Opposition to create a Snohomish Metropolitan Parks District, which will provide stable funding for park maintenance and fund priority projects, seems to be based on a lack of understanding. If the town continues to rely on money from the general fund, our parks remain at risk: in 2010, the budget was cut by two-thirds. An MPD ensures a bare minimum of funds to keep the gates open and restrooms clean and repaired in the event of another economic downturn.
State law prevents a tax rate from being part of the ballot measure. The maximum rate is set at 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The MPD governing board will set a rate in November 2016 after significant public discussion. The rate will be based on prioritizing costs of deferred maintenance and improvements, e.g., redevelopment of the Hal Moe Pool site.
While our parks may appear to be maintained to a satisfactory standard, in reality there is a backlog of deferred maintenance and a dependency on volunteer labor. An MPD is an opportunity to preserve and protect our parks for the future.
Gary Ferguson
Snohomish
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