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RESOLUTION NO. 55 SERIES 2023 A RESOLUTION OF THE LOUISVILLE CITY COUNCIL URGING LOUISVILLE CITIZENS TO VOTE YES ON BALLOT ISSUE 2C AT THE NOVEMBER 7, 2023 ELECTION CONCERNING THE CITY'S OPEN SPACE AND PARKS SALES AND USE TAX WHEREAS, pursuant to voter authorization, the City previously adopted a temporary 0.375% sales tax and a permanent 0.375% use tax to be used exclusively for the acquisition, development and maintenance of open spaces, trails and parks; and WHEREAS, the temporary 0.375% sales tax will expire on December 31, 2023 unless the City's voters approve a continuation of the tax; and WHEREAS, revenue from the open space and parks sales and use tax is the main source of revenue for the City's open space and parks programs and services, including approximately 32 miles of trails, 2,000 acres of open space (some of which is jointly owned and maintained with Boulder County Open Space and the City of Lafayette), and 350 acres of park land, which includes 37 parks, 16 playgrounds, 7 basketball courts, 14 athletic fields, 11 tennis courts, 5 pickleball courts, 1 multi -purpose inline skating rink, and the City skate park; and WHEREAS, the City has identified additional needs for open space acquisition, improvement, maintenance, and wildfire mitigation within open space areas and believes that allocating more resources to fire mitigation and prevention is crucial to safeguard the City and its public lands from potential wildfire risks; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that parks and open spaces significantly contribute to residents' quality of life by offering areas for outdoor activities, relaxation, and community gatherings; and WHEREAS, for these reasons, the City Council has referred to the voters Ballot Issue 2C, which will continue the temporary 0.375% sales tax for an additional ten year period with the revenues to be evenly split between open space and parks; and WHEREAS, Ballot Issue 2C proposes an additional, temporary 0.125% sales and use tax for a ten year period with the revenues to be used solely to acquire, restore, preserve, protect and maintain open space and mitigate wildfire risks within open space areas, with revenues derived from this tax to target the following areas identified as being priority needs of the City: • The ability to obtain available land for Open Space designation and preservation including priority parcels as determined by the Open Space Advisory Board and City Council. Resolution No. 55, Series 2023 Page 1 of 2