Officials in Jackson, Miss., are mulling a plan to eliminate the Jackson Parks and Recreation Department ahead of the 2026 summer season.
According to WLBT, a cost-savings ordinance to shut down the parks and rec department was introduced at Tuesday's city council meeting, and the city's chief administrative officer, Peter Teeuwissen, said that steps have already been taken to consolidate parks and rec with other departments.
“You voted in September and gave the administration the authority to combine departments as the administration deemed fit for cost-savings and efficiency purposes," said Teeuwissen. "Now, we need to formally adopt what we’ve been doing.”
Park maintenance has been placed under Public Works, and other park services have been moved to the Department of Human and Cultural Services.
A vote on the matter is expected for early May.
The proposal comes as the city navigates a $23 million budget shortfall.
The administration has already implemented other cost-savings measures, such as freezing unfilled positions, restricting employee travel, and cutting out some purchases.
The city also has put in place a new software system in the Municipal Court and is looking at engaging private firms to help boost collections of fines and forfeitures.
