Oklahoma City Parks Will Move To 3-Week Mowing Schedule

Press release from the City of Oklahoma City:

April 14, 2020

OKC Parks will mow local parks once every three weeks this summer because of budget and staffing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know this is difficult for our residents, especially with the green spaces in our parks being one of the places you can still go for exercise during the pandemic,” said OKC Parks Director Doug Kupper. “But unfortunately, it’s the reality of our budget and staffing problems as we deal with COVID-19. We’ll do the best we can to maintain and adjust our services as the summer goes on.”

The Finance Department expects the global economic crisis stemming from the pandemic will have a profound and long-term effect on sales tax revenue. Sales tax is by far the largest funding source for day-to-day City of Oklahoma City operations, like mowing parks.

Mowing is a significant part of the OKC Parks budget, making it an unavoidable cutback when budgets shrink. The City’s contract crews have also had difficulty keeping a full staff on duty during the pandemic.

OKC Parks mows 6,900 acres of parks, sections of the Oklahoma River, medians, rights-of-way and other City-owned property.

Visit okc.gov/parks for updates.

Engage with OKC Parks

• Facebook: OKC Parks
• Twitter: @okcparks
• Instagram: @okcparks

This press release was produced by the City of Oklahoma City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.