Natural Resources, Parks and Open Space Committee Sends Parks Levy to Council

A modest 5-cent, six-year levy to operate and maintain King County’s regional and rural Parks and Recreation system is a step closer to a possible May 20 public vote today after the Metropolitan King County Council’s Natural Resources, Parks and Open Space Committee unanimously approved the proposal.

“As we continue the transformation of the county parks system, we must secure a dedicated source of funding,” said Councilmember Carolyn Edmonds, chair of the Natural Resources, Parks and Open Space Committee. “This proposal is a step towards creating a partnership with the people of King County to help maintain a very valuable resource.”

“Our budget crisis looms large over our parks system,” said Larry Phillips, chair of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee. “The many efficiencies we’ve employed have helped greatly, but they won’t keep our parks open. While we explore even more new ways of doing business, dedicated funding from a levy will ensure that our regional parks and trails remain open for children and families from all over King County, including Seattle.”

Members of the King County Active Sports and Youth Recreation (ASPYRE) Commission and Friends of Athletic Fields spoke in support of the levy, which would provide for better-maintained trails, ball fields, and sports courts, cleaner bathrooms and more frequent litter removal. “For the communities in unincorporated King County, this is an opportunity to ensure that not only will our parks stay open, but that athletic facilities in our neighborhoods remain available to everyone,” said ASPYRE Commissioner Reid Johnson of Maple Valley. “It will also dedicate funds to assist in the development of athletic fields for communities without playfields which is vital for our growing neighborhoods outside of urban corridors.”  

Due to an ongoing structural gap between revenues and expenses, King County evaluated many options for continued funding of parks and pools located within incorporated cities. It came to the reluctant conclusion that it needed to transfer or mothball local facilities located within cities and focus its resources on such regional facilities as Marymoor Park, the King County Aquatic Center and the King County Fairgrounds, and on parks and pools in the rural unincorporated areas.

Last year, the council took a series of steps to adopt a new entrepreneurial blueprint. One of those steps was a recommendation from the Metropolitan Parks Task Force to place before the voters a levy to operate and maintain regional and rural parks and facilities still under county control. The six-year levy proposed by Executive Ron Sims is smaller than the levy recommended by the Task Force. The 5-cent levy would cost the owner of a $250,000 home $12.50 a year and would expire after six years.

The measure now goes to the full council for consideration, starting with the Committee-of-the-Whole on Monday, March 10.

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system at http://mkcclegisearch.metrokc.gov and type in “2003-0071”