Park district levy fails to pass
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Island voters rejected the Vashon Park District’s bid to raise its levy rate from 41 cents to 52 cents in the April 23 special election.
Forty-five percent of the island’s voters cast 4,053 ballots. The measure, Proposition 1, received more than 54% of the vote in favor of the increase, but it needed 60% approval to pass. The levy provides the bulk of the district’s operating funds, and passage of the measure would have increased the district’s tax revenue from $1.3 million to $1.8 million.
On the phone the day after the election, Executive Director Elaine Ott-Rocheford said the atmosphere at the district was somber, adding that she could not represent the will of the board so soon after the vote.
“The park district belongs to the community, and if the community, through their vote, has chosen to not support the levy request, then it is our responsibility to honor that and regroup and come up with a new plan,” she said. “We welcome community input and would hope that those opposed would participate in discussions at future board meetings because that would be helpful in deciding our next steps.”
The district is expected to come back to the community with another levy request in November’s general election.
At its regularly scheduled board meeting on election day, commissioners anxiously awaited for the county to report the results. Ott-Rocheford said if the measure would fail, one strategy the district could employ would be to play it as safe as possible in any future election, asking voters in November to renew the current 41 cent levy. A second strategy district commissioners could consider, she said, would be to stretch the district’s existing reserves and incoming levy revenue through 2020, using its remaining resources sparingly.
Doing so would determine how the district approaches a number of goals commissioners sought to fulfill, such as the minimum funding of reserves in the budget, in addition to dozens of maintenance objectives they had wanted to complete through 2024, according to a major strategic plan that was completed late last year.
On the phone Monday afternoon, Ott-Rocheford said that former commissioner and critic of Proposition 1, Scott Harvey, mischaracterized that plan. In a recent commentary for The Beachcomber, he wrote that the district failed to listen to the concerns of respondents, arguing that it did not represent the genuine intent of islanders in terms of what the district learned from the results of the 2016 community survey.
“The opposite is actually very much true,” she said, adding that commissioners will return to the strategic plan in the future to attempt to address outstanding needs. Those identified in the plan range from making general modifications of the Point Robinson lighthouse to projects such as a $1 million renovation of the community pool, the addition of bathrooms at some district-owned facilities and the expansion of recreation programming.
“It’s why we asked for 52 cents. Fifty-two cents wasn’t for anything fluffy, it was addressing stuff needing to be addressed,” said Ott- Rocheford. “The first thing we need to do is go back to our numbers. I believe we will probably set some priorities. It means we can’t do everything we said we would like to do with our 52-cent run.”
She noted that one possible reason for the potential rejection of the measure is the island’s growing aversion to property tax increases. District commissioners previously discussed the expected proposal for the creation of a hospital district later this year as another reason that voters may not support the levy.
After the election, Ott- Rocheford reiterated that it is up to voters to make a choice they feel is right for them, regardless of the outcome.
“Certainly I respect the efforts that the hospital district’s [proponents] are putting forth, and ultimately, any effects on the park district that the voters decide will need to be honored,” she said.
Washington State law sets a combined maximum tax rate prohibiting junior taxing districts — such as counties, cities, fire and library districts — from exceeding $5.90 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Some junior districts could receive less levy revenue if that limit is surpassed; for Vashon, the first to be affected in that scenario would be the park district.
On Tuesday, Ott-Rocheford shared correspondence she received that morning from Hazel Gantz, a King County levy specialist, who wrote that the Library System would delay seeking its own levy increase to 2020. This change could mean a potential hospital district would pose less of a burden on the Vashon Park District next year. However, future repercussions for the park district, especially in the longer term, are not yet clear.
More information about both levy increases on the November ballot will be forthcoming in the months ahead.
Ott-Rocheford is optimistic that voters will engage with the issue in order to thoroughly understand the situation and better inform their opinions.
“The Junior Taxing District model is very complicated, and I believe a side-by-side run with the expected hospital district, and the King County measure in November, also provides a great opportunity to simply and factually help educate the voting community about those complexities,” she said.
Ott-Rocheford said it is premature to say how the outcome of the election may affect services the district provides and partnerships it maintains, such as with the Seals Swim Team and their use of the community pool.
Chair Bob McMahon said it is now up to commissioners to figure out what will come next.
“To the supporters, we thank them very much and would welcome any comments that they have in helping us get the thing passed the next time around,” he said.
Commissioners held a special public meeting on Tuesday, after press time, to further consider the implications of the levy measure’s failure as well as next steps the district may take.
