(Atlantic) The Atlantic City Council on Wednesday approved the hiring of a Parks and Recreation Director.
Atlantic City Administrator John Lund stated the Mayor, Council, and public have made it clear they want a Parks Director. Lund says the Parks Director position was eliminated in late summer 2023 to reallocate labor resources elsewhere. It was considered a “deal.” So Atlantic can see progress in the areas it wants, those General Fund resources are now available.
Lund says the City can afford to pay for a Park’s Director at the market rate ($74,700) for a community of Atlantic’s size He ran the numbers on the costs and found this is a sustainable expenditure, assuming the 2% cap on new property tax dollars is implemented, taxable value is not gutted by tax credits and exemptions, and that all future wage growth is tied to this 2% amount or a new revenue source is identified.
Atlantic Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Chairman Kevin Ferguson says this is a positive direction for the Parks system. Ferguson says there is more than can be done, with almost 250 acres to maintain, and that the improvements are being tasked to a very short staff.
Atlantic City Councilman Mike McDermott thanked the Personnel and Finance Commission for reallocating funds to open up the budget for hiring a Parks and Recreation Director. No cost allocation is required for this new position. This will be paid for by the released property tax resources.
Councilperson Elaine Otte explained that during the review of the City’s comprehensive plan, many members of the public expressed a strong desire to see this action taken, and the council responded by honoring that request. The council unanimously voted to hire a Parks and Recreation Director.
Atlantic City Administrator John Lund will post the position on Thursday and expects to keep the application window open for approximately two weeks.
