The city is encouraging volunteerism in the parks, but it has severely restricted what can be done via a ban on power tools of any kind, including lawn mowers, pressure washers, leaf blowers, and power pruners.
The new parks ordinance considers “unauthorized maintenance” as vandalism and it is now a misdemeanor offense that can result in exclusion from the park.
The tedious “volunteer” program set up by the city takes a great deal of time to make sure residents can do very little work, and the program only ensures a bright future for city employees that accomplish little, as demonstrated by the city’s nearly blank volunteer calendar and the continued deterioration of the parks.
The parks department does not need a new tax on homeowners; it needs fewer highly paid bureaucrats who only come up with burdensome rules and programs nobody can afford. Residents must be free to take responsibility for their parks before the city puts up a fence to keep everyone out.