The Bellevue City Council has voted to put a $40.5 million levy on the November 4 ballot to pay for park additions and improvements.

If approved by voters, the tax rate for the levy would be 12 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or $71 per year for a typical home in Bellevue.

The city’s existing park levy is expiring this year. The new measure would have a tax rate less than the average tax rate associated with the expiring 1988 levy, which had an average tax rate of 17 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

The replacement levy would provide funding to protect water quality in Bellevue’s lakes and streams and preserve additional natural areas throughout Bellevue.

The levy would also fund:

· Trail and natural area improvements in Coal Creek Park and Lewis Creek Park;

· Completion of the circle around the waterfall and reflecting pond at Bellevue Downtown Park;

· Upgrades to synthetic turf for Wilburton and Newport Hills soccer fields;

· Expansion of Crossroads Community Center;

· Improvements to the Bellevue Botanical Garden;

· The addition of neighborhood parks in Bridle Trails and along the West Lake Sammamish Parkway;

· Redevelopment of Surrey Downs Park; and

· Development of a new 27-acre community park in the Eastgate area along 156th Ave. Southeast.

The measure also includes ongoing maintenance funding to ensure that new parks are maintained and operated consistent with Bellevue standards.

The council previously has approved a Parks & Open Space Plan, which calls for the acquisition of open space and parks that provide additional neighborhood parks and preserves that complement the city’s existing holdings and preserve natural areas, provide trail corridors, natural area buffers and protect environmentally sensitive areas.