Voters may one day have a chance to consider whether Spokane should raise property taxes to make significant investments in its parks system, but that day likely won’t come until February of this year.
The Spokane City Council will vote for the third time on the proposal, which is weighed down by outside political concerns, including the approved sales tax hike and its potential impact on other tax increases voters will be asked to consider. It is planned to postpone. In November to pay for investments in community safety.
The park levy proposal originally called for raising $225 million over 20 years, or about $4.5 million annually, to pay for three new parks, more than 30 new playgrounds and other investments. The park commission said this was the first system-wide improvement to a neighborhood park since 1999. But since then, voters have approved new taxes to rebuild the city’s outdoor pool and significantly expand Riverfront Park.
Volunteers, park staff, and park commission members spent two years developing the proposal and requested it be placed on the February 2024 ballot. But the City Council decided to collect the tax first in August 2024 and then in 2025 over concerns that collecting the tax could undermine Mayor Lisa Brown’s plan to also seek voter approval for a community safety tax. It was postponed twice in February.
But for the first time, the parks commission itself requested a delay in the levy, saying it needed additional time to work with Spokane Public Schools and coordinate the campaign. The board passed a resolution Thursday asking the City Council to approve the postponement.
Voters in February rejected the district’s $200 million bond that was supposed to go towards a major construction project. The school board has indicated it is determined to issue a new bond, but questions the appropriate timing and scope.
There are some positive signs for school officials who had been concerned that refundable bonds might do better than in February. Voters approved the Cheney Public Schools bond in November after rejecting the same bond measure in February.
Parks Director Garrett Jones told the City Council on Monday that a partnership with Spokane Public Schools would ask voters to approve both the school bond and park levy on the same ballot, allowing both to succeed. He said it would not only increase gender, but also give voters more rights. You can benefit by partnering on how you spend that money.
Jones cited the successful dual campaign of a $495 million school bond and $77 million library levy in 2018 as an example of how such a partnership can be successful.
City Councilman Michael Cathcart, who is passionate about improving parks in northwest Spokane, which he represents, questioned the logic behind this third postponement.
Spokane County officials have indicated they will ask voters again to approve tax increases, including to pay for a new jail, after a similar proposal failed in 2023. Mr Cathcart, who did not agree with the previous two postponements, questioned whether the timing was appropriate. Because the prison tax is less complex, the parks tax will probably be on the same ballot in late 2025, near or on the same ballot.
“The difference is that the park board is asking for this go-around to be postponed,” Jones said. “When you look at the investments that are possible both jointly and independently, the park board feels that is a risk to take.”
