There is a better way to provide for long term and dedicated Parkway funding than raising taxes, which we addressed in a recent Press Release
Capital bailing out of parkway fund plan
By Ed Fletcher - efletcher@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PST Friday, January 25, 2008
In a blow to American River Parkway advocates, the city of Sacramento has backed away from a plan to boost parkway spending through a property-owner paid benefit assessment district.
City representatives, along with those from Rancho Cordova, Folsom and Sacramento County, have been meeting and talking for months about the plan to increase funding for the care and maintenance of the parkway.
While parkway advocates are miffed at the capital's decision, it isn't a fatal blow to the effort. The proposal can move forward without Sacramento, and the city could join at a later date.
"We're disappointed," Warren Truitt said on behalf of parkway advocacy groups. He said the capital isn't "paying enough attention to the parkway."
Even with property owners in the city of Sacramento's portion of the parkway out of the program, the assessment still could add about $2.2 million annually to the $6.2 million the county already spends on maintaining the recreational trail and wildlife habitat.
Under the plan, property owners within a half mile of the parkway would be assessed $30 annually, and property owners between a half mile and three miles away would pay half of that.
Some residents have objected to the idea that folks closest to the parkway should pay more than other county residents.
The plan will get its first public vetting next week when the county supervisors take up the issue at their Tuesday meeting.
