Tekoa Parks levy set for Feb. 9 ballot

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Dec 16, 20150

In the aftermath of two failed levies in Tekoa, one will come up on the ballot in February and one will not.

A $50,000 property tax levy for street operation and maintenance in November received 58.6 percent yes votes – short of the 60 percent to pass. An $85,000 Tekoa Parks and Recreation District 6 maintenance and operation levy failed by one vote.

After the city council met following final results, Tekoa mayor John Jaeger confirmed that they've decided not to run another streets levy in February.

Citing the Parks levy to be on the ballot then, along with a two-year school district levy, Jaeger suggested it was too much.

“That's pretty tough for people in town,” he said.

The city council had taken $30,000 out of the streets budget for next year, anticipating passage of the levy.

“But we're able to absorb it, and next fall, do a better job promoting the levy,” he said. “Streets will be maintained as we normally would. We can hold off a year on the gravel roads.”

The town had planned to chip-seal seven or eight blocks of road this summer.

“We would've asked the county to do as much as they could,” said Jaeger.

In the end, the levy failed at what may be an opportune time.

“With the cost of gas down, and oil, we thought the work would be more expensive than it actually is,” said Jaeger.

For the Parks district, the board has decided to run again Feb. 9, a two-year levy of $160,000, which is $10,000 less than the previous levy would have asked in two years.

In 2015 the district reported expenses as follows: pool $75,000, parks $12,000, administration $3,433. The pool employs 10 lifeguards for the summer, has a swim team program, runs four weeks of swimming lessons and also provides evening adult aerobics.

The parks employs two part-time employees to maintain the three parks in Tekoa,

To adjust for the $10,000 less on February's levy, Tekoa Parks Board president Shannon McHargue said the district will decide on various cost saving measures over the 2016-2017 operating years.