Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Metro Parks public hearing: board weighs modest levy increase option to support parks projects
Summary
The Pullman Metropolitan Parks District held a public hearing on its 2026 revenue sources; staff said the district’s 2025 property-tax base is roughly $682,000 and that a 10% levy increase would generate about $70,000 to dedicate to parks capital or operations.
At a joint session on Oct. 14, staff presented the Pullman Metropolitan Park District’s 2026 revenue hearing, reporting that property taxes make up the district’s primary revenue stream and that donations have supported recent large projects.
Jeff Albrecht, who presented the district’s numbers to the board and council, said Metro Parks’ property-tax levy was budgeted at about $682,000 for 2025. He noted that the district received substantial donations in recent years—citing roughly $1 million for the Lost and Garden Memory Garden plus other donations for Veterans Park—and that donations are not budgeted because they are not guaranteed.
Albrecht said Metro Parks faces the same statutory 1% cap on existing-property tax increases, but that the district has some unused taxing capacity carried forward from earlier years. He presented a hypothetical 10% increase in the Metro Parks levy that would generate about $70,000; he cautioned that those funds must be dedicated to parks capital or operations per the district’s authority.
Board members expressed caution about adding taxes while housing costs remain high. One commissioner said Metro Parks has used donations for capital historically but shifted some levy proceeds to operations in 2025 to address tightness in revenues. No public commenters spoke during the hearing; the board closed the hearing and will consider levy motions consistent with county and state filing deadlines.
Albrecht reiterated the calendar for levy setting: motions to be presented at subsequent meetings, county filing by Nov. 15 and statutory completion by Nov. 30.
