Parks leadership presented a detailed list of capital needs and maintenance backlogs and discussed options to fund them through a dedicated parks property‑tax levy.

Parks director Sarah Christie provided an itemized project wish list — including restroom rebuilds at Lundeen and Davies beaches, bulkhead and pier repairs, playground replacements, synthetic turf field equipment, boat/workboat replacement and trail projects — and a consolidatedestimate. Using the city’s preliminary modeling, staff showed how a dedicated parks levy at 0.22 per $1,000 assessed valuation would raise funds over six years and affect homeowners: an owner of a $500,000 home would see an increase of about $110/year in property taxes under that 0.22 rate.

Staff and several council members stressed the importance of pairing any levy with a clear, community‑driven project list. Parks staff urged waiting for the city’s PROS (Parks, Recreation and Open Space) plan — now underway and expected to return community priorities and demand modeling — before committing to a ballot measure. Staff noted that capital improvement lists and maintenance backlogs exist, but that voters are more likely to support measures with ‘marquee’ amenities (for example, a community athletic complex or synthetic turf at a major field) rather than small catch‑up repairs alone.

Staff also outlined funding choices: levy proceeds can be split between operations and capital (staff modeled 20/80 and 50/50 splits), and emphasized that grant funding and sponsorships would still be pursued to reduce the local share for large projects. Several council members suggested prioritizing projects that would attract outside grants or private partners (for example, major ball‑field upgrades) to improve the measure’s voter appeal.

Ending: Parks staff will incorporate the PROS plan results and return with a prioritized, costed project list and recommended levy structure should council direct staff to pursue a ballot measure.