A Colfax parks district

The city of Colfax wants to establish a new parks district. The city parks and pool are currently the responsibility of the city.

The proposed change would put the parks and pool in a new taxing district with its own board and financing.

This is a new approach to funding and maintaining the city parks. Also new is the idea that the district itself could match the Colfax School District boundaries and not just the city’s.

One impetus for the effort to form the district as a separate entity from the city is the age and deterioration of the city pool. It is in need of extensive repairs or even a total replacement.

Neither of these options are cheap.

To form the district will take a vote of the people. Supporters of the formation of the district hope that it can be on the fall general election ballot.

If approved, the district would function as other junior taxing districts. It would present levy funding requests periodically for maintenance and operations and could request special levies for major needs.

This proposal, approved by the Colfax City Council, would free the city from funding its parks. The burden would fall upon district patrons, just as it does in fire districts, school districts and cemetery districts.

The formation of this district will surely be widely discussed. The idea has been brought up in the past. Proponents think this is the time to go beyond just the idea stage. Details and some complications are yet to be worked out.

The current city operating budget for the parks department is now $216,000. If a new metro parks district emerges with its own revenue base and the city parks operate under the joint board proposed in Monday’s city resolution, what will happen to the funds in the city parks budget?

With the swim pool facing enormous costs, and possibly the need for a new pool, the city funds, which derive from property and sales tax revenue, should remain in the budget under some type of recreational tag rather than drained off for other city uses.

The city has some great parks open to everyone. A separate parks and recreation district would be solely dedicated to maintaining and improving those parks and the recreational opportunities in the area.

With a few caveats, it is certainly worth consideration.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher