Herald-Leader endorsement: A new tax for Lexington’s parks is on the ballot.

Great parks are at the heart of every great city.

Here in Lexington, we’re fortunate. We have more than 100 parks in every part of our town and county, ranging from the bucolic paths of Hisle Park to the pickleball courts of Southland Park and everywhere in between.

We learned during COVID how important green space is to our physical and mental well-being. Our parks are well-traveled and well-loved.

But parks are not as crucial as funding for affordable housing or the homeless or snow removal, and that’s why their needs often get deferred. That’s why there’s now a list of $123 million in needs for what we told the parks department we wanted: More restrooms, better walking trails, better security, more water fountains and shade structures.

So if we love our parks, we now have a choice: A ballot initiative that would raise property taxes in needed capital projects on the 2024 parks master plan. The proposed tax is 2.25 cents for every $100 of assessed real property. That’s about $52.88 per year for the average homeowner, according to figures released by Vote Yes for Parks.

We endorse this plan because it will make Lexington a better place.

The initiative would raise about $8 million. It would be spent on capital projects that are already laid out in the 2018 parks master plan, recommended by the parks department and decided by the Lexington Fayette Urban County Council.

The money would not be used for land acquisition or regular maintenance, just long deferred and much needed projects.

It’s a massive list, helpfully listed by park. It includes priorities, such as new picnic shelters recommended for Castlewood, Coolavin, Douglass, and Martin Luther King Parks, new playgrounds at Constitution Park, Gainesway, Charles Young and Liberty Parks (just to name a very few) and athletic field upgrades all over the city.

Some have asked if fundraising would be a better alternative, considering the new Town Branch Park in downtown, which is being built mostly with private funds. But fundraising would lead to more inequities between wealthy and poorer neighborhoods across our city.

There are already equity issues in our parks. Why does Shillito Park have so many tennis courts, while Castlewood’s courts have fallen into disrepair? With this fund, voters will have to hold the city accountable for its choices in upgrades.

We understand that many are feeling the pain of home reassessments in Fayette County. But we would be willing to bet that most of us get at least $50 of use out of our parks every year.

A great city can work on many things at the same time. It can expand affordable housing, work on public safety and build great, equitable parks.

But it needs our help. That’s why we are endorsing a YES vote on the parks initiative on Nov. 5.

Editor’s note: This endorsement has been updated to correct information about Town Branch Park, which received some funding from the city, including a donation of land. To date, the park has received $52 million in private funds.

This story was originally published October 25, 2024 at 10:00 AM.