City staff and Parks Board members on Oct. 24 discussed staffing limits, recent grant-score results and the city’s approach to future parks projects after the Lions Park funding shortfall.

A staff member said the city has limited capacity to manage and maintain additional park projects and has received “negative feedback” from funding agencies that support parks. Public works-related staff later said several grant applications for Veterans Park and Kiwanis Park were declined and that the projects had ranked near the bottom of applicant lists, which contributed to the decision to pause seeking some grants in the immediate term.

Board members and staff discussed options for expanding capacity, including pursuing a parks levy, using enterprise funds for utility positions that are easier to justify, and leaning on external contractors or consultants for grant work. The board also discussed volunteering and nonprofit partnerships as ways to advance smaller projects.

Separately, staff announced the city hired a certified arborist, Chelsea Goldsmith, to begin next week; Goldsmith’s position is funded through the stormwater program and will support street-tree inventory, planning and parks-related tree work.

City staff cautioned that for the 2026 budget year “there are to be no hires next year” for new positions not already authorized, and added that additions to staffing will be difficult while the city addresses budget constraints. Several board members proposed a focused outreach and messaging strategy to build public support for future funding and to highlight completed projects.