Seventy-eight million dollars. An incredibly large request for an all-or-nothing bond measure that combines a community center complete with aquatics center and upgrades to current sports fields. In 2018, the original cost of replacement for an aquatics center to support sports teams and youth swimming lessons was between $4 million to $5 million, and $6 million for sport fields. The new proposal is a facility that includes a three-story building with fitness center, multipool aquatics center, and additional meeting rooms. The cost of this facility is expected to add approximately $500 in taxes to the annual tax burden of the median home price of $471,000 in Camas. This $500 will fund the building of the community center but will not include usage fees that are needed for operating and maintenance costs.
Another important consideration is tax priorities and the limits that residents can pay. Our taxes support essential services provided by our city for roads, infrastructure and continued growth. Other spending priorities include the current and anticipated replacement school bond/levy requests. These are essential, and increased funding for a $78 million community center directly competes with these tax priorities.
Taxes should be used to support essential city services, schools, and green space, not an elaborate community center. This request needs to be reduced down to the essential services that our community needs, and can afford.
