Rumors about certain services provided by Manhattan Parks and Rec being removed have made their rounds.
KMAN spoke with City Manager Ron Fehr, who says there have been discussions around some programming where they are having trouble filling positions.
Typically, Fehr says they have had a strong ability to get seasonal workers for these positions, especially before COVID. However, during the past year, they have had trouble finding both volunteers and workforce.
During strategic plan discussions last year, there were talks about holding a comprehensive look at Parks and Rec.
Due to a lack of interest and a workforce for certain programs, the city is looking to see what the future will be on those programs. Fehr says this is a discussion they will need to have with the community.
Parks and Rec is the city’s biggest department, with a $10 million budget, while only generating around $2 million in revenue. Fehr says they will need to look at ways to be more cost effective and be able to provide programming in an economic way.
Fehr says even if the city had enough money, they would still not be able to hire the workforce necessary like in the past.
