On June 10, 1988, the King County Council vote unanimously to put on the ballot an $85.8 million program to buy open space, acquire trails, and expand the Seattle Aquarium in the September 20 primary.
An attempt to separate the open space and Aquarium projects into two separate measures was defeated. The alternative proposal would have provided more funds for open space in Seattle based on complaints from neighborhood activists.
The open space/Aquarium proposal would provide $34.4 million for open space and trail projects. Suburban cities would share $20.7 million, and Seattle would receive $30.7 million, of which $25.4 million would go to expansion of the aquarium.
If it passed, owners of $100,000 homes would pay about $13.30 a year in added taxes for 20 years. To win, the measure required 60 percent approval by primary voters.
Voters defeated the bond measure on September 20, 1988.
Sources:
Bob Lane, "County puts bond issue on ballot," The Seattle Times, June 21, 1988, p. B-2.
Licensing: This essay is licensed under a Creative Commons license that
encourages reproduction with attribution. Credit should be given to both
HistoryLink.org and to the author, and sources must be included with any
reproduction. Click the icon for more info. Please note that this
Creative Commons license applies to text only, and not to images. For
more information regarding individual photos or images, please contact
the source noted in the image credit.
Major Support for HistoryLink.org Provided
By:
The State of Washington | Patsy Bullitt Collins
| Paul G. Allen Family Foundation | Museum Of History & Industry
| 4Culture (King County Lodging Tax Revenue) | City of Seattle
| City of Bellevue | City of Tacoma | King County | The Peach
Foundation | Microsoft Corporation, Other Public and Private
Sponsors and Visitors Like You