Spokane Park Board adopts levy resolution, asks city council to place 27¢ per $1,000 measure on November ballot

The Spokane Park Board voted unanimously April 16 to adopt an updated Healthy Parks Healthy Neighborhoods levy program and to recommend that City Council place a multi-year parks levy on the November 2025 ballot.

The board’s action asks City Council to place a levy at 27¢ per $1,000 of assessed property value for 20 years; staff estimated that rate would cost a median-valued home about $89 per year. Garrett Jones, presenting the levy package, described the measure as the updated “levy guide” the board previously reviewed and discussed.

Jones said the changes since the board last considered the program include increased funding for Merkle maintenance staff, more park rangers and equipment distributed across districts, increased vandalism and graffiti abatement capacity, reduced construction funding for Quelton Hills Park tied to a school partnership, removal of three fields from the parks scope because those capital costs would be absorbed by the Spokane Public Schools bond effort, and addition of three lighted infield projects for city baseball/softball fields. “We are here today to adopt and vote on the updated Healthy Parks Healthy Neighborhood Grama document, the levy guide,” Jones said.

The adopted levy program keeps the same overall allocation among major categories: 53% to renovate and replace aging infrastructure, 12% to acquire and develop new parks, and 35% to enhance park user experience through maintenance, security and public-safety upgrades. Jones told the board the parks share alone would be 27¢ per $1,000; he said that partnership with Spokane Public Schools reduces the combined cost compared with separate measures and that the combined parks-and-schools figure would be about 29¢ per $1,000.

Board members asked how the levy would interact with the school bond and whether one could pass without the other. Jones and other staff clarified that the levy is a standalone parks funding source: if the levy passes and the school bond fails, the parks department would carry out projects it has included in the levy program but some joint or school-funded projects — including the Merkle expansion, citywide all-weather fields, an indoor aquatic center and a field house tied to a new school — would not occur without the school bond proceeds. “If our levy passed, we would be able to deliver . . . the program manual of what we’re able to deliver in the parks and recreation assets,” Jones said. He added that if both measures pass, the partnership would produce economies of scale and allow additional projects and staff such as more park rangers.

Fianna Dixon, who presented the communications plan for the joint parks-and-school outreach, said the public campaign is “strictly educational informational. None of this has anything to do with persuading voters 1 way or another.” Dixon outlined a multi-channel outreach strategy including two websites (TogetherSpokane and spokaneparks.org/levy), earned media briefings, social media, video captures for reuse, printed booklets and maps, utility bill inserts, banners, and in-person events such as Bloomsday packet pickup. She said the plan will roll out thematic topics every two weeks through October to explain project examples, timelines and what would be paid for by levy funds.

Board president (name not specified) moved adoption of the resolution and Kevin (board member) seconded. The board called the question and the motion passed unanimously by voice vote with six members present.

The board also approved a consent agenda at the start of the meeting by the same unanimous voice vote; that consent package included several items forwarded from committees (the meeting transcript lists four consent items), and one committee-forwarded action noted in committee reports was a Department of Ecology air quality grant of about $460,000 to buy battery-operated equipment for parks staff (that grant had been discussed in finance committee and was included on the consent agenda). The consent agenda vote and the levy-resolution vote were recorded as passed as presented.

Next steps explained at the meeting: the school board planned to act on its ballot resolution in May, and city council was scheduled to consider placing the parks levy on its May 5 agenda. Jones said the board’s resolution provides sample ballot language and that final ballot language has been reviewed by bond counsel, the city’s legal team and financial advisors. Dixon said the outreach runway to November is long and the staff will adapt the plan as needed to keep the public informed.

Implementation details in the levy manual — including project lists, individual project timelines and how levy revenue will be tracked separately from other parks operating funds — will be carried forward if the ballot measure is approved. The board’s resolution requests that levy revenue be accounted for separately from the parks department’s operating funds and states the levy revenue would represent roughly 26% of the parks budget if approved.

The board adjourned after committee reports and additional informational items.