JUST SAY NO, AGAIN, TO ANNEXATION AND NEW TAXES

Opinion of Guemes Island resident Cindy Kamp

As Guemes Island residents finalize their ballot selections, Proposition 1 looms large: a proposal to form the Fidalgo Metropolitan Recreation District, also known as a Metropolitan Park District, (MPD), ANNEXING our island and others into a new taxing entity aligned with Anacortes School District No. 103 boundaries. Guemes Islanders have been historically generous with approving levies, like the recent EMS and hospital levies – but this one needs a closer look.  Proponents tout it as a way to secure stable funding for the Fidalgo Pool and Fitness Center (FPFC), but a deeper dive reveals concerns about transparency, scope, and costs—especially for us on Guemes, where ferry barriers already limit access to the pool.

A recent Fidalgo pool mailer says, “It does not create a new tax.” False. Guemes, untaxed by the existing Fidalgo Parks and Recreation District, faces a new $0.12/$1,000 levy—$77,500 annually for island properties in total.  By adding Guemes to the district, we would be on the hook for all future levy outcomes – potential levy hikes to $0.75/1000 or ($480 more per $800K home) for a future $75M pool bond when they DO build a new pool. Only an estimated 40 islanders use the facility yearly, yet we’d fund it more than our donation based Guemes Community Center earns!

Ballot language “limits” the MPD to the “Fidalgo Pool and Fitness Center Campus,” but  Anacortes Resolution 3184 and Skagit County Resolution R20250168 state otherwise and include “other park and recreational facilities and programs within the boundaries,” risking future expansion to island parks. RCW 35.61 grants powers of eminent domain, $25M debt without a vote, and issuing commissioner salaries (up to about $15K each), straining the O&M budget.  Current pool leadership states this change is necessary to make improvements, but somehow the pool has managed to purchase two homes for future expansion, currently used as rental properties, and has left one property sit vacant for a year (per April 17, 2025, Pool Board minutes) showing questionable fiscal decisions with current taxpayer levy funds.

This proposition risks shifting power from voters – five commissioners would decide levy rates -  to an unaccountable district, potentially leading to higher costs and broader overreach. Protect your rights and demand transparency—VOTE NO on Prop 1 to maintain local control over taxes and community resources. Visit friendsoffidalgotaxpayers.com and RCW 35.61 (https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=35.61) for more details.