March 29, 2007
Parks levy press conference: Executive Sims talking points
Thursday, March 29 9:30 am
Executive Sims talking points
Thank you all for coming here today. I am here with civic leaders from our parks task force and elected leaders from the King County Council to tell you about how we intend to protect the financial integrity of King County's beloved and environmentally important system of parks and open space.
First, I want to commend the 19 members of the task force, which has been working diligently since November, for committing so much of their time and effort to finding ways to ensure our parks remain both natural refuges and recreation centers for tens of thousands of County residents.
The Task Force was led by experienced and distinguished co-chairs Gene Duvernoy and Ron Sher, and included civic leaders like former King County Councilmember Louise Miller.
Both co-chairs are out of town today so Louise Miller will share key Task Force findings.
The task force offered strong support for renewing the King County Parks levy that expires at year's end. With some modifications, I will be sending on their proposals to the King County Council for approval.
People want us to take care of what we have. The task force is calling for investments in maintenance improvements and important open space conservation projects that will help ensure the County's long-term commitment to preserving the region's environmental health and water quality.
The task force understood the importance our parks system plays in ensuring the high quality of life we enjoy in King County. I could not agree more.
Yet, while several rounds of serious belt-tightening have put the worst of the budget crisis behind us, the fiscal solvency of the system remains precarious.
Given this reality, the task force has recommended two modest property tax levies for an August ballot. The first will renew Parks' operating levy, set to expire at the end of the year. It will restore maintenance levels and park infrastructure to 2002 pre-budget crisis levels.
The task force recommended this six-year renewal be set at seven cents per year on every $1,000 of assessed valuation. Two cents was to replace projected losses in revenues due to a potential slowdown in real estate transactions and annexations. I have made a commitment to fund this two cents in my future budgets through efficiency and innovation instead. Therefore, I'm able to reduce the recommendation to a 5 cent levy based on the latest property tax model and year by year forecast. I am confident a 5 cent renewal will meet the same goals.
Because preserving open space has so much value to protecting water quality, reducing the impact of global warming and to our general environmental well-being, a companion five cent levy would provide additional funds to preserve open space and to provide more recreational opportunities and help protect our environment and quality of life.
It will offer matching grants to Seattle and the suburban cities to fund their own open space and trail systems, and it will assist the Woodland Park Zoo in expanding its environmental and conservation education programs to thousands of schoolchildren across the County.
Each levy will cost the King County family living in a typical $400,000 home only 20 dollars a year.
For that modest investment they will enjoy King County's award winning existing park system, and they will ensure that critical open space and trails that enrich our region's quality of life and protect water quality are preserved and expanded to meet the demands of growth.
I believe that this is a reasonable request considering the importance of our regional environment to our quality life here in the Central Puget Sound. And it will build on the stellar work of the Parks Division in recent years.
Parks has worked hard to keep faith with voters since the budget crisis of 2002. Through our Parks Business Plan, we have been innovative in finding new funding sources to keep our parks clean, safe and open. It's extraordinary how King County Parks has reduced dependence on taxpayer support and become a national model by forging new partnerships with businesses and community groups.
We've formed partnerships via naming rights and entrepreneurial activities with such industry leaders such as Starbucks, Group Health, Cirque du Soleil, and U.S. Bank. The Parks Division embraced innovation and now pays about a quarter of its budget through such partnerships, increased user fees and entrepreneurial ventures.
Despite its accomplishments, it is evident that the division cannot become self-sustaining anytime soon. Some public support is needed to ensure that our parks system remains world class. That is why I am following the task force in recommending that the Council put these two modest levies before the voters on the Aug. 21, 2007, primary ballot.
I am confident that the voters will step forward to approve these measures.
