There will be a levy vote on this November’s ballot to fund your Orcas Park and Rec District
These are Frequently Asked Questions about it
1. Didn’t we already vote on an Orcas Island Park and Rec District (OIPRD)?
Yes. Last November, 72% of Orcas voters approved the formation of the District and elected 5 volunteer commissioners, but not its funding. Since then these Commissioners, via public meetings, have worked to create a budget for proposed recreational programs, services, maintenance and repair of facilities that they feel make sense to be included in the proposed budget. (You can view this at “OrcasParkAndRec.com”). You are being asked to approve 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.
2. How much will this cost me?
If you don’t own property, nothing. If you own property on Orcas, you’ll pay $5/month for a $600,000 property assessment. It will be paid by all property owners, including non-residents. After the life of this levy expires, which will be in six years, the cost will reset back to zero, unless the public votes to extend it at that time.
3. What are we paying for?
You are paying for programs that have proven their value and popularity to a wide variety of people on Orcas. Outdoor programs like tennis, soccer, baseball, volleyball, sailing, basketball and swimming; indoor programs that give kids a constructive place to be after school and on weekends and chances for adults to play basketball or volleyball in a gym throughout the winter. You’re also paying for the opportunity for adults, seniors and kids to take classes in subjects like computers, music and art.
4. How did you come up with your budget?
In the months since the formation of the District, the Commissioners have looked at community recreational needs, what has worked in the past, what programs seem essential, and where we could gain financial efficiencies by working to mutual advantage with other community partners. We determined likely costs for repairing Buck Park and resurfacing the tennis courts. We built a budget that will address the current needs and yet will be solid and flexible enough to respond to opportunities as they arise.
5. Why is Buck Park part of the budget?
Buck Park was a substantial gift to the community that wasn’t originally intended to be owned nor maintained by the school district. It agreed to accept it when it was donated as there were few other alternatives at the time, with the understanding that it would eventually be maintained by public monies. Because the school district is primarily focused on educating our children and has its own significant budgetary challenges, Buck Park is understandably not one of its highest priorities and its upkeep and maintenance consequently suffer substantially. We are proposing that the community take financial responsibility, through the Park and Rec District to help repair and maintain this valuable community asset.
6. Would these programs and services be better provided by a non-profit?
There are over 60 non-profits on Orcas doing yeoman’s work for the community, all vying for precious donor support. None have the mission of providing broad recreational opportunities to the community-at-large and none are financially able to assume maintenance and repair of public facilities. As of next month, the County has announced they will no longer fund Orcas Rec programs and the facilities mentioned are also in jeopardy of falling into worse repair without public support. After years of support from hundreds of volunteers and generous donors, these programs, facilities and services now need public help.
The OIPRD website: www.orcasparkandrec.com
**If it wouldn’t cause you financial distress to take out a modestly-priced, voluntary subscription (HERE), you’d be doing a real service. If it would, then no worries, we’re happy to share with you.**
“2. How much will this cost me?
If you don’t own property, nothing.”
This is a bit misleading. If you live on Orcas, you’ll be paying this increase, either directly if you are a property owner, or indirectly when your landlord passes along the cost in your rent, and when the prices of goods sold in local stores are raised to make up for the merchants’ increased property taxes or rent.
There’s no free lunch.
Your right Brian, There
‘s no free lunch. But this meal is worth so much more than the price on the menu.
Bert Vinson
If we are going to be taxed on something additional, I would prefer that the tax money goes to local schools — I think that is a higher priority than recreation.
Please read Item #5: our school will benefit if this passes, because the parks and rec district has included maintenance for Buck Park in its proposed budget.
According to the Public School budget, and depending on how you slice it, it takes between $30 and $50,000 dollars a year to maintain Buck Park for all of us.
To clarify, if we are going to be taxed on something additional, I would prefer that the tax money go to local schools FOR EDUCATIONAL USES like math, sciences, reading and language skills. $30-50,000 could go a long way to assist in these programs.
Education of our children is a higher priority, for me, than recreation.
Henry,
I completely understand your sentiment, but would offer the following:
The new rec disrict will essentially absorb the Orcas Rec program as it exists now (but has been cut out of the county budget). The programing offered is not simply recreation, but also art, science and several adjunct educational programs specificaly designed to work with the school system to offer kids expanded learning options as well as offer assistance to children needing a little extra boost that they are not able to get at the school sometimes. The rec district will be able to utilize the Funhouse through programming agreements to offer many educational opportunities that the cash strapped school simply cannot offer on a regular basis.
In addition, the tax will support numerous adult education classes, which could not be funded through taxes at the school level. In meeting with the District Comissioners, I have heard a consistant belief that the rec district is there to serve all of Orcas – not simply as an entity for kids.
Finally, I would offer that through the implimentation of the rec district, the financial burden that is currently placed on the school through the maintinence of Buck Park will be eased, allowing the school to redirect that money into funding their real mandate – education and the maintinence of the educational facilities.
There are many things/activities that it would be nice to have, in our personal lives and in our community at large, but how many of them can we afford, personally, and how many of them should we ask taxpayers to pay for ?
For me, its all about priorities.
What are the serious unmet needs in our community that would be worth a tax increase during a recession ? I don’t think recreation is highest on that list.
If what was being offered was entirely a supplemental education program, I would be all for it. But when I look at the proposed budget for 2011 (at https://orcasparkandrec.org/Regular_Public_Meetings/20100809/OIPRD%20monthly%20budget%208-9-10.xls.pdf), I see $327,040 budgeted to be spent, but of that, only about $57,000 to be spent on items that could be classified as educational — $5500 for swim lessons, $17,028 for Teen Night (2 supervisors), $19,737 for After School (2 supervisors), and $13,500 for Instructors.
The rest of the $327,040 is for capital costs for setting up recreational facilities, setting up/running an office, $98,175 in staff salaries/taxes/health insurance, etc.
All taxpayers will be asked to pay for this program, but what percentage of the population will benefit from this program ? 5% ? 10% ?