Much of the confusion around the proposed Recreation Department cut comes from a misunderstanding — or misrepresentation — of the difference between the city’s general budget and the revolving fund.
The city budget primarily covers salaries. Recreation programs — youth sports, camps, afterschool, the pool, and events — are funded through a revolving fund in which all program revenue supports program expenses. It is not a surplus account. While the pool showed a small surplus last year, prior years saw significant losses, and in 2025, the revolving fund ended with only about $6,000.
The Recreation Commission proposed a budget to support four full-time staff. The mayor reduced that by eliminating the middle school after-school position and suggested it be funded through the revolving fund.
That is not a realistic solution. By law, the revolving fund can only support up to 18 hours per week — far short of what is required to run, plan, and manage the afterschool program. This role also supports broader programming, events, and daily operations. Eliminating it will have real consequences for service levels.
The commission made multiple good-faith efforts to meet the city’s financial constraints. We reduced our request, secured outside funding, and proposed several viable alternatives to retain the position at a lower cost. None were seriously considered at all. The outcome appears to have been clearly predetermined.
There is also a lack of transparency about what is actually being cut versus what reflects unfilled positions elsewhere in the budget. Residents deserve a clear and honest accounting.
This is a growing program serving a vulnerable population. Reducing it is a policy choice —not an inevitability — and it will limit access for families who rely on it.
This is not just a budget line. It is a decision about priorities.
Mary Phillips, volunteer Recreation Commissioner
Greenfield