Parks Ballot Initiative Gets Final Vote This Week

Written By Adrian Paul Bryant

Douglass Park playground. Source: VisitLex

In Thursday’s Council Meeting, Council will make their final vote to place the Parks Sustainable Funding ballot initiative on the November general election ballot. If Council votes to approve it, then all Lexington voters will get to decide in November whether or not to institute the new property tax.

The Parks Sustainable Funding ballot initiative proposes adding a new property tax of 2.25 cents for every $100 of taxable property, the revenue of which would go to a dedicated fund to use for parks improvement projects.

  • If passed, the referendum would raise roughly $8 million annually for the Parks Capital Fund. The average Lexington homeowner would pay roughly $53 per year.

  • The 2018 Parks Master Plan 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.

Council Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 25th at 6pm in Council Chambers. You can attend in-person or watch live on LexTV.

Adrian Paul Bryant

Adrian Paul Bryant is CivicLex’s Civic Information Specialist, reporting on City Hall meetings and local issues that affect Lexingtonians every day. Raised in Jackson County, Adrian is a lifelong Kentuckian who is now proud to call Lexington home.

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