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Clark County backs regional parks funding charter; staff to convene cities and stakeholders
Summary
Councilors heard a county presentation and caucus of city partners on a proposed regional charter to explore sustainable funding for parks and natural areas. Staff and city leaders said a six-month stakeholder process would identify options and return recommendations.
Clark County officials and city partners presented a proposed regional charter on May 21 to explore sustainable, long-term funding for parks, natural areas and trails.
Jennifer Coker, deputy director of Clark County Public Works, introduced the measure and said the charter responds to a March work session request to benchmark local needs against national data. Ross Hoover, parks and nature division manager, said staff convened city park managers to draft a framework that would study funding mechanisms used elsewhere and tailor options for Clark County and its cities.
Dave Perlick, director of parks, recreation and cultural services for the City of Vancouver, told the council the city is participating in the effort and described shared service challenges: “We're all struggling with structural funding limitations,” he said. Perlick and county staff said the charter is designed to guide a regional conversation about what kinds of parks and services the community expects and what funding tools could support them.
Why this matters: population growth, inflation and rising maintenance costs have strained parks budgets across Clark County, presenters said. County officials argued a coordinated, regional approach could identify economies of scale, highlight economic benefits and produce a recommendation on how to fund parks sustainably.
Council direction and timeline
Councilors expressed broad support for continuing the work and asked staff to proceed with outreach to cities, stakeholders and the public. The county said the initial stakeholder convening and analysis is expected to take about six months, after which staff will return with findings and a recommended path forward.
Councilors also asked staff to ensure representation from residents who would pay for new funding mechanisms — for example, people in potential park districts — and to include organizations that pay impact fees.
Ending
Councilors praised the collaborative approach and urged staff to bring early options to council as they are developed. County staff said they would present the charter to city councils around the county and then convene the stakeholder group to begin the six-month process.
