$155M parks bond headed to Tacoma ballot. Here’s how much you’d pay if approved
Voters in Tacoma will decide in April whether to approve a six-year bond measure that would fund several enhancements and replacements for the city’s parks system.
Parks officials estimate that the $155 million bond measure will cost the voters $0.45 per $1,000 in assessed value, or about $249 annually for the owner of a house with an assessed value of about $553,000 – the most recent average in the park district. Board members voted unanimously at their Jan. 26 meeting to put the measure on the ballot for a special election April 28.
Voters last approved a bond measure for $198 million in 2014, and Parks Tacoma voters will continue to contribute to repaying that debt until 2043. The new bond comes as the park district pays off debt from a 2005 bond measure and would cost taxpayers on average the same rate that they have previously paid, but an approval of the new bond in April would mean taxpayers will continue to contribute to repaying debt until 2051. The new measure would need 60% of the vote plus one vote to be approved, according to Parks Tacoma.
The revenue from the bond could cover projects across town, such as land acquisitions in neighborhoods like Hilltop, to boost the amount of green space accessible throughout Tacoma.
“If we are able to make those investments and pick up some park land in those spaces, we’re really seeing a distribution of projects across the entire city,” Parks Tacoma’s capital improvement program manager Terry Jungman said at the agency’s Jan. 12 board meeting.
The revenue could also cover projects like improving trail systems, replacing playground equipment and “major improvements” to community centers and zoos – though details on the exact projects won’t be available until next month, according to a news release from Parks Tacoma.
Jungman said at the Jan. 12 meeting that if voters approve the bond measure in April, Parks Tacoma could start receiving revenues from the bond as early as August or September 2026.
The measure comes as Parks Tacoma is contending with a multi-million dollar general fund budget deficit. Parks spokesperson Stacia Glenn said since the funds from the bond are for Parks Tacoma’s capital projects, the revenue would not help address the general fund deficit. Parks officials instituted a hiring freeze and cut staff positions to address the deficit late last year.
This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 9:00 AM.
CORRECTION: Property owners would pay $0.45 per $1,000 of the assessed value of their properties, an average of about $249 annually, if voters approve a Parks Tacoma bond measure in April. A previous version if this story contained an incorrect amount.
