Mayor promises to try community center bond again
November 13, 2008
By Ed Farrell
For the third time in three tries, a bond issue to build a community center on Snoqualmie Ridge has failed to garner enough support.
On Monday, however, Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson predicted the city will, at some point in the future, attempt for a fourth time to secure public funding.
Cathy Charbonneau votes at Snoqualmie Elementary School Nov. 4. The polling place was packed in the 6 a.m. hour, but voters experienced few lines in the afternoon.
With all seven of the city’s precincts tallied, and every mail-in and absentee vote accounted for, support for the $10 million bond issue was just short of the 60 percent supermajority required by state law.
According to the King County Elections Office, 2,067 voters – 53.73 percent – were in support of the public funding for the $14 million facility, while 1,780 – 46.27 percent – cast votes in opposition.
In terms of total numbers, the 2008 turnout nearly topped 4,000 voters, as 3,996 people cast ballots – 23 more than 2006’s total registered voter count of 3,973.
A precinct-by-precinct break down of the vote will not be available until after elections officials certify the vote later in November, but in both previous efforts – 2002 and 2006 – support and opposition for the measure showed a clear divide between residents of historic downtown Snoqualmie and those living on Snoqualmie Ridge.
Larson said strong support for the center ensured the council will try again to get voter approval.
“A clear majority of residents have once again declared their desire to build Snoqualmie Community Center,” Larson said, adding that failure to achieve a supermajority “is not a mandate to ignore the will of a 54 percent majority.”
Larson said it is now “the council’s and my responsibility to come back with a new proposal,” but said “it would be premature for us to speculate about the specifics and timing of any future bond.”
Larson placed blame for the latest failure of the bond passage on the recent economic downturn.
“When the decision was made to put this measure on the ballot back in early August, no one could have predicted the severity of the stock market fluctuations that peaked during the critical voting window for this bond,” Larson said. “The continued severe decline in and uncertainties about the national economy played a significant role in the demise of this proposal.”
Larson’s reasoning puts Snoqualmie voters clearly out of pace with the rest of King County, which overwhelmingly agreed to higher sales taxes to support public transit, and approved bonds for the rebuilding of Pike Place Market and for acquisition and development of new parkland.
Larson has also pointed to outside factors for previous failure to secure public funding for the community center.
At a series of recent public hearings, the mayor pegged the 2002 defeat on “the dot-com bust,” referring to the demise of many Internet-based businesses, as well as what he termed the “KC (King County) pool crisis” and cost.
At the same hearing, Larson cited the reasons for the 2006 failure on “school bonds, cost, regional pool and city finances.”
Because of state election laws regulating bond issues, passage requires not only a 60 percent supermajority, but for a total voter turnout of at least 40 percent of the last general election tally. Given the historic nature of the Nov. 4 election, Larson had previously estimated that it would be impossible to try again until at least 2010 – and only then at a much higher cost, given his estimates of construction inflation at 12 to 15 percent a year.
Elections officials placed the most recent voter turnout at 74.41 percent, a much higher total than either 2006 (64.49 percent) or 2002 (52.19 percent).
Any attempt in 2009 would require a total voter turnout of at least 1,598 people – 200 more than the entire city turnout of 1,384 in 2002. A total of 2,562 voters cast ballots in the November 2006 general election.
Reach reporter Ed Farrell at efarrell@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.
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3 Responses to “Mayor promises to try community center bond again”
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I think two things need to change in order to get a community center here:
1. Location. Personally, the main reason I voted no for the community center is because it would wipe out our beautiful central park here on The Ridge. We need that open space with its beautiful green lawn. I absolutely do not want our main park to disappear behind yet another building. How about putting it in the business park, or some other location? I will continue to vote no as long as the current park location is proposed.
2. YMCA management. I don’t like the idea and proposed terms of YMCA management of the center, and I don’t think many others do either. A different management scheme is in order.
It is like the hatfields and Mccoys. Hey ridge runners we had a free mother nature sponsored pool in the valley last night- none of you attended and did not offer us a place to dry off. We must keep voting against the Larson Rec Center and the people in the valley have the votes to do so. Lots of for sale signs and layoffs on the ridge as well so guess how they will vote. Until this economy gets on the right track smart voters will avoid paying taxes for other peoples enjoyment- My advice to Larson is to put this on the back burner for a while. On the other hand it will keep him busy and unable to dream up something else for the few. We have the votes to stop this for the fourth time if he is foolish enough to try it to soon. His comparing Seattles issues to the Snoqualmie Ridge is nonsense. Bills passed in Seattle will help the majority while the ridge rec center would help the few.
Ron, I don’t think you realize that you are actually one of the “few”. The majority of people want the community center.