Should we or should we not have a county parks system? The question before voters is that simple. Because if voters do not approve this property tax levy, we functionally won’t have one.
The 6-year levy, last approved by voters in 2019, will support 250 parks in King County 185 miles of regional trails, 215 miles of backcountry trails and 50 square miles of open space for we, the people, to frolic, picnic, bike, and aimlessly wander. There’s splash parks, pools, ballfields, and play courts of various kinds for racket-oriented aristocrats. If we renew this levy, we maintain that system and homeowners pay 24 cents per thousand dollars of their home value each month. For the median homeowner, that comes out to $16.38 a month. It would generate $1.45 billion over the next six years.
If we don’t renew this levy, say goodbye to new infrastructure improvements. Advocates say the county would close parks, or put up signs telling people to recreate at their own risk. Lawns will grow long, hedges wild. After-school programs that depend on county parks funding will suffer. We hope you and your kids like pissing yourselves, because we won’t have anybody to open the restrooms. It’s not a world we want to live in…