-day operations ($136,000)
Moving Southern Skates skating rink to a private operator ($100,000)
Reducing Dallas ISD daytime aquatic programming to two days a week ($42,000)
Reducing Bachman Indoor Pool operations to 40 hours per week ($38,000)
If approved, the cuts would take effect in October at the start of the city’s 2026-27 fiscal year. Earlier this month, Park and Recreation Director John Jenkins said City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert asked the department to reduce its proposed budget by about 15%, or roughly $14 million.
Department officials said Thursday that they were initially planning to propose a $119.3 million budget before the 15% reduction request. The current Park and Recreation budget is $117.3 million, down from $121.8 million the previous fiscal year, which runs from October through September.
Jenkins said Thursday the proposals were far from final and that officials hope new revenue sources such as new fees from recreation services and new advertising signs in and around parks could help avoid some of the deeper cuts, like eliminating 16 maintenance positions. But a gap of more than $2 million remains between the department’s identified cutbacks and the city’s goal.
“There’s a lot that can change between today and before the council approves the budget,” he said. The City Council approves the annual budget in September.
He said the facilities are being considered for closure because they are among the smallest community centers in the parks system.
Officials had previously described the reduction as roughly $14 million, but clarified that about $935,000 of that total reflects one-time federal pandemic relief money used to offset aquatic expenses that will not continue next year.
The department’s current plan includes about $2.5 million in efficiencies like the golf course and skating rink privatization proposals, nearly $6.5 million in service reductions such as cutting mowing and litter service in parks and another $2.4 million in new revenue from fees, rentals and programming.
The cuts are part of a broader city budget crunch. Earlier this month, city staff warned the City Council that Dallas faces an estimated $30 million general fund shortfall tied to slowing sales tax growth, rising public safety overtime costs and increasing employee health care expenses. Tolbert has already ordered freezes on most hiring, travel and discretionary spending.
Other board members warned that reducing services in southern Dallas neighborhoods could disproportionately affect communities that rely heavily on recreation centers, youth programs and after-school activities.
“People who rely on our centers every day should not be the first to absorb a budget crisis,” said Lane Conner, vice president of the Park and Recreation Board.
Park officials said they next plan to brief the City Council’s Parks, Trails and the Environment Committee in June for feedback before briefing the entire City Council.
The Park and Recreation Board would ultimately need to sign off on the department’s overall budget proposal for Tolbert to consider it in her formal citywide budget recommendation in August.
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