Muni League supports upcoming Parks Levy

The Municipal League Foundation announced last week its support of King County Parks Levy Proposition 1, which appears on the Aug. 6 Primary Ballot.

The Municipal League Foundation Board voted to support County Prop. 1 at the recommendation of its Ballot Issues Committee.

King County manages the regional active and passive parks, trails, natural-area parks, local rural parks, and forest lands that make up the County’s 26,000-acre system.

In 2011, in response to a broad fiscal crisis, King County eliminated general-fund support for parks operations and maintenance. The primary revenue sources for County parks’ operational and capital budgets are two levies that were approved by voters in 2007 and expire at the end of 2013. The current proposition, King County Prop. 1, would consolidate and replace the two expiring levies.

The League notes that residents of both cities and unincorporated areas use the County parks system.

While the Municipal League says that it prefers that parks be supported by a more sustainable method than levies, such as the general fund, it notes that he general fund is not currently capable of providing for these expenditures.

Therefore, the League says, levies must be used to provide money in the immediate future for necessary operations and maintenance of the County Parks. The League says that the proposed levy will continue those activities.

A copy of the full summary and background on both measures, along with the League’s findings, recommendations, rationale, and arguments for and against can be found here.

The League says that citizen volunteers make ballot recommendations after they study the issues and review information on all sides. The recommendations are then reviewed and approved by the League Foundation Board, whose focus is on promoting effective government.