Commitment 4

Setting benchmarks for growth in city spending on capital projects and maintenance of playspaces. A city or town budget reflects the priorities of that community, and the health and well being of children should be high on this list in every municipality. Budget allocations to parks and recreation, as well as schools, are a primary indicator of the priority given in this area. Play advocates should ask about the amount of spending devoted to children's playspaces per capita. Some benchmarks include: $245 in park spending per resident in Seattle; $191 per resident in Washington, D.C.; and $176 per resident in Minneapolis. This research may require meeting with your elected officials and working with staff that are knowledgeable about the budget process.

Financial Investment Template

For example:

• Every year, Friends of the Parks in Chicago analyzes the budget of the Chicago Park District to ensure equitable distribution of park space funding and more effective use of tax dollars. This work is central to the group's founding mission: Friends of the Parks began in 1975 when citizens believed that the city agency was not being run for the benefit of citizens, tax dollars were being squandered, and the city's parks were in shambles. Today, well-organized community groups have created a constituency for the city's 600 parks and they participate meaningfully in government decisions about neighborhood parks and playspaces.
  
  
• Twelve percent of Raleigh's budget is committed to leisure activities, which includes budget allocations for parks and recreation expenses. In October 2004, the citizens of Raleigh voted in favor of the Parks and Greenways Bond referendum which gave the city the authority to borrow up to $47.25 million for parks, greenway and recreation facilities.
  
  
• Seven million dollars is allocated to Unified Government of Wyandotte County Parks and Recreation Department (including Kansas City, Kansas). The parks and recreation department is funded by the sale of liquor in private clubs and the local minor league baseball team dedicates 50 cents from every ticket sold to parks and recreation. The city spends $25 to 30 per capita on parks and recreation.
  
  
• In 2004, New York City allocated only $153 million, or 0.38 percent, of its $44.3 billion budget for the parks department, the lowest percentage in modern history, according to New York City Park Advocates. Land under the jurisdiction of the city's parks department occupies more than 14 percent of the city, but it receives less than a half of one percent of the city's annual budget. Statistics like these spark nonprofit advocacy organizations and parents groups to lobby their elected officials.
  
  
• New Yorkers for Parks, an independent watchdog group for the city's parks, beaches and playgrounds, holds Parks Advocacy Day each year. Kids, parents, playground advocates, teachers and concerned citizens meet face-to-face with their city council members to discuss their concerns about individual parks and citywide funding. On Parks Advocacy Day 2006, 306 park advocates met with their city council members to ask them to restore and increase funding in the city budget for park maintenance. It's the biggest event of its kind at City Hall.