FY27 Budget Oversight Testimony for the Department of Parks and Recreation

Background:
This testimony addresses ACLU-D.C.'s recommendations regarding the District’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget for the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR).

Our Position:

The ACLU-D.C. supports FY27 funding levels for DPR at or above FY26 levels, which will allow the department to continue to invest necessary funds in accessible facilities and programming for all D.C. residents. We are particularly concerned that the Mayor’s proposed budget does not fund DPR at the correct level to provide young people and their families with safe spaces to grow and develop. Cuts to DPR’s operating budget will make it more difficult for DPR to provide robust, youth-centered programming that is both fully staffed and accessible to residents across the District’s eight wards. Our communities can flourish when we take a preventive, rather than punitive, approach to youth development and public safety. We believe funding levels that support DPR’s full operating needs will help implement this holistic approach, thereby making our communities safer, and helping the District’s young residents grow into healthy, successful adults.