Small Town News

City parks levy could run in April

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An advisory board is urging city commissioners to run a metropolitan parks district levy in April.

Mike Hovind, who chairs the city's parks and recreation advisory committee, made the request for the ballot proposal at Monday night's commission meeting. The city has seen decreased revenue in recent years and officials briefly considered not funding parks during the 2010 budget process. Hovind and the committee said that creating a parks district, which would provide a stable funding source dedicated to parks and recreation, is the best solution for keeping parks open.

"This, in turn, provides the city with available funds for public safety, including police and fire protection," Hovind said.

Parks and Recreation Supervisor Mark Ziegler said that commissioners will have to settle on a final tax rate if they agree to move forward with a levy. Ziegler said that the advisory group will likely recommend a tax rate of 55 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

Ziegler acknowledged that an April levy doesn't allow much time for supporters to mount a campaign.

"It will be a lot of work, but I think it gives us the greatest opportunity to have a functioning parks department at the beginning of 2011 by running it that early," Ziegler said.

If the commissioners decide to run the levy in April, and it gets rejected by voters, it could be run again in August or November.

Hovind said that supporting city parks and recreation is the right thing to do.

"The ability to provide safe, clean parks and a well-rounded recreation program for the citizens of Shelton is vital," Hovind said. "Parks provide a sense of community, serve as gathering locations and places to play and relax, preserve habitat, and help promote community development."



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© 2010 Shelton-Mason County Journal Shelton, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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