Efforts to advance the power of parks are bearing fruit at the city, state, and national levels.
City Level
At the city level, Park Pride and the “green shirt army” were active in the days leading up to the adoption of the FY 2019 budget by the Atlanta City Council. We’re happy to announce a significant increase to the parks budget of approximately $3 million.
State Level
At the state level, Park Pride and our partners have successfully lobbied for a dedicated source of funding for land conservation. The Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act, signed into law on May 7th by Governor Nathan Deal, gives voters the opportunity to vote in November to dedicate a portion of the existing sales and use tax to the protection of Georgia’s water, lands, and wildlife (this includes local parks and trails).
Spread the word:
Vote “YES” to enact the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act in November
National Level
Nationally, the City of Atlanta’s park system received positive recognition through The Trust for Public Land’s annual ParkScore, a ranking of the 100 largest US cities’ park systems. Atlanta jumped an impressive seven places from 50th to 43rd, validation that Atlanta’s parks are on the rise.
Each announcement offers good news with a bit of unfinished business. Thank you for joining us at the forefront of the Atlanta parks movement. Let’s keep the momentum going!