The Seattle City Council has proposed an ordinance asking the voters of Seattle to make Seattle a “Metropolitan Park District”. Many pro-parks activitists are campaigning for this ordinance which will be on the August ballot.
Clearly this ordinance would bring needed revenue to the city for the exclusive use of funding park programs and maintenance. Recent city budgets have short-changed the Parks Dept. and many parks are long overdue for needed improvements and upgrades. But this ballot measure is not without critics who want voters to know just exactly what a “yes” vote will bring to city property owners.
A Metro Park District is a state-endorsed funding source which brings money to communities exclusively for public parks. Under this law the state allows cities to tax property owners to a maximum of 75 cents per $1000 of assessed value of their property. A Montlake home valued at $600,000 could be taxed up to $450 per year. Currently the ordinance is written to raise about half that amount, but a higher amount could be raised in the future.
There are two important differences between how the city has historically funded parks and how they would fund parks in the future if this ordinance passes. In the past, we have raised extra money for parks through levy elections. The levy raises a specific amount of money for specific park projects and the tax is collected for a specific length of time. If we become a Metro Park District, the tax collection will continue in perpetuity. The second difference is that the Park District requires Park Commissioners to oversee this new funding source and make decisions about how the money will be spent. Under the Seattle ordinance the members of the city council will function as commissioners. Tacoma is often mentioned as a model of how the Metro Park District can work well to provide a healthy city park dept. However, Tacoma has elected park commissioners who are separate and independent from the city council.
I encourage voters to inform themselves about the details of the Metropolitan Park District ordinance before the August election. I’m sure the Voters’ Pamphlet will further provide pros and cons of this important ballot measure.
Julee Neuhart is the President of the Montlake Community Club
Margery Moogk says
A predictable budget will allow dedicated commissioners to prioritize and schedule repairs, maintenance, and enhancements for our city’s parks. Folks in business or running households can all appreciate that logic. Let’s step up and commit to this investment in a park commission, so we can better enjoy our parks now. Future generations will applaud our foresightedness.
Tamara Turner says
The creation of a Metropolitan Park District takes parks out of the City budget and drops them onto the property tax. It is a regressive tax that hits everyone regardless of ability to pay–and make no mistake, there are many people in the Montlake neighborhood, for example, who are living on limited incomes. Another raise in the property tax can well force people to sell their homes (and then go where?).
This is no longer a matter of stepping up to make a nice social gesture: it perpetuates the failure of the legislature to produce a fair and equitable tax structure for this state. Washington now has the most regressive tax system in the U.S. Please do not vote for this latest proposal to further burden those who cannot endure another tax increase. Let’s make the legislature do what it is supposed to do and create a tax structure that fairly impacts business as well as homeowners.