In the wake of the fire, California’s auditor criticized

Primary primer

Worthy initiative or money grab?

The March 3 election is a biggie, especially because this is a presidential election year and voters will choose the candidate they believe is best suited to take on President Trump.

But for the CN&R’s primary issue, our focus is on what’s happening in our backyard: You’ll be introduced to the six candidates vying for three open Board of Supervisors seats, get a look at a special district’s proposed parcel tax to improve community parks and recreation, and learn how and why Butte County’s clerkrecorder transitioned to an all-mail election.

Our hope is that the stories therein help you understand what’s on the ballot, so that you will make informed decisions. For certain races and measures, you’ll also find the CN&R’s endorsements on the Opinion page.

Tom Lando, board chairman of the Chico Area Recreation and Park District, says Measure A, a proposed parcel tax, is “critical to moving Chico in a positive direction” by providing more recreation opportunities. PHOTO BY ASHIAH SCHARAGA

Late last week, caution signs were neatly lined up across the wide expanse of soccer fields at DeGarmo Park in north Chico.

Tom Lando—board chairman of the Chico Area Recreation and Park District, the special district that owns and manages the park—explained why: Every winter, storms flood the field, making them unusable for play. But it didn’t stop the green space from being exceptionally busy for a weekday morning. Several parents looked on as their kids clambered about the playground. An elderly couple walked hand-in-hand along a trail and two women in athletic gear chatted in the parking lot.

CARD has big things in store for DeGarmo, which opened about 12 years ago. Part of the plans involve upgrading the soccer fields to synthetic turf and repurposing them as multiuse fields. But at the park’s entrance, on The Esplanade just past Eaton Road, there’s a much grander addition in store: a 20,000-square-foot community center and gymnasium with two to four courts, and an aquatics facility across another 1.3 acres. Right now, that’s all undeveloped terrain.

There’s a catch, however. According to Lando, the district doesn’t have the funds to cover such additions and upgrades. That’s why the board has turned to the voters this year, placing Measure A on the March 3 primary ballot. It asks Chicoans to consider approving an $85 parcel tax that would increase each year based on average annual percentage changes in the consumer price index, and be in effect in perpetuity (unless the voters decide to organize an effort to terminate it).

The measure has to earn a yes from twothirds of voters to pass, and would generate approximately $3 million per year for the agency’s coffers. CARD would place the money into a separate fund, and go out for a roughly $36 million bond to pay for those new projects and upgrades, according to General Manager Ann Willmann. Nearly $2 million would go toward debt service each year, with the remaining $1 million going toward security, maintenance and operations. As a trade-off, CARD’s current assessment districts would dissolve.

While proponents argue that the tax is necessary to maintain and improve parks and public safety, detractors point to CARD’s debts, insisting that its $2 million unfunded pension liability is what’s driving the ballot measure. CARD should have employees pick up more of their pension costs, not ask the voters to shell out more money, they say. CARD has an approximately $9 million annual budget—roughly half of its income comes from property taxes that include redevelopment monies. The rest primarily comes from program fees and facility rentals. The district manages 12 parks across Chico, including Community Park, Hooker Oak Park, Wildwood Park and Sycamore