Last week we had an information-packed pair of presentations, one on the proposed Park District from Steve Herrig, Director of the City's Parks and Recreation Department, and the other on the proposed mill levy from Tammy Lacey, Superintendent of Schools.

 

Steve explained that the parks district proposal asks the voters to approve a 1.5-mill assessment that will be dedicated to deferred and ongoing maintenance of the city's parks. Increased pressures on the general fund for public safety over the years have made appropriate maintenance of the city's parks increasingly problematic, accumulating to over $12 million in deferred maintenance. Tree-trimming, for instance, should be on a 5- to 7-year cycle. The city's cycle exceeds 30 years, creating unsafe conditions as well as loss of trees. Mechanizing watering, at least to the extent of timers on sprinkling systems, would be more efficient and more effective. Beyond these issues, many of our most-used parks are inaccessible to people with disabilities.

 

The proposal before the voters does not address all the deferred maintenance issues, but provides a mechanism for steady improvements in the years to come. 

 

Tammy Lacey explained the need for an operational levy for the school district. Although the voters recently approved a nearly $100-million bond, that funding must be used for buildings and buildings alone. It cannot be used to pay for teacher salaries, health insurance, new programs, or any other ongoing operational costs. In the past 10 years, the district has laid off 80 teachers and a number of administrators and support staff. After-school and summer programs that have been so effective in keeping kids in school and learning at grade level have been cut. In Tammy's view, further cuts will seriously injure the quality and the quantity of essential programs. Even if the levy is approved, the school district will need to make some $200,000 in reductions. Without approval, the cuts will go much deeper.

 

Both issues are on the ballot recently mailed to voters and due by the election date of May 8.