Herald staff
Voters in the Monroe Public Schools district will have an issue to vote on when they go to the polls in the primary election Tuesday.
Those voters also are residents of the East Snohomish County Parks and Recreation District, which has the same boundaries.
Voters are being asked to approve a 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation for the next five years to support the maintenance and operations of the park district.
The district had two similar measures on ballots last year, but both failed. Because of that, the district had to lay off its director and close its only park, Maltby Park.
Park board chairman Mike Donow said the park is heavily used by residents of south Snohomish County and has no other funding, other than rental of ball fields and fees paid by participants in summer programs.
But that is not enough to keep the district afloat. So the board voted to close the park in August, pending the outcome of this ballot measure.
The most recent levy to support the park was about 8 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation; it expired Dec. 31.
If the new levy is passed, a homeowner of a $200,000 home would pay $20 a year to keep the district going.
The district offers programs for youths in the summer, movies for seniors at the senior center in Monroe, and participates in local festivals, including the Monroe Cinco de Mayo celebration.
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