Mayor Don Ness made his case for a new levy to support parks and recreation programs in the community as a guest speaker Tuesday morning at a monthly forum hosted by the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce.
"We haven't invested in our parks in more than a decade, and our parks are showing it," Ness said.
If passed, the parks referendum would amount to a 3.4 percent increase in overall property taxes, Ness said. For the owner of an average value $158,000 home, this would amount to an increased cost of less than $5 per month, or about $60 per year.
He described the request as modest but significant, which is why the proposed increase is being put to a public referendum vote in November.
"We felt it was important to bring this directly to voters because it's a significant ask," Ness said.
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City Councilor Jim Stauber expressed concern that higher taxes could push homeowners and businesses out of town.
"I've seen so many businesses leave Duluth for Hermantown. I'm very concerned that if we continue to jack the tax levy up, we will continue to lose taxpayers and businesses," he said.
Ness said the $2.6 million that would be raised through the proposed park levy would restore funding to a level last seen in 2003, before the state started cutting local government aid payments.
"We've had to keep cutting to the point where it affects the services people really care about," Ness said.
Probably no other division of city government has been hit as hard as
Duluth's Parks and Recreation Department, which has seen its budget reduced by about 60 percent, Ness said. He said the city increasingly has relied on volunteer community members to tend parks and operate recreational programs.
But the city's lack of resources is taking a toll, Ness said.
"People live in Duluth because of our parks, and our parks are falling apart," he said.
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Stauber said parks are a nice amenity, but the main reason people live in Duluth is jobs.
In evaluating the referendum, Stauber said: "The question you need to ask yourself is: Is this good for business? Is it going to bring jobs to our community or not?"
Should voters pass the park levy referendum, it will not only support park improvements but also will free up enough money in the city's general fund to restore branch library operations and extended hours at the main downtown library.
City Council President Sharla Gardner said libraries and their computer services are more important than ever these days, with so many people out of work and looking for employment via the internet.
