Letter to the Editor: Park and Rec and School Levies Serve Us All

— by Martha Farish–

Dear Islanders
I wanted to write this letter before I know the outcome of the Park and Rec and school levies. I am a Park and Rec commissioner and have served as commissioner since the inception of Orcas Park and Rec District.

Taxes that pay for services for the island and islanders, with very little bled off for oversight by the larger governmental agencies, surely make sense at their core. It’s the price we all contribute to guarantee we are a healthy community for our citizens and the environment. And to the extent we ALL contribute toward that goal the stronger a community we will be.

Park and Rec services benefit most young families and active adults. Ironically, on Orcas, the ones who pay the bulk of the actual dollars in taxes that are needed to support Parks and schools are those least likely to access direct services. They are the “older” folks who retired here and make up the largest percentage of Orcas Islanders. So if on Tuesday the voters of Orcas approve the Park and school levies a huge thank you to all. A special call out of thanks to those who voted for the health and well-being of the island who did so out of generosity with no likelihood of direct benefit.

There is a role for taxes to play in government and in this letter I’m lumping both Park and Rec and the school in a quasi-government category. For those of you who oppose taxes because of bloat and waste that simply is not the case here. These levies were about us and for us. If the levies pass, thank you!

If they don’t pass, I respect the process of coming to public judgement. We did all we could to make sure you had the information needed. Hopefully you chose to invest in your island!