Walla Walla voters decisively reject Metropolitan Park District tax
By Dan Thesman on Thursday, February 12th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – The voice of the voters came through strong Tuesday that they are not in favor of formation of a metropolitan park district, as proposed by the city of Walla Walla.
Preliminary special election results show 72.3 percent of voters – totaling 4,103 ballots – opposed Proposition 1, which sought to establish a dedicated taxing district to manage and maintain parks, trails, and facilities.
The proposal called for a property tax levy of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Had it passed, the city planned to secure a ten-year, $15 million loan to fast-track nine major projects over three years, including a seasonal ice rink and upgrades to the Mill Creek Sportsplex and Pioneer Park playground.
“At some point in the next few months, we will discuss the lessons learned from this effort and talk about next steps,” Parks and Recreation Director Andy Coleman said.
The rejection leaves the future of several high-priority projects in limbo. Coleman noted that while the city must now look outside its current funding structure for major improvements, one urgent issue remains: the Pioneer Park pond wall.
“In the immediate future, we will look at identifying a way to fund the Pioneer Park pond wall project as that one is a safety hazard that needs to be addressed,” Coleman said.
The city council was slated to serve as the district’s governing board. Officials will begin post-election discussions with the Parks, Recreation and Urban Forestry Board to determine how to proceed without the proposed levy.
“To fund other major projects identified in the Metropolitan Park District’s 10-year plan, we will need to identify a funding source outside of our current funding structure,” Coleman said.
