Schools should help pay for pool

The Redmond City Council proposed to our City Council that they join and create a new taxing district to build a swimming pool. The details are in this Sammamish Review article.

Let’s see: new taxes for a park district. May Don Gerend wants to increase the Real Estate Excise Tax by one-quarter percent; and the City will likely need to impose a utility tax to either balance the budget in a few years or pay for its contribution to the Town Center infrastructure.

Here’s an idea: why not have the Lake Washington and Issaquah School districts and the Eastside Catholic High School contribute to the capital costs and on-going maintenance of a pool? Their students need an Olympic size pool for swim team competition. They now have to rent facilities outside the city and drive to get there.

Continue reading