Note: The opinions expressed in commentary on KCAW are those of the author(s), and are not necessarily shared by the station’s board, staff, or volunteers.
Good morning, Sitka! My name is Brian McLaughlin and I represent SCORE, or Sitkans for Community Outdoor Recreation Enhancement. I’ve lived in Sitka for over 5 years now, am currently a volunteer at the Sitka Fire Department, a substitute teacher in the Sitka School District, a tour van driver, and was the Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Air Station here in Sitka. On October 7th, Sitkans will have an opportunity to vote on Sitka Ballot Proposition 1. Proposition 1 asks voters to consider allowing the funds from the sale of the Sitka Community Hospital and the Tobacco Tax to be used to support recreational facilities throughout Sitka, both existing and new. Unlike many other cities throughout Alaska, such as Juneau and Anchorage, Sitka does not have any funding source for necessary rehabilitation, upgrades, and new builds for recreational infrastructure. Using the funds collected from the Tobacco Tax and Hospital Fund would provide a long-term and lasting means of keeping our city and borough active and healthy.
Proposition 1 helps to meet the purpose and spirit of the tobacco taxes, which were originally intended to mitigate the impacts of tobacco use. It helps signal to state, federal and local governments, private donors and grant agencies that recreational facilities are an important priority for Sitkans, helping to bring in more funding to support the health of our community. This could support facilities like Whale Park, the Swan Lake Dock, the playground, tennis courts and basketball courts at Crescent Harbor, Moller and Kimsham fields, and future development of new initiatives.
Some very legitimate and valuable concerns regarding competing priorities have been raised about this proposition. For example, Sitka has been struggling to support adequate availability of childcare for working families with young kids for quite some time. As the former Commanding Officer of the base and the 125 families there, I saw this all too often. While steady funding is certainly needed, the Hospital Fund and Tobacco Tax will not provide adequate funds in a timeline necessary to support the immediate childcare needs, as the funding may not be available for many years still. Fortunately, this has been identified by the City Assembly who is actively working on a funding solution specifically for childcare that is independent of the Hospital Fund and Tobacco Tax. On the other hand, the recreation infrastructure can stand to suffer a little more of a delay in funding that is likely with this mechanism.
It should also be noted that all beneficiaries of the funds from the Sitka Community Hospital will continue to receive their full retirement benefits. Only funds that are remaining after all obligations have been met will be considered for the recreation fund. Additionally, Proposition 1 will not affect tax rates.
I invite you to learn more at www.scoreforsitka.org. I’m Brian McLaughlin with SCORE, where we’re investing in recreation to foster healthy living and create community connections. Thank you and have a great day!
