(Updated 8/24/2000)
(Please note, this is not a complete report.)
We believe that there is not
enough space in the voter’s pamphlet to list all of the reasons that the
citizens of Pierce County should vote NO on this sales tax.
Fact #1. Currently,
taxpayers that live in the City of Tacoma pay the highest property tax in the
State of Washington.
One reason is because of the
way the City of Tacoma funds its park system.
Fact
#2.
In 1907, the Tacoma City Council had reached the legal limit of money
that they could borrow.
Fact
#3.
In order to get around the legal limit of money that the Tacoma City Council could borrow, former Tacoma
Mayor Stuart Rice asked the State Legislature to pass a law that would allow
cities to form a Metropolitan Park District (another taxing jurisdiction).
By creating another legal taxing district, the Tacoma City Council
could try to get voters to allow “elected” public officials to go further in
debt than the current legal limits allowed. (Hey guys, it’s not the Tacoma City
Council that’s asking for more money, it’s the Metropolitan Park District!)
Basically,
the Tacoma City Council has used Metro Parks as a “front” to squeeze more tax
dollars out of the citizens of Tacoma.
Fact
#4.
Today, 93 years later, Tacoma is the only city in the entire State of
Washington that funds its parks through a Metropolitan Park District.
All other cities fund their parks through a city run
parks department. (Thereby avoiding
another costly layer of bureaucracy.)
Fact
#5.
Today, 93 years later, the Tacoma City Council and the Metropolitan Park
District of Tacoma are trying to gain the ability to collect taxes countywide
with this sales tax.
(Remember,
unlike a park bond, this tax increase will not expire; it is forever.)
Fact
#6.
February 1996. Tacoma citizens
vote NO on a $39.7 million parks bond proposal.
Fact
#7.
May 26, 1996. Tacoma citizens
vote NO on a $37.5 million parks bond proposal.
Fact
#8.
November 1998. Tacoma citizens
vote NO on a $35 million “save our zoo” parks bond proposal.
(The
voters pamphlet statement for passage of this bond stated that the zoo would
lose its accreditation if this bond failed.)
Fact
#9.
March 9, 1999. MPD puts the same
$35 million “save our zoo” bond proposal on the ballot again. This time it passed!
(The
voters pamphlet statement for passage of this bond stated the, “…our Point
Defiance Zoo and Aquarium will almost certainly have to close.) So what
happpened next?
Fact
#10.
Almost immediately after this $35 million “save our zoo” bond
passed, Metro Parks announced that the $35 million “save our zoo” bond
was only “Phase 1” of the “saving our zoo plan”.
“Phase 2” would be asking the
citizens of Tacoma to pass a second “save our zoo” bond for another
$25 million.
Many Tacoma voters were angry about
this “Phase 1” announcement and wrote letters to the “Trib”.
Then Metro Parks and the City of Tacoma went
back to the legislature again for special parks funding legislation.
Fact #11. This is a permanent sales
tax for parks that will raise over $90 million in the first ten years, however,
over half of this money will go to the City of Tacoma.
Fact
#12. On November 5, 1996, over 70% of
the citizens of Pierce County voted to have independent performance audits
conducted in county government to insure that their tax dollars were being
spent as efficiently as possible.
Shouldn’t
we citizen’s insist that the Tacoma City Council and the Metropolitan Parks
District of Tacoma have independent performance audits done periodically to
make sure that we are getting the maximum mileage for our dollars that they
have already have before they ask for more dollars?
Fact
#13.
Privatize Point Defiance Zoo! In
1984, the Atlanta Zoo was considered one of the ten worst zoos in the United
States.
Today, the Atlanta Zoo is considered
one of the top zoos in the country. (Ivan, the former B&I gorilla, seems to
be having a good time!)
Remember, the Atlanta Zoo had many
of the same financial problems that Point Defiance Zoo currently has and these
problems disappeared almost immediately once the zoo was privatized.
Isn’t it time that we join the 21st
Century and privatize the day-to-day operations of the Point Defiance Zoo?
Although
everyone in Pierce County will pay this sales tax if this scheme passes, only
people who live in the City of Tacoma get to vote on who will be on the Tacoma
City Council and on who will be on the Metropolitan Park Board. Is this fair?
The
Tacoma City Council, Metro Parks and the Pierce County Council are trying to
sneak this past the voters in the primary; instead of the general election.
At
$9 million per year, $90 million will be paid in sales tax in 10 years;
however, more than half of this amount may never be spent on parks.
The
City of Tacoma has announced that they want to put a $72 million proposal on
the ballot in February 2001. The Tacoma
School District has voted to place a $425 million school levy on the ballot in
February.