On Nov. 4, every Boise voter will get to weigh in on whether to continue the decades-long legacy of preserving open space in the city through a third levy.
Homeowners in Boise would shoulder the $11 million cost over two years. City officials estimate the average homeowner would pay an extra $40 annually for the levy.
After approving the initial levy in 2001, voters overwhelmingly supported the most recent open space push in 2015 by a near 75% majority.
“It’s hard to imagine Boise being Boise without the levies,” said Alexis Pickering, who wears many hats in Boise, including as board chair of the current levy push.
Combined, money from the 2001 and 2015 levies have purchased 32 different parcels of land totaling 11,814 acres.
That includes well loved sites like the Military Reserve, Hulls Gulch Reserve and even Camel’s Back.
In the past, these funds have mostly benefitted trail users by buying larger parcels of land to preserve. But Pickering said many other projects are eligible, too.
“That could look like [land in] the Foothills in the North End, but it could also look like parks and canal pathways, different types of open space in southeast Boise,” she said.
And Boise City Council has backed that up. They’ve approved buying three sites for future city parks in West Boise over the past couple of years using these funds.
“Western Boise and southeast Boise have the biggest amount to gain from this levy and we want them to be excited about it, too,” Pickering said.
If approved, individuals and groups could submit proposals to the Open Space and Clean Water Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations about grants to the city council.
“These are likely going to benefit your own neighborhood association. This is where your kiddo could walk or bike to school because of it, right? So, I think these investments are going to be felt really close to home,” Pickering said.
There’s no known organized group opposing this year’s levy.
After spending about an hour on the trails around Camel’s Back recently, I didn’t talk to one person who opposed it. All but one of them said they had no idea what the levy was, though.
Microphones can be intimidating, or they just didn’t want to talk to a reporter while enjoying one of the last warm days of fall.
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