[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6129174,"mediaKeyId","5748214-3131ee940712ef5b86ccbd6fb47cf564","parentId",5748214,"title","Parks director tells council budget is largely flat but warns of costly tree removals, Grove Park work","audioSeconds",2938,"startMs",119000,"endMs",3057000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5748214-3131ee940712ef5b86ccbd6fb47cf564&start=119&end=3057","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5748214-3131ee940712ef5b86ccbd6fb47cf564/thumbnail_119000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6129174/Jackson-City/Hinds-County/Mississippi/Parks-director-tells-council-budget-is-largely-flat-but-warns-of-costly-tree-removals-Grove-Park-work","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6129174-3819aaa662cfbaf7a73991553793b8d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448108&Signature=jhlk25N59HlXBHyeXF32G3iKo1K8AWZZNehwbWL1SmgdLjyi9sSyg0JW1Q5S78qwr7~I7dHNTd76TEhT2gTVNFSAzXU5PpIrw079LBCgG9aOKlZnbCAjvlPXnTQN3FkpGqoiv49UtPUvafUJJY5Wh0GOLqtPk2P9Xf8iVCqLSLJOSjVjj3SA4yJ76ScMZu7TvBA7VdTRtLXz877wp7umS2SIgRBnpjPz3vqGqXAOo45BU1mL4jT0dZifJIBemev-9Y3bvUivlc9XOpU2vbwjN4AOB6gSKdVf0nm9WP7moiOGIbtlVyl6HUPTFGtYPXPiUD-ItdKafQgqZTUYbzfpUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Jackson, MI","date","2025-08-29T03:38:38Z","article","Steve Hutton, director of Parks and Recreation, told the Jackson City Council in a departmental budget hearing that the department’s operating request for fiscal 2026 is largely flat compared with 2025, but that several one-time project funds and urgent maintenance needs will require targeted spending. Hutton outlined plans to map park assets, reissue Grove Park bids, address more than 500 dead trees across city parks and expand revenue efforts at Pete Brown Golf Course.

Hutton said the department moved unused salary and wage funds into an overtime line and ran Saturday crews beginning in July to catch up deferred maintenance, adding, “We typically have about 15 to 20 men that are volunteering for overtime on any given Saturday, and we’re getting very close to being caught up.”

The nut of the issue is that the operating budget itself is mostly unchanged year over year, while a separate pool of insurance-settlement and project funds will finance capital work. Hutton said a line that appears large on the budget (a page showing many zeroed recurring line items and larger 2026 project numbers) reflects sums from that insurance settlement earmarked for Grove Park, pool renovations, baseball-field work and lighting, not recurring increases to the department’s base budget.

Most immediately, Hutton said the department has flagged 502 dead trees in city parks; Jamie Fowler Boyle Park alone holds 185 of those trees. He gave a vendor-based cost range for removals of roughly $900–$950 per tree and said some vendors will do work closer to $800 per tree, a scale that would put immediate removals in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars. Hutton said the department intends to use a portion of a roughly $550,000 allocation labeled for “additional park improvements” to remove the most dangerous trees now — near roads, nursing homes and other high-risk spots — and to address more trees in future years. He said, “We’re gonna start just a little at a time and try to get the trees down that are in danger areas.”

Hutton described two-pronged tree-removal plans: hire contractors for urgent removals and rely on Public Works crews during slower seasons for less-urgent removals. Council members pressed for a middle-ground pace that balances urgency with budget limits; Councilmember (Ward) comments emphasized that removal funding, demolition capacity and disposal markets are constraints.

On Grove Park, Hutton said several bids for lighting, tennis-court work and baseball-field renovation had to be redone because earlier solicitation documents were not prepared properly. “We redid them, but then we went straight to legal with them to try to make sure that everything was correct before they go back out,” he said, and he expected some bids to be reissued as early as next week. Hutton also said a pool renovation is part of the Grove Park package and that he and a council member had met with a private donor who has “a very soft place in his heart for Grove Park Golf Course” and who may submit a private funding proposal in coming months.

Hutton highlighted revenue gains at Pete Brown Golf Course: he said rounds jumped from about 20 players per day four years ago to roughly 200 players on a typical weekend now, with weekly revenue topping $12,000 for the first time and monthly revenue exceeding $40,000 in recent months compared with roughly $4,000 monthly in the past. He cautioned that public courses normally rely on greens fees rather than tournaments for baseline revenue, but council members said improved cart paths and targeted tournaments could help further growth; Hutton estimated new cart-path work would cost in the neighborhood of $900,000 to $1.1 million if done to new-build standards.

Operational changes under way include contracting an urban-planning/tree-asset organization to create a GIS-based park inventory and asset map so the city will know which parks have playgrounds, trash cans, picnic tables, lighting and other assets before spending project funds. Hutton also said the department is installing GPS telematics on every parks maintenance vehicle to track location and fuel use, and that it is buying an autonomous (robot) mower intended for multi-field softball complexes; he said that mower can maintain a five-plex of softball fields on a 48-hour cycle and will be used initially on ball fields rather than replace staff.

Hutton and other speakers stressed the need to move routine grounds maintenance from Parks and Recreation into Public Works so Parks can focus on programming and revenue generation. Council discussion repeatedly separated three types of actions: (1) near-term safety removals of hazardous trees (direction to begin using the $550,000 project fund), (2) planned capital work tied to insurance-settlement project lines and reissued bids (direction to reissue and legal-review bids), and (3) longer-term organizational changes such as moving maintenance responsibilities to Public Works (policy/direction under review).

Council members raised public-safety and revenue questions about other park items: security lighting (Hutton said roughly $270,000 was dedicated from the insurance settlement for lighting), water leaks in parks including Livingston Park and the zoo perimeter (Hutton said he is coordinating with Public Works and Jackson Water to identify meters and fix leaks), volunteer and public–private partnership opportunities (Mississippi State University capstone projects and a memorandum of understanding with Job Corps to supply labor at the zoo), and the parks ranger program (JPD officers check parks but answer service calls first; councilmembers discussed dedicated park rangers or reserve-officer detail agreements).

The department identified about seven to eight unfilled positions and said it manages roughly 56 parks citywide. Hutton said an inventory contract would be presented to the council for approval once the proposal is finalized.

Looking ahead, Hutton said he will present the park-inventory contract and expects Grove Park bid reissues soon; council members asked staff to pursue public–private partnerships and to return with cost estimates for major demolition or capital asks. No formal motions or votes were recorded during the presentation; councilmembers limited themselves to questions and direction for staff to bring back contracts, bids and timelines.

Ending: The council kept the parks operating budget request largely flat for now but directed staff to begin safety tree removals from the specified $550,000 project fund, to present a parks inventory contract for approval, and to reissue Grove Park bids after legal review. Hutton said he will return with contract and bid timelines in the coming weeks.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Finance Committee Budget Meeting Aug 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Steve Hutton, director of Parks and Recreation, told the Jackson City Council in a departmental budget hearing that the department’s operating request for fiscal 2026 is largely flat compared with 2025, but that several one-time project funds and urgent maintenance needs will require targeted spending.","taxTitle","Jackson City, Hinds County, Mississippi","taxId",3823,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6129164,"Planning department requests modest increase, flags street-light accounting and blight/demo funding needs",263,3902000,4165000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5748214-3131ee940712ef5b86ccbd6fb47cf564&start=3902&end=4165","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5748214-3131ee940712ef5b86ccbd6fb47cf564/thumbnail_3902000.jpg","/articles/6129164/Jackson-City/Hinds-County/Mississippi/Planning-department-requests-modest-increase-flags-street-light-accounting-and-blightdemo-funding-needs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6129164-ba2aade69687b5fd98db0e34248bd50b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448108&Signature=XjXuR60vw~v1Hn1CY9z2tUH~hmbNKcXXL5aoWlMCp8w8F0GR6L3DiJQ6cEHzPpj5CyD6C--Hah~3kxHXgCjWZH6gRIHp0ozhskXtHqoSEBbNNhQa4ALGiJl9jRc-zpj3oKPNC2d3DOhjBK88bVcSgwwuBxoP-byIuQdlk5TTKZgAJ6XydTYGgxq623Yf97D9BkIGd-LX1Oo3oJbps8kFqsGMHeSDvNoR2V0Sh4PfB-vdhm~94LQuxAlO8lrQnrFy-CzB~jX3O3PtZyN8yvRnR-kstmwR8ZvcEuv-hKZglVxSIpCuXL7ZTVJ-rHQv7OPKgQJePNve-xkMbhDOhfhU~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Vaughn Essen, interim director of Planning and Development, told the Jackson City Council that the department’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget reflects a roughly 15% increase intended mainly to provide matching funds for grants, particularly for JTRAN and site-development work to grow the Northwest Industrial Park. Essen also raised a separate accounting issue: a sizable street-light expense line appears under Planning’s budget and should be audited.

Essen said Planning has 97 positions (including one part-time) with 11 vacancies and that the requested increase is primarily to match external grants such as those pursued by JTRAN. He proposed investing in site-development grant matches to support industrial-park growth and said economic-development staff are pursuing Mississippi Development Authority funding for that purpose.

On street lighting, Essen reported a historical charge running to millions and a line item that seemed out of place in Planning’s accounts; he asked for an energy audit to map lights, verify which lights are operating and search for cost savings. Council members said Entergy and state regulators should be engaged; the director said a proper energy audit and a mapped inventory of lights would inform further action and might reveal savings through LED conversions and elimination of phantom accounts.

Essen updated the council on housing and blight programs: the city’s CDBG allocation has fallen to about $1.7 million from roughly $3 million in earlier years, he said, and the department is negotiating a voluntary grant reduction to resolve constraints tied to the HUD Section 108 loan (to free up ability to develop). He said the Office of Housing and Community Development coordinates CDBG, ESG and HOME funds and that the planning division has increased code-enforcement staffing to nine officers plus managers to address blight. Essen and councilmembers agreed that demolition funding is the next bottleneck: code officers can cite properties but actual demolition requires demolition appropriations and remediation resources.

Essen said rental registration work will be reorganized to the housing office to better align HUD-funded programs with rental oversight. Councilmembers asked for a clearer line of sight on CDBG allocations across departments so the council can avoid overcommitments; Essen said the HUD entitlement allocation and other HUD programs are limited and must be prioritized.

Ending: The planning director asked the council to authorize an energy audit for street lights, supported additional demolition appropriations to address residential and commercial blight, and said he will return with grant-match plans and an updated staffing/organization plan for rental registration and housing-related functions; no formal votes were recorded during the hearing.","Interim planning director Vaughn Essen told city council the department seeks a roughly 15% increase for matching grants, urged an energy audit after discovering street-light charges in planning’s account, and said the city needs more demolition funding even as code-enforcement staffing has increased.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6129169,"Interim human and cultural services director presents flat budget, outlines planetarium opening and senior-program goals",458,3077000,3535000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5748214-3131ee940712ef5b86ccbd6fb47cf564&start=3077&end=3535","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5748214-3131ee940712ef5b86ccbd6fb47cf564/thumbnail_3077000.jpg","/articles/6129169/Jackson-City/Hinds-County/Mississippi/Interim-human-and-cultural-services-director-presents-flat-budget-outlines-planetarium-opening-and-senior-program-goals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6129169-e232d9ca9c1d4d748b4aee4a92a10d70/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448108&Signature=AYWy37tEedd11jMjnriQ1E2xfVsIaVTeYL4~J9nfEONloor34FhJLzYlbxdVdwpfvUBP1QZ-x9D5R4il3FpCWGM5h599jTEFh7KS78dPttA6ynayWEQ6rKD52f023Fp7dS6pmoZ6hxfDQ3k3fDw7bpAzZ96OQlpl4B4-GjF4Gk6UR1540kdSEI9C3FwToFa8MaOqBgL6yBMf~Coai1HujKZCBRmSs0gqWYmvytVPYCXSUtSDLrTMisVS57m-bBPqkS-qlj0Dnv52I47EDI9nJI0V9YP5CP6OPnBlQskl7uJYOImv-cO4VZH86I6-U10o8nBHYMeCaRQxHC9tL4VR9Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Pamela Deasy Junior, interim director of Human and Cultural Services, told the Jackson City Council that her department’s fiscal 2026 request is essentially flat relative to 2025 and described priorities the department plans to pursue within that constraint: reopening community centers, staffing and activating the city’s renovated planetarium, restoring Monell (spelled in the transcript several ways) Gardens and resuming the Jobs to Jacksonian senior employment program once federal support is resolved.

Deasy Junior said the department’s operating numbers “haven’t really changed from last year” and emphasized doing more with current funds by expanding programming for seniors and leveraging volunteer and grant resources. She said Sykes and Smith Robertson community centers are currently closed but the administration hopes to reopen Sykes pending relocation of an occupying organization. She described senior-center programming plans including tai chi, walking clubs and book clubs and said Jackson State faculty will provide staff training for senior-center coordinators.

On the planetarium, Deasy Junior said staffing and operational planning are priorities: the planetarium’s salary line shows a FY25 budget but low actuals because the facility has not yet opened. She gave a specific operating-line number of $172,072 tied to salaries for the planetarium and said management plans to move a coordinator from Thalia Mara Hall to the planetarium when staffing shifts occur. The department expects to open the planetarium in April 2026 and wants staff to start with the new fiscal year so they can begin booking programs and outreach. She said volunteers will be crucial to planetarium operations.

Deasy Junior also described the Jobs to Jacksonian program — a Department of Labor–linked senior-employment program that has furloughed 32 participants and staff pending federal decisions; she said program leaders were pursuing recertification so participants could return to work. She told council members that community centers in Tougaloo and other locations have had recent repairs (e.g., roofs and restrooms) and that the department is coordinating with Planning and CDBG funds to address facility repairs.

Council members asked for clarification about the planetarium staffing, opening date and Sykes Community Center occupant; Deasy Junior and staff said they would return with staffing plans and relevant organizational details. No formal votes or motions were taken during the presentation.

Ending: The department will begin phasing planetarium staffing with the new budget year, continue program development for seniors, and pursue grant/CDBG opportunities to repair community centers; Deasy Junior said she would return with details and staffing proposals for council review.","Pamela Deasy Junior, interim director of Human and Cultural Services, told the council the department’s 2026 operating budget is essentially flat, discussed plans to staff and open the renovated planetarium and outlined senior-center programming and community-center repair needs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Parks director tells council budget is largely flat but warns of costly tree removals, Grove Park work

Planning department requests modest increase, flags street-light accounting and blight/demo funding needs

Interim human and cultural services director presents flat budget, outlines planetarium opening and senior-program goals