Galveston city council proposes funding changes to park board budget

GALVESTON, Texas - The Galveston Park Board is concerned about losing funding. The city council is proposing changes to the park board’s budget that may impact the funding in the years to come. 

The city council’s agenda for Thursday includes approving the annual operation budget and a cap for the park board of trustees for the fiscal year. The agenda also has changes to the Nourished Beach funding, which helps support the island’s beach patrol. 

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The city of Galveston said they don’t plan any cuts to Galveston’s beach patrol funding, but the parks board said any funding cuts will impact the organization.

"I think that is where ultimately there is a lot of lack of clarity," said Jason Hardcastle, one of the trustees. 

Traditionally, a portion of beach patrol funding comes from the Nourished Beach balance, which trustees like Jason Hardcastle, want the city council to leave intact. 

"Here we are in the 22nd hour of the first quarter of fiscal year ‘24 coming to an end and these cuts are out of this specific allocation that are being suggested," said Hardcastle.

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The City of Galveston said the park board has enough money to fund beach patrol. 

"That money that went to beach patrol, they had excess money in their budget, enough to fund their entire budget and a reserve account for 120 days," said Mayor Craig Brown of Galveston. 

The changes come as Galveston’s mayor said the city council hasn’t been properly overseeing the budget. 

"This whole evaluation by the council of the park board budget did not happen in the years past. Sometime recently which we just discovered that we were not following state law appropriately," said Brown.

Brown said the city will still help to fund the program. 

"What we’ll be doing from the budget is funding beach patrol 100% and even more than what their budget was last year," said Brown. 

Galveston’s city council is set to vote on the park board’s budget on Thursday.