Tacoma voters will decide on park bonds. Here’s TNT’s endorsement. | Opinion
Tacoma voters will weigh in on parks funding in a special election this April, deciding whether to replace expiring bonds with new ones at the same rate. Called Prop. 1, it’s meant to improve structures like play- and spraygrounds, walkways and bridges, sports fields and other facilities in your closest neighborhood park.
Park facilities need periodic updates to remain useful, Parks Tacoma representatives said. They say the funding, which goes to the agency’s capital budget, is vital to keeping the city’s parklands functional and beneficial to the community for the next several years.
After talking with the leadership of Parks Tacoma, The News Tribune Editorial Board endorses a “Yes” vote on the measure. The agency made a compelling case for continuing to invest in the city’s parks without a bigger tax bill.
The measure has no formal opposition. As the parks district describes it, this is a replacement bond measure that would raise up to $155 million over six years without meaningfully changing property taxes going forward.
That means the rate of $0.45 assessed on every $1,000 of property value stays the same, but taxes still increase as a property values grow. The park district’s repayment period for the bonds is 20 years, and taxpayers would be paying on that debt until 2051.
The parks district said it thought carefully about whether to ask for an increased tax rate. Ultimately, its leadership decided now was not the time. We agree.
Parks Tacoma will revisit the idea of an increase six years from now, after the spending period from the bonds currently under consideration ends, if economic conditions improve.
If the parks district hopes to make that increase, we urge its leadership to stick to their word on how they’ll use the money this time around. Those should be projects that benefit every neighborhood and keep park facilities in good condition for future generations.
We understand that Tacoma parks offer a lot to residents, and they’re more than a space for trees and fresh air. The parks system gives the public access to pools, sports courts and fields, education opportunities in natural science as well as local history and cultures, and a world-class zoo and aquarium. We shouldn’t let those things fall into disrepair. But everyone has to feel the benefit.
Parks Tacoma says the projects funded will target neighborhood parks, which is a shift away from the last bond measure’s focus on parks that are a regional destination. That’s a response to community feedback, according to Parks Tacoma’s districtwide capital improvement program manager, Terry Jungman.
“When a voter is looking at this package, they can identify something that is close to their home,” Jungman said, “that will benefit their local community.”
The parks district portrays some of these projects a bit like installing a new sink instead of paying someone to fix the old one every time it starts leaking. At some point, paying for an upgrade saves on maintenance costs down the line.
That’s not the case with every project on the list. But on balance, the projects aren’t slated to create a huge ongoing maintenance cost going forward, Jungman said.
“We’re not building a bunch of new facilities,” Jungman said. Rather, they’re making aging facilities more like new. “That’s less of a burden on our operation and maintenance team.”
The funds can also go to exhibit and facility upgrades at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. And it’s not only earmarked for upgrades. The money can go to property acquisitions and development of new park spaces.
The News Tribune Editorial Board is: Laura Hautala, opinion editor; Stephanie Pedersen, TNT president and editor; Justin Evans, community representative; Bart Hayes, community representative. Jim Walton, community representative, has recused himself from this endorsement because he has already advocated for the proposition.
