Monday, May 18, 2026; 6-7 pm at Parks Tacoma Headquarters

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Public hearing scheduled May 18 as Parks Tacoma considers budget cuts

Parks Tacoma is seeking community input as it prepares to reduce spending by more than $9 million to address a budget shortfall and rebuild its reserves.

Last fall, the Park District discovered a shortfall in its operating budget and adopted an amendment to address it. However, earlier this year the District discovered that this year’s revenue forecasts were built on the same faulty assumptions. The agency used up its reserve funds to cover the shortfalls in parks, recreation and administrative services.

That means Parks Tacoma must cut at least $9 million in expenses before the end of the year to offset the faulty revenue projections and replenish the reserve funds.

The Park Board got its first look at a range of cost-saving options during a Committee of the Whole meeting on May 4.

On May 18, the Board will hold a special meeting and public hearing so community members can share suggestions and concerns with commissioners as they discuss budget amendment recommendations.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Boardroom at Parks Tacoma headquarters, 4702 S 19^th St., Tacoma. There will be options to join in person and online. Written comments can be submitted via an online form.

Some of the possible impacts include:

• Reducing operating hours at the four community centers, including closures on Sundays.
• Reducing or eliminating the Beyond the Bell and Club B after-school programs.
• Eliminating the licensed childcare program at several elementary schools.
• Closing some of the least used public restrooms.
• Reducing art, fitness and senior programming.
• Limiting water use and leaning into sustainable climate goals that reduce irrigation in parks.

“These proposed cuts are hard on the community and they are hard on our staff, who love providing these programs and services,” said Park Board President Matt Mauer. “We want to hear from the community. It’s important that we fully understand the impacts before we make these very difficult decisions.”

The Park Board has directed a number of actions in response to the budget crisis. It is in the process of hiring an independent auditor to conduct an “after action” audit of the budget situation and help develop a corrective action plan. The Board also expects to establish a Finance Committee this year that will monitor financial statements, debt and reserve balances, review budgets, and monitor intergovernmental contracts. And the District is moving to centralize and streamline certain internal support services to clarify roles and responsibilities and strengthen internal controls.

“While we can’t undo the decisions in the past that got us here, we are determined to put the systems and checks and balances in place to ensure we never do this again,” said Park Board Vice President Alisa Lee.

Learn more about potential cuts, the associated savings and budget information here.