One of the pillars of the new blueprint for King County Parks appears to be in place with the strong support shown by voters for the 4-year, 4.9-cent levy for operations and maintenance of the county’s regional and rural Parks and Recreation system.  

“The residents of King County recognize the value of our park system and voted to protect an incredible legacy of our region,” said Councilmember Carolyn Edmonds, chair of the Council’s Natural Resources, Parks and Open Space Committee. “This was a success because of the many hours of hard work volunteers put into this campaign.  Many thanks go to the park user groups and other individuals who voluntarily spread the word, phone-banked, and raised money.” 

“Our citizens sent a tremendous vote of confidence in the legacy of King County’s regional parks system yesterday,” said Budget and Fiscal Management Chair Larry Phillips. “They told us keeping our fantastic parks accessible and well-maintained is important for our quality of life.  Knowing that citizens place a priority on parks and recreation and have clearly chosen to spend their tax dollars to keep them open reinforces my commitment to making every dollar count.”    

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 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 voters a levy to operate and maintain regional and rural parks and facilities still under county control. The approved levy will cost the owner of a $250,000 home $12.25 a year and would expire after four years.

“I am delighted that the public recognizes that we have dramatically reduced our parks budget and gone to great lengths to develop new ways of doing business efficiently,” said Councilmember Jane Hague.  “The voters analyzed the facts and then supported real need in order to protect the park assets they value.”

“This vote allows these important recreational facilities to remain open and in good repair,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert. “Parks and pools are important to the health and well being of our citizens, and help to build community. The passage of this levy will provide the time and opportunity to make the changes necessary to the budget to keep our valuable park system sustainable for the future.”

For more information about the levy, go to: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/parks/levy/