Tukwila Pool belongs to all of us. For nearly 40 years it has impacted our quality of life and makes our city livable. It is necessary, nearby, and accessible for all.

At the pool, lifeguards, firefighters and airline personnel are trained to save lives. Families are taught to swim, combating the second leading cause of unintentional death among children in our state -- drowning. The pool provides low-impact, aerobic exercise, especially for our seniors and citizens with health conditions, including physical therapy for Tukwila school students and traumatic brain injured and post-amputation veterans. Our pool is large enough for training in scuba and kayaking, and competitions for swimming, diving and synchronized swimming. Our pool hosts summer camps, Space Camp, and birthday parties. Our seniors socialize there and teens have a positive outlet for their energy.

This nearby amenity makes Tukwila an attractive location to settle, positioning us for the recovery.

A metropolitan park district will provide stable funding and opportunities for improvement.

We can continue to build upon the Thrust Forward legacy that positively impacts our health and welfare.

A no vote means the pool will close by Sept. 15, 2011.  A YES vote opens up our future.

Let’s examine the proposal:

Today, Politicians slough off their responsibilities to budget honestly. They select a critical service from the budget and refer that item to the people with a tax themselves anew to get it attitude. Emergency medics come quickly to mind. In this instance it is a swimming pool.

Legislative bodies are charged with making decisions about which are the priority of each service they can purchase with what we can afford with our taxes. Of course, the legislature has broad choices. They have the whole budget to pick and choose from. If you had the same choice, you may very well select a different set of priorities. You might choose a swimming pool rather than so many parks. Or you might ask citizens to help out maintaining parks. In any event, infinite service acquisition isn’t possible.

Philosophically, the act is the same as having the Administration and Council go out to the vegetable truck and select all the good vegetables they want to feed their constituents and telling the on looking masses to pony up more money.

Send the proposition back by voting no with the message that we aren’t taking the bait. Additionally, do your job.

This isn’t a philosophical question. A “no” vote closes the pool.

Some services cost more. That doesn’t mean they’re worth less. It’s easy to target more expensive services, regardless of their importance. Citizens are telling the government the pool is a priority for our kids, seniors, the infirm and the athletic.  Water safety is absolutely necessary in our community. A metropolitan park district ends the pool’s vulnerability to quick-fix budget trimming.  Vote YES.

Statement submitted by: Save Tukwila Pool Committee • savetukwilapool@clearwire.net

We are being asked to vote authority to the city of Tukwila to create a second new tax stream this year. They have already increased fees that impact the poorest among us the most. This tax is collected in perpetuity, every year on our homes, not to exceed 15 cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation unless repealed by a future Mayor-Council vote. Practically, the tax is a forever tax.

We have kids to feed!

Statement submitted by: Marvin Willoughby • 206-241-5885

Download the full text of resolution

Simple majority (RCW 84.55.010)