Park department dollars are allocated from the budget\u2019s general fund of $1.11 billion, which is used to fund most public-facing city services. Other departments that receive dollars from the general fund are police and fire, as well as neighborhood services.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Park staff manage city parks, including tree planting and maintenance, grass and weed mowing, litter removal and minor repairs. They also oversee park facility reservations, manage operational contracts for services such as adopt-a-park programs and grounds maintenance, and coordinate volunteer activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
City Manager Jay Chapa and FWLab staff lead the budget\u2019s development<\/a> and present a recommendation for how to spend taxpayer dollars to City Council members, who get the final say on the budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n Council members are scheduled to adopt<\/a> the city budget and tax rate Sept. 16. Under the current recommendation, the average Fort Worth homeowner can expect a lower tax rate but higher service fees<\/a> that would ultimately result in an increase of about $20 on their annual tax bill.\u00a0<\/p>\n The majority of the $79 million recommended for the park department, about $42 million would cover general operations and maintenance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Less than a third of the total, almost $32 million, would cover salaries and benefits for park employees. Those dollars include a $320,000 increase from 2025\u2019s budget to account for the city increasing its minimum wage to $18 per hour<\/a>, a change that took effect in February.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Other funding changes include a $175,000 increase for open space initiatives. That funding would support Mayor Mattie Parker\u2019s Good Natured initiative, launched in 2023 with the goal of preserving 10,000 acres of open space across the city by 2028. As of May, the city had saved a little more than 1,000 acres<\/a> from development through the initiative.<\/p>\n Parker\u2019s initiative helped Fort Worth\u2019s park system improve in national rankings<\/a> this year. The environment-focused nonprofit Trust for Public Land\u2019s ParkScore Index survey, which annually ranks parks across the country\u2019s 100 most populated cities, scored Fort Worth as having the 72nd best city park system<\/a>. That was a jump of 19 spots from its 2024 ranking at 91st place.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fort Worth\u2019s park ranking also benefited from a revised master park plan<\/a> and increased funding, the Trust for Public Land\u2019s Texas director said in May. Over the past four years, Fort Worth has increased spending on parks by more than 50%.\u00a0<\/p>\n Throughout the end of August and early September, city officials hosted a series of town hall meetings<\/a> to gather resident input on how to budget city dollars next year. Two more meetings, on Sept. 11 at the Northside Community Center and Sept. 15 at the William M. McDonald YMCA, are scheduled before the council adopts the budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n Residents may also weigh in through an online survey<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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