Bellingham again to ask voters on November ballot to extend tax for parks, trails
Bellingham voters will get a chance in November to extend the city’s property tax for parks, trails and other projects related to open space.
Called the Greenways levy, the measure was enacted in 1990 by popular vote and approved at the polls in 1997, 2006 and 2016.
It asks for 41 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value, meaning that the owner of a $500,000 house would pay $205 annually.
“It’s one of the few things that we can do for our children and their children,” said John Blethen of Bellingham, who spoke in favor of continuing the tax during a public hearing Monday night.
“We’re setting this down for 1,000 years,” he said.
Cost of the levy renewal is down from the current 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. It needs a simple majority to pass.
After the hearing Monday, City Council members unanimously voted to place the levy renewal on the Nov. 7 ballot.
City officials estimate that the tax will raise $86 million over a 10-year period.
From its inception through 2023, the program will have collected more than $102 million allowing the city to buy 3,200 acres of land, add nearly 40 trail miles and create open space such as Cordata Park, Squalicum Creek Park, and the Hundred Acre Wood master plan, Parks and Recreation Department Director Nicole Oliver said in a memo to the City Council.
In addition, the Greenways program has added 2,400 acres of recreational trails on Galbraith Mountain, new restrooms at Boulevard Park, and many other projects, Oliver said.
