FY25 Budget Increase for DCR

On Monday, July 29, Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll signed a $57.8 billion FY2025 budget into law, which contains a reasonable increase for the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The budget is retroactive to July 1, when the new fiscal year began.

The document contains an $8.4 million increase for DCR’s day-to-day operating expenses. The Parks and Recreation Operations account (2810-0100), which funds general operating expenses, jumped from $105.6 million to $110.0 million, a 4.2 percent increase. The Seasonal Employees account (2800-0501) received a $4.0 million bump to $28.5 million, a 15.7 percent increase. DCR uses these funds to staff campgrounds, beaches, pools, and other facilities that see peak summertime use.

This is essentially the budget the Healey-Driscoll Administration submitted to the Legislature back in February 2024. While there were slight differences in the House and Senate versions of the budget, the legislative Conference Committee that ironed out those differences and the full Legislature approved what the Administration submitted.

Given uncertain state finances, which caused mid-year cuts to the FY2024 budget that ended June 30, Mass Parks for All (MPA) supported the Administration’s proposal as a reasonable level of funding that will allow DCR to continue the progress the agency has made over the last three budget cycles. It is worth noting here that DCR escaped those mid-year cuts.

The Administration did use the veto pen on the FY2025 budget to cut $317 million from what the Legislature passed. One of those vetoes, a cut of $1.8 million, reduced a DCR account approved by the Legislature, Stormwater Management (2800-0401). That account is now funded at $1.6 million. However, in a budget note on the vetoes, the Administration noted that this amount will not affect any DCR services to the public and can be made up with spending from DCR’s capital funding over the course of the fiscal year. It remains to be seen whether the Legislature will override this veto. It has until the end of the session, midnight on July 31, to override gubernatorial vetoes.

Speaking of the capital spending side of ledger, you may have seen our sister organization Mass Conservation Voters’ recent report on the FY2025 capital budget. The Administration has approved DCR to spend $152 million on capital projects for FY2025, a $5.0 million increase over FY2024.

While on the face of it, this is a considerable sum, when you factor in the $1.0 billion deferred maintenance backlog DCR accumulated over a decade-long period on the heels of the 2008 Great Recession, we feel that this level of funding is at most allowing DCR to tread water as it seeks to eliminate the backlog. MPA and MCV would like to see at least a $250 million per year capital program. This level of funding, and the staff to be able to review and execute capital projects, would allow the agency to keep up with the inevitable ongoing and new capital projects while making adequate progress on the backlog.

Overall, MPA thanks the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Legislature for their continuing support for our state parks, the millions of people who use them, and the $16 billion annual outdoor economy they support.

Doug Pizzi is executive director of Mass Parks for All