Philadelphia parks advocates are celebrating an increase in Philadelphia Parks & Recreation funding, $4.99 million above what Mayor Jim Kenney had requested for fiscal year 2023.
Philadelphia’s park system has been chronically underfunded for decades, and as City Council worked on a budget deal for 2023, advocate groups such as the Philadelphia Parks Alliance have focused their energy on shortfalls in staffing recreation centers as well as other gaps, including caring for the city’s street trees, through a “Rec It Philly” campaign.
The newly passed budget adds nearly five million dollars to Mayor Kenney’s proposed parks budget, with notable increases in funding for recreation staff ($2.5 million), implementing the city’s tree plan ($1.8 million), and supporting the urban agriculture plan ($300,000).
