Determine if the Council will proceed with Charter Amendment for proposed Parks and Recreation Department Mill Levy by the June 8, 2020 deadline.  

On May 18th, staff presented the City Council with draft language to amend the Charter to include a Park and Recreation mill levy as discussed by the Council during the May 12th Work Session. The idea is to generate enough money to replace all General Fund and PD1 support for the Parks, Recreation and Public Lands (PRPL) Department with a dedicated mill levy. Currently the General Fund contributes a net of $4.3 million annually and PD1 is assessed at $2 million. By shifting costs away from the General Fund, $4.3 million will become available to support all criminal justice and emergency response services paid through the City’s General Fund.

On May 18th, Council directed the City Administrator to continue to pursue this idea bringing back refined language as soon as possible. In order for any levy request to positively impact the fiscal year 2021 budget, the ballot language must be reviewed and approved on First Reading no later than June 8.  The attached documents have been refined from the original drafts. These refinements are a result of two meetings the City Administrator held with Mayor Cole, Councilmembers Neese and Choriki and staff between May 19th and 21st.  It is critical to be clear and concise on what the voters are being asked to consider.     
 

City Council may:

• Direct the City Administrator to bring back all documents necessary to propose a Charter amendment to the voters for first reading on June 8, 2020, creating a dedicated mill levy to support PRPL services; or
• Direct the City Administrator to no longer pursue a Charter amendment for 2020 to fund PRPL.        

If voters approve the proposed Charter amendment, it is estimated to raise $6.3 million to support the PRPL services and also free up an additional $4.3 million to help support criminal justice and emergency response services.