Parks & Recreation can provide the current level of service with our existing budget, but to do more, it would require new funding sources.
The Parks division receives approximately 2.3% of the City's budget (representing 8% of the general fund's expenditures). Program revenues and grants bring in additional money. These funds allow us to steward nearly 4,000 acres of public land and offer hundreds of free and low-cost recreation programs.
Levy funding allows parks to renovate and replace aging neighborhood park amenities, build new parks for a growing population, enhance our trail system, and support more maintenance and security.
The improvements were identified through community feedback collected during an extensive public outreach campaign that contributed to the development of our 2022 Parks Master Plan. You can learn more about it here.
To ensure the responsible use of taxpayer funding and alignment with the community's top priorities, the program is based primarily on the 'First Priority Tier' recommendations from the adopted 2022 Parks and Natural Lands Master Plan, with few exceptions.
Each action's goal and objective corresponding to the Master Plan are detailed on the project pages for each improvement category (such as Improved Maintenance, Playground Replacement, Enhanced Security, etc.) to provide further transparency for why these actions are proposed.
Timing on improvements will be based on the current condition of existing amenities, where those in the worst condition will be addressed first, and spread out evenly between districts.
If you'd like to get updates on Levy funded projects in your park, find your park using the search tab, then click the Follow button at the top of the park page.
The Parks levy is 27 cents per $1,000 assessed property value. This means if you own a $330,000 home (the median home value in Spokane County), the Parks levy would cost an additional $7.43 per month.
Combined with the School Bond (2 cents per $1,000), the Together Spokane initiative is a total of 29 cents per $1,000, or $7.98 for the median home.
A levy allows for both capital and operational investments. For Parks, this means we can hire additional Park Maintenance caretakers, significantly increase our Park Ranger staff, and purchase maintenance equipment to care for public assets. It also allows for renovating existing Park facilities, and building new Parks where there are gaps. A bond would only allow Parks to build facilities, but would not allow allocation of funding to care for those properties.
Whereas a bond can be issued in full in one lump sum, a levy is a steady stream of funding collected from taxpayers each year.
Much of the feedback we heard from our Master Plan outreach (www.SpokaneParks.org/masterplan) was, "we love our parks, but we'd like to see them better maintained." That work correlates with hiring more maintenance staff and Park Rangers, and a long-range plan for increased staffing levels for a better level of service.
The consistent, forward-looking funding model provides that stability and longevity to both take better care of our existing parks and to slowly build out our community's top requested additional park spaces and features.
To maintain accountability and transparency over 20 years, the Park Board committed via resolution to an annual work plan, in alignment with the 20-year levy program manual that outlines all projects to be completed with this levy (available at www.SpokaneParks.org/levy).
The Parks levy spends 88% of funding on taking better care of what we have, and 12% on filling in gaps by building new Park assets. This model directly reflects the priorities identified by the community in our master plan outreach.
Each year, approximately $7.5M in levy funding will be allocated to capital repairs & improvements, and the remaining +/-$4M will be allocated to additional maintenance staff and park ranger staff.
The Parks division receives approximately 2.3% of the City's budget (representing 8% of the general fund expenditures). Program revenues and grants bring in additional money. These funds are used to care for 100+ properties across 4,000 acres, and offer hundreds of free and low-cost recreation programs.
The Parks levy currently accounts for about 25% of the Parks budget.
Parks estimates $20M in matching state grants over 20 years, and has already secured $3.2M in matching funds for two projects (contingent upon levy passage) – Meadowglen Park development and Coeur d'Alene Park improvements.
Having local dollars allocated to a project helps bring matching state and federal money back to Spokane – money that would otherwise get allocated to other cities.
Together Spokane also leverages funds from other organizations with aligned goals – both through cash donations to complete capital projects (fields, indoor rec centers, Boys & Girls Clubs) and in-kind contributions (SCC's pool, volleyball courts from the Pacific Northwest Qualifier). These contributions save taxpayers money.
The levy is designed as a 20-year plan to support Parks & Recreation long term, with a balance of capital improvements and maintenance dollars. There is no plan to ask for additional funds over the next 20 years at this time.
The 2014 Riverfront Park bond will be paid off in 2034, and at that time, the community will have a choice to decrease their tax bill for Parks or request a renewal for additional Parks projects.
It's the question every voter needs to ask themselves. If you are the owner of a home at the median value in Spokane County ($330,000), and the Together Spokane initiatives will cost you under $8 per month, are the projects either going to save you that much money or be of that much value?
The map and tools at TogetherSpokane.org help you identify projects either by location (near your home, school, or work), or by project type (like sport courts or playgrounds).