Photo by Michael Whitney.
MONROE — The City Council approved a Levy Lid Lift measure benefiting the Parks and Recreation Department to appear on the ballot this November.
The council voted 6-0 in favor at its July 23 meeting.
Lifting the property tax rate would help the Monroe Parks and Recreation Department hire more staffers for park maintenance and upkeep. It would also permanently fund the second of two Community Service Officer positions in the Police Department, which is currently funded on a temporary basis for this year, the city said.
If approved by voters, the levy would increase by 22 cents to $1.08 per $1,000 assessed value. For a $500,000 home, it would increase the city’s levy rate from $430 to $510.
This change would add a little more than $1 million annually for the city’s abilities to bolster funding for maintaining and enhancing local parks and recreational facilities, ensuring they continue to serve as important community assets.
Last week, City Councilman Kevin Hanford spoke in support of the measure.
“Just walking around the parks and seeing the incredible amount of work that the parks department does, and as we’ve said here before, our citizens have emphasized that parks are important,” Hanford said.
Hanford noted the parks’ popularity among sports teams from Monroe and the surrounding areas.
Councilman Jacob Walker spoke in favor of the measure, highlighting the parks as sources of happiness for citizens.
“Parks are a huge source of community pride and have a significant impact on people’s day-to-day living and standard of living. I believe investments in our park system through tax dollars can lead to some of the most tangible effects on happiness,” Walker said.
Councilman Jason Gamble could not be at the meeting at the time of the vote.
To join voter’s pamphlet statement committees
The public is being asked to join the Proposition 1 Pro and Con Committees which will write the statements to be published in the voters’ pamphlet that is distributed before November.
Residents interested should contact the City Clerk’s office by Monday, Aug. 5, at 4 p.m. You can reach out by calling 360-794-7400 to ask for the City Clerk or emailing cityclerk@monroewa.gov
