SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Park Board voted unanimously Wednesday to add a $240 million levy to the November 2025 ballot.
It’s part of the “Together Spokane” plan, which would provide an additional $200 million to parks through a bond for Spokane Public Schools.
RELATED: Spokane Park Board to vote on placing $240M levy on November ballot
Board members agreed the community would benefit if Spokanites would vote in favor of both the levy and the bond this November, but it might be a tough sell if uncertainty over the economy continues.
The newest levy proposal would charge $0.27 for every $1,000 in assessed property value over the course of the next 20 years (through 2045).
That equates to about $89 taxed per year for homes valued in the range of $330,000.
The median home price in Spokane is closer to about $400,000 right now.
One of the goals of Together Spokane is to open up more schools as play/recreational/community spaces after school hours.
Another goal is to expand existing sports complexes to provide more all-weather fields with lights, so people can compete in sports year-round.
12% of the levy would be used toward buying and developing new neighborhood parks and natural lands; 35% would go toward safety initiatives and better maintenance to enhance the general experience of using local parks, and 53% of the funding would be used to renovate and replace aging parks, trailheads and amenities.
When the Park Board voted to add the current levy last, a staff member was added to the Merkel Sports Complex maintenance team, a Park Ranger and truck were added, more vandalism repair and graffiti abatement could get done, Qualchan Hills Park saw reduced construction funding, three all-weather sports fields were removed at Merkel and three lighting/infield projects at local baseball and softball fields were added.
You can expect to see the levy on the November 5 ballot.
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