Published June 14, 2024
MetroParks to place levy request on November ballot
At its regularly scheduled meeting today, the Five Rivers MetroParks Board of Park Commissioners (Board) took the first of two required votes to place a levy on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The Board unanimously voted in favor of requesting the Montgomery County auditor to certify the amount of a 10-year, 1.0 mill levy. This levy would be in addition to the existing 2.0 mill levy, last passed in 2018. If voters approve the levy, it will generate adequate resources for MetroParks to protect the 35 locations it manages, including 18 MetroParks, the 2nd Street Market, eight conservation areas and eight portions of the region’s paved trail network.
“Five Rivers MetroParks is essential to our quality of life, and the parks stimulate community economic development,” Board President Karen Davis said. “Even with belt-tightening moves — such as holding staff positions open, rethinking programs and finding more cost-effective maintenance solutions — we need this levy to protect the parks for all of Montgomery County.”
The last levy MetroParks placed on the ballot in 2018 was overwhelmingly approved by county voters. If the proposed levy is approved by voters in November, the cost to property owners will be less than $3 a month per $100,000 of appraised property value.
“This is a fiscally responsible move that will allow MetroParks to serve the public in the ways the voters want and deserve while ensuring their MetroParks are protected now and in the future,” Chief Executive Officer Karen Hesser said. “Without passage of this levy, your MetroParks risks being unable to keep trails and facilities safe, clean, accessible and repaired; offer outdoor education and festivals; and sufficiently protect our water quality and wildlife– all things this community has entrusted us to do for more than 60 years.”
Five Rivers MetroParks currently manages nearly 16,000 acres of natural areas; 191 miles of trails for hiking, walking, backpacking, horseback riding, mountain biking and cycling; and a significant portion of the region’s 270 miles of river corridor. Five Rivers MetroParks had more than 2.05 million visitors last year, and more than 300,000 Montgomery County residents report visiting a MetroPark at least a few times a year.
The Board is scheduled to take its second required vote to place the issue on the November ballot in July, before the Aug. 7 filing deadline.
