Drafter
Clerk 04/30/2013
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AN ORDINANCE providing for the submission to the qualified electors of King County at a special election to be held in King County on August 6, 2013, of a proposition authorizing a property tax levy in excess of the levy limitation contained in chapter 84.55 RCW for a period of six consecutive years, at a total rate of not more than $0.1877 per one thousand dollars of assessed valuation in the first year with annual increases by the percentage increase in the consumer price index or the limitation in 84.55 RCW, whichever is greater in years two through six, for the purpose of maintaining and operating King County's parks system; improving parks, recreation and mobility by acquiring open space and continuing to develop regional trails; repairing, replacing, and improving local parks and trails in King County's cities; funding environmental education, maintenance, conservation and capital programs at the Woodland Park Zoo.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. King County owns and operates a system of regional and local parks and trails that consists of twenty six thousand acres of parklands and more than one hundred seventy five miles of regional trails. The county provides regional trails, regional recreational facilities, regional natural area parks, and local rural parks, and is the transitional provider of local parks in the urban unincorporated areas. Examples of regional county parks and trails include Marymoor Park, Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center and the Sammamish River Trail.
2. Public parks, natural areas, and trails contribute to a high quality of life. A robust system of parks and trails provides: physical, social and mental health benefits to individuals; economic opportunity through recreation and tourism; economic growth for private businesses that must attract and retain skilled workers; and environmental benefits and cultural resource protection through open space con...
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