County Parks faces 2010 budget cut

The county parks department is now facing a particularly lean year, after county commissioners passed the 2010 county budget last week.

The budget trimmed off hours for part-time employees, meaning the current two park rangers must now stretch summer hours to tasks like maintaining trails, lawn mowing or painting.

Most other expenses for the parks department also saw steep cuts.

“We’ve had to cut in every area of the parks,” said parks director Tim Myers.

This year’s parks budget is $307,335, compared to a budget of $344,000 in the 2009 budget, Myers said. He noted $111,680 of the $307,335 derives from grants given to the county, and not from normal county revenue sources.

Myers said his goal for the budget was to avoid any layoffs, which has been accomplished with the current budget. The parks department has three full-time and one part-time employee.

The county parks department was in particular peril during the recent county budget sessions because it isn’t a state-mandated service.

Commissioner Pat O’Neill proposed the steepest cuts in his initial budget, snipping $48,484 from the parks department.

He later factored most of those funds back in, coming up with a proposal similar to those from commissioners Greg Partch and Michael Largent.