King County presents proposed parks, recreation, trails and open-space levy; Kenmore to receive pass-through funding

Warren Jimenez, director of King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, briefed the Kenmore City Council on the county’s proposed parks, recreation, trails and open-space (PROS) levy that will appear on the Aug. 5 ballot. Jimenez said the replacement levy is proposed at a rate of 23.29 cents per $1,000 of assessed value; using the county median home assessed value cited in the presentation ($844,000), the presentation estimated a cost of about $16.38 per month for that median-valued homeowner — roughly $2.50 more per month than the current levy.

The levy referral allocates funding across three broad goals: keep current parks “clean, safe and open;” increase access (including pass-through grants to cities and towns); and grow and connect regional trails and open-space stewardship. Jimenez outlined specific allocations included in the referral: aquatic facilities and grants (a $68 million pool that includes funding for several community aquatic initiatives), $60 million for ball fields and sports courts (including turf conversions and a new competitive grant program), a $119 million pass-through to cities, towns and park districts (an increase from the current pass-through), and $175 million for open-space acquisition, conservation and stewardship programs. Jimenez also noted a $15 million line item for city-directed park development projects; in the county’s allocation plan, such funds would be available to cities like Kenmore through formula distribution and competitive grants.

Jimenez described the levy’s role in county operations: the levy would provide a large share of operating funding for the county park system and would fund maintenance, asset management, trails rehabilitation and a series of targeted programs such as youth conservation corps and tribal and indigenous-interpretation efforts. He said the proposed levy would increase the overall pass-through funding available to cities and that the formula for distribution includes population and equity considerations.

During public comment and the council’s comment period, public speakers expressed differing views. Earlier in the meeting Patrick O’Brien urged the council and county to focus any major county parks investment on acquiring ball fields and overflow parking at the Bastyr site and urged immediate testing at Lake Pointe for contaminants before further investment. O’Brien said preserving contiguous ball fields and parking offered programming and potential revenue opportunities and argued the city should prioritize that land over other purchases. A later virtual commenter, Stacy Valenzuela, opposed the PROS plan funding on environmental and equity grounds and urged the county and cities to prioritize natural-habitat protection over recreational development.

After a brief discussion and questions about how pass-through funds could be used locally, the Kenmore City Council adopted a resolution expressing support for King County Proposition 1 by unanimous roll-call vote.