Recently, we have been working on changing our Parks and Recreation District to a Metropolitan District. The City of Anacortes approved a resolution placing the creation of a Metropolitan Park District on a ballot. The county has also approved the resolution. If voters ultimately approve the proposal, the new Metropolitan Park District will replace the current Park and Recreation District that operates the Fidalgo Pool and Fitness Center. A Metropolitan Park District is not required to go to the voters every six years for a levy to fund the Operations and Maintenance budget, but it is still restricted to the 1% increase limit each year unless voters approve a greater increase.
The creation of the Metropolitan Park District will not fund a new facility. What it will do is provide a stable and predictable financial position for the District moving forward, for the current facility and any new facility. Any funding required for construction of a new facility would need to go to the voters as a separate issue. The management of the District would remain the same with an elected five-commissioner board that is separate from the city.