Tucson voters will have the opportunity to make some long-overdue improvements to our city parks this November โ without raising taxes.
If passed, Proposition 407 will make improvements at 100 city parks, funding new playgrounds, new splash pads, new sports fields, new sports courts and dozens of projects that renovate existing facilities and extend their hours of operation โ for example, adding shade structures to playgrounds and LED lighting to sports fields. The new sports fields and new LED lighting will create more than 80,000 hours of additional playtime annually, giving many more Tucsonans the opportunity to play team sports.
Proposition 407 also funds pathways, greenways, and bikeways โ more than 17 miles of new linear parks and more than 120 miles of new low-stress bikeways, shared-use pathways and sidewalks โ creating safer, more active ways for Tucsonans to get around.
Proposition 407 improves and connects city parks โ to each other, and to home, school, and work, making parks more a part of our daily lives. It makes up for those lost years during the recession, when the city had to close swimming pools and postpone needed improvements. It gives us a parks system we can be proud of and enjoy with our families.
How does it do this without raising taxes? By retiring old debt and using that revenue for parks, Proposition 407 funds improvements without raising the cityโs secondary property tax rate.
Thanks to voter support for previous propositions, the city continues to make progress on fixing our roads and getting our firefighters and police new vehicles, facilities and equipment. Roads and public safety are necessary functions of government โ and so are parks.
Children need places to play. Athletes of all ages and abilities need sports fields and courts. Neighborhoods need trees and green spaces. Pedestrians and bicyclists need safe routes to school and work. Proposition 407 delivers in all these important areas.
And, it does so cost-effectively. Many of the improvements save energy and water, reducing operating costs.
If passed, Proposition 407 will roll out in three phases of three years each, starting in 2020. You can see which projects will be completed when on the city’s website, tucsonaz.gov/parksbond. Projects were drawn from the city’s Parks and Recreation System Master Plan, which was created with extensive public input.
And, as with previous propositions, Proposition 407 creates a citizen oversight commission, to ensure that funds are spent as promised.
Parks strengthen communities. Theyโre often the centerpiece of neighborhoods. They improve physical and even mental health. In short, parks arenโt luxuries. Theyโre necessities. Theyโre fundamental to a cityโs quality of life.
I believe that great cities deserve a great park system, and that, as Tucson develops, our need for parks โ and bikeways and pathways โ will only grow. If passed, Proposition 407 will give us the resources to better meet that need, today and well into the future.
