SEQUIM — A measure to create a metropolitan park district to support the Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center will appear on the Aug. 4 ballot following a judge’s ruling and verification of petition signatures today.
“The matter will be placed on the primary ballot,” confirmed Mark Nichols, Clallam County prosecuting attorney, today.
His office filed a lawsuit May 8 in Clallam County Superior Court asking a judge to decide if the wording in a petition calling for the formation of the park district would block the measure from being placed on the ballot.
Judge Erik Rohrer ruled today in favor of the petition, allowing it to go to County Auditor Shoona Riggs for verification of signatures.
“That has been done,” she said this afternoon.
“I sent the letter to the prosecutor’s office requesting them to prepare a ballot title for us, so that we can put it on the primary ballot.”
The question raised by the county prosecutor was if the petition circulated complies with state law even though it does not include a verbatim statutory warning against improper signatures.
Approval of a metropolitan park district takes only a simple majority.
Once approved, a metropolitan park district is a permanent district.
The metropolitan park district board, to be elected at the same time that a district is approved, can levy up to 75 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation in property taxes without putting the tax before voters.
The SARC petition specifies that the five commissioners would implement a property tax levy of 12 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
The facility at 610 N. Fifth Ave., which is known by the acronym SARC, is expected to run out of money by December 2016.
The next step in the process will be candidates filing to run for the five open seats on the SARC metropolitan park district board.
“We are opening up a special filing period for this on May 26 through May 29,” Riggs said.
“Then we are going to open it up June 1, and that is because of the holiday” on May 25.
“That gives ample opportunity for any candidates out there that want to file,” she said.
“They have plenty of time to hear about it.”
The filing period must be completed before June 11, which is the day the ballots go to the printers, Nichols noted.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
