Lacey City Council votes 6-1 to send parks tax to voters

After an hour of public testimony, Lacey City Council on Thursday voted 6-1 to send the creation of a metropolitan park district to voters this November.

Now, Lacey voters will get to decide whether to create a taxing district to maintain, fund, acquire and create parks and recreation opportunities in the city.

Funding would come in the form of a property tax. If approved, the city aims to levy 47 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, or about $11.75 a month, or $141 per year, for a home valued at $300,000.

That would raise $2.7 million annually, according to city data.

Some proposed spending by the city:

• $350,000 for a water park, similar to the Heritage Park Fountain in downtown Olympia, with annual maintenance costs of $50,000.
  
  
• $4 million to $6 million for eight athletic fields (four baseball, four soccer) with annual maintenance costs of $200,000.
  
  
• $6.5 million for an outdoor sports stadium with annual maintenance costs of $1 million.
  
  
• $8 million for a museum and civic center with annual maintenance costs of $600,000.
  
  
• $16 million for a 40,000-square-foot indoor sports facility with $750,000 in annual maintenance costs.
  
  

Residents speak

Despite the lopsided council vote — Councilman Lenny Greenstein was the only one to speak out against the proposal — the council heard a variety of opinions from residents, both for and against the potential creation of a metropolitan park district.

Support for the parks district came from a former Lacey mayor and current members of the city’s parks board.

But others were opposed.

Lacey resident and Thurston County Libertarian Party spokesman Chris Rohloff said he thinks the city’s priorities are screwed up.

“Olympia just declared a public health emergency due to the homelessness crisis, and the fact that we face the same issues as Olympia and the state should give us pause,” he said. “Why are we wasting time and money talking about sports, when right next door across the street they just declared a public health emergency due to homelessness?”

Sue Medeiros of Lacey also questioned the need for a sports stadium.

“Is there really a need for additional developed space?” Medeiros asked the council. “By eliminating the big-ticket items, like a sports stadium, you might have some chance of getting this to pass.”

James Brown of Lacey raised concerns about how higher property taxes for landlords results in higher rent for tenants.

“I’m not against parks. I don’t think they’re a bad idea and, in fact, I love going to them,” Brown said. “But I think we need to focus on reducing the burden on poor and lower-income people through the cost of rent because it is increasingly difficult to rent in this area.”

Edwin Pole of Lacey pointed out that if voters approve the district, the city council also would act as its board.

Lacey parks and recreation director Jen Burbidge said that, if approved, the metropolitan park district will cover only the area within city boundaries, so the council can act as its board without having to create another governing body.

Council members speak

Most of the council took the opportunity to explain their positions.

Councilman Greenstein cited record city sales tax revenue as a reason that the proposed metropolitan park district is unnecessary.

Deputy Mayor Cynthia Pratt said she is unsure of how the rest of the population feels and she wants to leave the decision in the hands of the citizens of Lacey. Councilwoman Rachel Young agreed that the voters should decide.

Councilman Jason Hearn said if voters approve the district, he hopes the city will host a number of forums to discuss the current facilities in Lacey to get a better understanding of what the public wants.

Councilman Michael Steadman and Councilwoman Carolyn Cox both argued in favor of the proposal.

Steadman mentioned the success of the Regional Athletic Complex, and the need to create attractions to boost the economy of Lacey.

Cox was even more direct.

“I think people 20-30 years from now will thank the voters of Lacey for having the commitment and vision,” she said.

The city earlier hired Elway Research to survey Lacey residents about the metropolitan park district, and the survey showed more than 50 percent support for either a maintenance or development levy, but only 41 percent of respondents supported the idea of creating the district.

This story was originally published July 26, 2018 at 9:09 PM.