The Parks and Recreation Commission in Yazoo City will be making changes to its spring and summer programs in an effort to adjust to budget cuts.
Director Sedric Hudson says that he found out about the cuts shortly after taking on the position last October.
Hudson, along with the Parks and Recreation Board, compared the budgets for 2017 and 2018, and determined that they would be losing over $30,000 in disbursements from the City of Yazoo City.
"Facing such a cut is drastic for any department head, but I'm going to try to do more with less," He said.
Hudson said these cuts will affect children and league organizers that use the park, cut out future programs, and will reduce maintenance on company vehicles, machinery, and equipment.
"Instead of getting money out of our budget to cover costs on programs and events, we are going to have to rely on sponsors and other businesses and organizations to donate money for any planned event or program," he added.
Alderman Aubry Brent, Jr. said the board was following state mandates when making the budget for this year.
"The City does 2 mills out of city funds to the parks and recreation budget," said Brent, "A mill for us runs between $45,000 - $46,000, so when we double that, that's the amount they get."
Mississippi Code 21-37-43, says that the governing authorities of any municipality, including any municipality operating under a special charter which has created a park commission, are hereby authorized to levy and collect not more than two mills annually for the purpose of constructing, supporting, and maintaining parks and playgrounds, and for recreational purposes in such municipalities.
Mayor Diane Delaware said the city was simply following the law when determining the appropriation for Parks & Recreation.
For the 2017 - 2018 fiscal year, the total disbursements from the City of Yazoo City to the Parks and Recreation Commission is $92,616.00, compared to $130,952.63 in the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
On a lighter note, Hudson said that the cuts will not affect the resources available to Parks and Recreation, and that he is searching for grants that may be used to fill in the gaps in the budget.
"Both the county and the city have been huge resources," said Hudson, "The city has helped clean up Brame Park and the 19th Street park in areas that our equipment can't cut. The county is always reliable when we need loads of dirt or other services such as the removal of old dilapidated playground equipment."
Hudson and the Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners are currently working to find a way to keep programs going while staying within their current budget.
One idea is to close the swimming pool in the Wardell Leach Sports Complex.
"This will keep us from paying three summer employees and will also eliminate the cost of maintenance, pool repairs, and chemicals to the pool," said Hudson,
The Parks and Recreation Board has also considered hiring one seasonal worker for the spring and summer, instead of two, to assist with grass cutting, lining baseball fields, and other maintenance work.
"These are the main cutbacks we are likely to make," said Hudson, "The public can help by simply donating their precious time, especially those who have children participating in any youth leagues such as Campanella and Dixie Youth League."
He added that any services rendered or donations that will help beautify the parks will be highly appreciated.
Brent said that there is always a possibility that funds for Parks and Recreation can be put back into the budget in the future.
"What I would like to do, is for these two boards, the Supervisors and the City, to sit down, take a look at our Parks and Recreation compared with other municipalities, and see if we can come up with some addendums to what the state legislature says," said Brent.
In other news, starting on Tuesday, January 16, Parks and Recreation will be locking the gates at the Wardell Leach Sports Complex every night between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 a.m., to reduce acts of vandalism inside the park. The commission will modify these times during the spring and summer months.
