Snohomish County Council OKs limited sponsorship naming for parks and recreation facilities

Snohomish County Council on Jan. 29 approved Ordinance 24-113, authorizing the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to enter sponsorship agreements that grant naming rights for parks and recreation facilities for periods of five years or less. The ordinance passed by a 5-0 roll call vote.

Ryan Countryman, council staff, told the council the ordinance would expand the department’s authority to accept sponsorships that include naming rights. "DCNR would like to expand its authority to receive sponsorships to include the naming of parks and has proposed this ordinance," Countryman said, adding that the agenda packet includes a template sponsorship agreement and additional details in the written staff report.

The nut graf: The change amends county code governing how parks and recreation facilities may be named, allowing short-term naming tied to sponsorship agreements while keeping existing naming authority for historical or geographic names intact. Proponents said the template agreement and a five-year maximum limit would govern sponsorship-based names.

Under current practice the council may name parks and recreation facilities after people, places, or events with historical or cultural significance and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources may name parks after neighborhoods or natural features. The ordinance adds an explicit path for sponsorship-based names; the staff report included a template for a sponsorship agreement that would set terms and a five-year maximum duration.

Council opened public testimony on the ordinance and received no in-person or remote speakers. A motion to approve the ordinance was made and seconded; the council then took a roll call vote with all five members voting in favor. The clerk recorded unanimous approval 5 to 0.

The council moved next to a separate ordinance concerning the county’s consolidated contract with the Washington State Department of Health.