The purpose of this dissertation was to assess diverse stakeholders views, perspectives, and priorities related to local park and recreation services. As a function of local government, park and recreation services are usually dependent on tax dollar allocations from government general funds. However, there is great competition among a variety of public services for this finite amount of tax funding. Existing research indicates that park and recreation services are largely seen as a discretionary public service that are nice to have, if they can be afforded; other services are viewed as more important and worthy of consistent funding. When local governments face fiscal stress, however, park and recreation services have been shown to be one of the services cut first, and most severely. To ensure park and recreation services receive an adequate supply of tax support, these services need to be perceived to provide benefits to all members of the community. Two groups that are particularly important stakeholders, and the focus of this dissertation, are citizens and local government decision-makers.Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the dissertation. This includes a statement of purpose, the significance of this inquiry to the field, and an overview of related research. Chapter 5 summarizes the key findings from the three studies (Chapters 2-4), discusses the implications of these findings to practice, and suggests directions for future research.Chapter 2 utilizes a national sample of United States adults to examine differences in local park and recreation use, perceived benefits, and willingness to support these services through local taxes based on a variety of demographic variables. Differences in these key variables based on whether or not a respondent used local parks and recreation programs was also considered. Finally, a regression model determined which factors were most strongly related to willingness to support parks and recreation through local taxes.Chapter 3 shifts the focus from citizens to local decision-makers. Using a sample of local government officials from Pennsylvania, this study provided a descriptive understanding of how officials perceive local park and recreation services within their communities including the extent of benefits they believe these services provide, as well as their funding priorities for parks and recreation within their communities. A series of regression analyses were conducted to test if benefit perceptions related to funding priorities. These significant relationships could have implications for how park and recreation services select a position upon which to advocate for their services.Chapter 4 utilizes a nation-wide sample of local government officials to explore the perceived importance and quality of park and recreation services compared to other commonly provided public services. Next, hypothetical allocation scenarios were used to assess the priority officials placed on funding park and recreation services relative to other local government services. Finally, exploratory regression models were created to identify the factors related to positive allocation decisions in support of funding for parks and recreation.