Somewhere along the way, New York City lost its faith in its ability to run a parks department.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is edging nearer to naming his new parks commissioner. That commissioner will take possession of a department with muscles long ago gone flaccid. It has no dedicated capital budget — relying instead on the kindness of City Council members — and few maintenance workers. Last year, a collection of smaller parks in Brooklyn were handed a big bottle of cleaning fluid and told to make sure it lasted the summer.

The grandest parks, the royal courts of Central Park, the High Line, the Battery and Prospect Park, are in the hands of privately held conservancies. These organizations raise hundreds of millions of dollars and have enough people on staff — gardeners, programmers, curators — to keep a permanent shine on the Palace of Versailles.

Their investment portfolios are stuffed with cash. Many salute conservancies as the toast of urban America. A challenge to their writ is viewed with suspicion.

At a round-table discussion held during Mayor de Blasio’s transition, State Senator Daniel L. Squadron spoke of his proposal that the wealthiest conservancies tithe 20 percent of the dollars they raised. This money, perhaps $15 million annually, would go the less well-endowed parks.