Lexington voters will see Parks Sustainable Funding on ballot

Phoenix Park in downtown Lexington.

Last Thursday, Council unanimously voted to place the Parks Sustainable Funding ballot initiative on the November general election ballot.

Lexington voters will decide whether or not to create a new property tax of 2.25 cents per $100 of taxable property to support a parks project fund that advocates say would provide yearly funding of $8 million for parks improvements across Lexington. The average Lexington homeowner would pay roughly $53 per year.

If approved, the fund would initially go towards funding projects outlined and prioritized in the 2018 Parks Master Plan, which identified approximately $100 million worth of projects in Lexington’s parks.

The City would continue to fund operating expenses such as staff salaries and programming through the City’s Budget using the General Fund.

The ballot initiative is being led by the the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the Trust for Public Land, and Trees Lexington.