Park issues on the ballot in multiple counties
Voters in three Greater Columbus counties will be asked to raise their taxes for creation, expansion and preservation of area parks.
Preservation Parks of Delaware County is asking voters to approve a new 0.4-mill levy for 10 years for land acquisition and park development. The levy would generate about $3.7 million annually and cost property owners $14 a year in new taxes.
The funds will be used to purchase an estimated 722 acres of parks and trails and expedite the purchase of another 472 acres in Trenton Township in the area north of Sunbury.
The levy also would be used to develop and improve existing parks - and add new trails and habitat protection areas at a cost of about $13 million.
At least five new parks would be added to the existing 10 in the parks system, said Tom Curtin, executive director.
Since a previous operating levy
passed in 2017, surveys have shown that people support parkland and recreational development. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, park attendance has risen 60%, Curtin said.
Several land owners have recently come forward to have their properties considered for acquisition, he said.
“They’re very invested in their land and want to see it preserved,” Curtin said. “They want to see it become parks.”
The new funds also would allow for quicker development of parks such as Orchard Oaks Preserve, undeveloped parkland north of Sunbury in Trenton Township.
The parks system, second largest in the area behind Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, operates on a $6.2 million budget.
Curtin said he is anticipating countywide support.
“We see it benefitting the county greatly with quality of life and habitat preservation and water quality,” he said. “And the population is increasing dramatically. The timing is right.”
In Licking County, the Licking Park District is seeking a 0.25-mill replacement levy with an increase of 0.0125 mills. It would raise $2.01 million annually and cost property owners $13.13 ($7.41 more).
New roads, paths, boat launches restroom upgrades and other amenities are the motivation, also being fueled by increased parks usage, said Jim Kiracofe, chairman of the district board.
The added millage will double the current annual budget of $1.1 million, mostly due to enhanced collections on increasing property values.
“Our parks are being used a whole lot more, and we’ve made a priority of maintaining the parks at an extremely high level. Our parking lots have a whole lot more people in them,” Kiracofe said.
Included in the upgrades would be construction of a natural playscape, with slides built into a hill, water features and large, movable logs for kids to play around. It would be located at Infirmary Mound Park near Granville.
The park system is comprised of 1,600 acres in 12 different locations and includes 45 miles of multi-use trails.
Without the levy, the parks will suffer, Kiracofe said.
“If we don’t have the funds to maintain them currently, things are going to start sliding backwards.”
He said the parks board would also like to acquire land, “hopefully through donation or partnerships with somebody,” in the rapidly growing western portions of the county.
Officials of Lancaster Municipal Parks also have a parks issue on the ballot, but hope that the recent passage of the Fairfield County Park District levy isn’t confused with the city parks.
“There’s not a lot of people able to discern the difference between county parks and city parks,” said Michael Tharp, Jr., the seventh parks superintendent since 1909, when the system was formed.
When the countywide 0.4-mills, 10year levy passed by 67% in May, people soon learned about the municipal levy and told officials “I thought you just passed a levy in the spring,” Tharp said. “We tell them: ‘But you voted for the county parks,’ and we try to explain the difference.”
The municipal request is for a 0.25% permanent income tax (an increase from 0.15%) for operations, maintenance and repair of facilities.
It would be the first time in 34 years that the tax was increased, Tharp said. Since its inception in 1986, the city budget supported the parks. But in 1991 that funding was dropped, leaving the parks system on its own, even as costs have risen.
Changing the levy from a five-year cycle to permanent will allow for better budget forecasting and planning for larger expenses, Tharp said.
“You can’t leverage against your levy very well when it’s every five years,” he said.
The system’s annual budget is $2.2 million, about $1.73 million of that from the income tax. The rest from rentals and other revenue such as sports leagues.
The park system is governed by a three-member citizens board. If residents don’t like what’s happening, they can appeal to the Lancaster city mayor, who appoints the members.
There are 28 named parks on more than 840 acres with almost 10 miles of multi-use trails and 16 miles of maintained hiking trails. There’s also a 98year-old pool at Miller Park that has been expensive to maintain, along with some historic shelter houses, Tharp said.
The levy would begin collecting Jan. 1, 2023. dnarciso@dispatch.com @Deannarciso