Council cautious on park bond
July 23, 2008
By Emily Keller
Decision soon on sending bonds to voters
Ana Melayes, a nanny who lives and works in Sammamish, loves to bring the two children she cares for to Bill Reams East Sammamish Park once a week. But she would like it even more with a spray park.“I try to take them to places they can get wet,” Melayes said.
She would even be willing to pay for that and other improvements to the park, which is on the list of projects that the city’s Parks and Recreation Department wants to fund with a proposed property tax increase.
The department wants to place two measures on the Nov. 4 ballot asking voters to help pay for park projects including an all-ages recreation facility that city officials have discussed for years.
If at least 60 percent of voters favor the measures, East Sammamish Park would get a new spray park, playground upgrades, a parking lot expansion and a new trail to nearby Margaret Mead Elementary School.
“I love the park here. I think it’s a really good idea,” Melayes said about the proposals.
At their July 15 meeting, the City Council discussed the proposals to place a park bond and park operations tax on the ballot. They were scheduled to vote on the proposals at their July 21 meeting.
The first proposal is for a roughly $19 million bond. Of that, $18 million will be used to fund projects while the rest will go to pay fees associated with the bond. The money would be used for capital projects including $5 million to purchase the current Sammamish library from King County for use as a recreational center primarily for teen and youth programs.
The center would most likely be operated through a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club. The city would also operate a pre-school and senior services in the facility.
The bond plan also allocates $3 million for the first phase of Sammamish Landing (see related story, Page 8), $1.8 million for East Sammamish Park improvements, $2.5 million for athletic fields at Pine Lake Park Middle School, $1.7 million for the Beaver Lake Vicinity Trail and $4 million for land acquisition.
If the measures pass, Sammamish homeowners will pay 14 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation per year, or $84 for a home worth $600,000. The tax would continue for 20 years.
The second proposal is for a maintenance and operations tax of about $24 per year for that same home. The Parks Department is seeking a total of $310,000 per year for the facilities in the bond, including $165,000 for the recreation facility. That increase would become permanent.
Daniel Johnson, president and chief operating officer of the Boys and Girls Club of King County, said he is thrilled about the potential partnership.
“We are ecstatic about the possibility,” Johnson said. “Our commitment to serve this community has never wavered.”
Council members said they are optimistic about the measures but noted the economic downturn could make it more difficult to garner support.
“That’s going to be very difficult to sell to the public,” said Councilman Jack Barry.
If the maintenance measure passes but the bond does not, the city will have one year to go back to voters before the first vote becomes void.
Councilwoman Nancy Whitten said she is concerned about placing the measures on the ballot without discussing with voters a pending financial crunch that could lead to a tax hike in the next decade, according to the council’s discussion at a June financial retreat. That crunch is the result of a gradual increase in maintenance costs as the city develops and builds more infrastructure.
“I think they need to be informed about that. I don’t want people to come back and say ‘You didn’t tell us we were going to have a tax increase,’” Whitten said.
Mayor Lee Fellinge said he is concerned about the limited time that advocates have to get the word out, but supports the content of the measures.
Reporter Emily Keller can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or ekeller@isspress.com.
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