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Tax Referendum Would Help Murray-Calloway Parks At Possible Cost

Murray Calloway County Parks and Recreation / Facebook

Murray-Calloway Parks could see a bigger budget if voters approve its tax referendum this November, but it may see reduced funding from local government.

Calloway County Judge Executive Larry Elkins said that if the Murray-Calloway County Parks Referendum is voted in he would recommend reallocating the fiscal court funds currently dedicated to the parks. The referendum would place a 5 cent tax per 100 dollars’ worth of assessed property  and raise $906,000 for the parks, which Elkins says would be enough to support the park without funds from the fiscal court.

Elkins says money that would normally go to the park would be better off put toward other important issues like law enforcement and roads. 

“It was my understanding that they understood that my position was if the referendum passed then there would be no need for funding from the general fund," Elkins said. Apparently, somewhere between when they first brought the subject up and Monday night, at least some of their opinions changed on their funding needs.”

Parks Director Tab Brockman says the measure’s passage would mean a more stable revenue source and would allow the parks to make long term improvement plans.

“The needs that we have for projects and funding are much greater than what we have right now," Brockman said. "Whether the city council or whether the fiscal court would decide to continue funding would be based on what they looked at for our projects and whether they thought that we needed additional funding.”

According to Brockman, the parks received $129,000 from the county and $161,000 from the city this year, nearly half of their $600,000 budget. He says funding priorities include the city pool, lighting, and building up reserve funds which have been depleted.

A proud native of Murray, Kentucky, Allison grew up roaming the forests of western Kentucky and visiting national parks across the country. She graduated in 2014 from Murray State University where she studied Environmental Sustainability, Television Production, and Spanish. She loves meeting new people, questioning everything, and dancing through the sun and the rain. She hopes to make a positive impact in this world several endeavors at a time.
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