What are other cities doing about parks? Recently, as the News Tribune reported, the Fife City Council, after much discussion at its regular meeting, recommended that staff move forward with a lodging tax application to possibly fund a feasibility study for a proposed sports complex.
The city of Fife authorized the $7,500 preliminary review as a first step before spending $45,000 on a full, traditional feasibility study. If a full study occurs, it would cost an additional $37,500.
We have no lodging in Bonney Lake, so instead we had a Metropolitan Park District (MPD) on the ballot in the spring. Some are criticizing Mayor Neil Johnson for bringing the matter to the council. The only two councilmembers who voted “no” were Randy McKibbin and Katrina Minton-Davis, as they often do on everything from parks to Eastown.
Personally, I am glad it was on the ballot, as I support parks. Yes, it failed miserably and cost $28,000 for the special election. Many worked hard and spent much time and money to get it approved and defeated. More than 80 percent of voters rejected it.
But we now know some things:
1. People want parks but don’t want to pay for them. They somehow think their private neighborhood home owner association parks (HOA) will fill the needs of sports fields or trails, unaware there are national guidelines by population.
2. The only people who voted “yes” for the MPD are the same people who took the time to fill out surveys.
3. People did want a sports complex and trails (but again don’t want to pay for them, or campaign for them).
4. People are still unclear on what a community center can do for them and they don’t want their tax dollars spent to pay for a YMCA. This combo appeared to be a distant third during park summits and surveys.
5. There is voter apathy, as mentioned in my last column.
Mayoral challenger James Rackley, a retired accountant who has served on the City Council for 14 years, did not oppose the MPD measure, he voted yes. His voter pamphlet statement accuses Johnson has stopped listening to the public. Rackley was the third candidate to throw his hat in the ring, running in response to the way the parks issue was handled. This theme was carried into his newspaper advertising.
“We wasted $28,000 on a ballot measure that shouldn’t have gone out,” Rackley said.
Not the way I look at it; $28,000 is considerably less than Fife is spending. Since Rackley joined the race, the City incurred more debt by running a primary on August 6 to narrow the field to two candidates for mayor for the November general election. And there will still be the general election cost. $62,000 has been budgeted for elections according to recent council workshop discussion.
Mayor Johnson said, “My job as mayor is to bring information to the council, and that’s what I did.”
In their endorsement of Johnson, the Tribune said, “Mayor Johnson may have badly underestimated public support, but he’s right to seek a stable funding source for parks; they’re badly needed in the fast-growing community. He’s done a good job overall in his two terms, and the city’s credit rating rose from A to AA+ during the recession. There’s been little staff turnover, and he hired the city’s first female police chief.”
I scratch my head why members of a political action committee (PAC) who has very actively been anti-parks, anti-government, anti-taxes and opposed the MPD even being put on the ballot to give voters the right to vote want to be part of government they seem to seethe. And then I see a retraction in the online version of this paper that read:
The version of this story (Johnson and Rackley lead Bonney Lake mayoral primary) appearing in the Aug. 14 print edition of the Courier-Herald identified Mike Munson as a “Families For A Responsible Bonney Lake candidate.” A person speaking on behalf of Families wished to clarify that they have not endorsed any candidates in the local elections, nor do they have formal membership.
But they apparently let it slide when there was a May 21 article (Challengers for Bonney Lake elected office pop up late in filing week) about the candidates. If you look at the Washington Public Disclosure website, these candidates are the PAC. And they marched in the Bonney Lake Days parade and had a booth during the event.
Families for a Responsible Bonney Lake, a PAC, of which council candidates and father/daughter team Shawnta Mulligan is co-chair and council candidate Kelly McClimans is the director, opposed the MPD. One of their arguments was that paying for city parks and their HOA parks a double tax, which it is not. If you choose to buy a home in a city in a homeowners association, you agreed to pay the HOA fees in addition to the normal taxes everyone in the city pays. If you want to minimize your costs of housing and government layers, don’t live in an HOA and live in the county. It is a simple choice we each make when we sign those voluminous loan documents we probably did not read because we are excited about that new home.
Closing parks is one way to solve the parks issue. And at the last council workshop and park board meeting, the city is now discussing just that. Madronna is the first under discussion on the chopping block. And 2-3 other of the smaller parks have been discussed for closure. These smaller parks are in the oldest areas of the city. They are specialized for use: a neighborhood park for teens, a dog park, a park geared to tots and grade schoolers, a park featuring native plants near the lake. This is in an effort by the City to consolidate resources to the larger parks and trails. Allan Yorke may eventually be the only park in the city under this plan. And will Midtown Park ever be developed? Trails and the sidewalks that connect them are in the non-motorized transportation plan.
I remind you, HOA parks are private. Read between the lines: small parks like Viking, Ken Simmons and Cedarview may be leaving your neighborhood soon. Some may cheer this as a victory. I do not.
But back to the retraction. I can find no tie to Mr. Munson on the Families for a Responsible Bonney Lake PDC forms.
Conflicts and contradictions abound. That’s politics during the silly season.
