County Parks Funding

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Funding for park maintenance and operations budgets has not kept pace with rising costs and growing community needs.

Causes

  • Inflation, rising costs for labor, goods, services1
  • Increasing population, bringing increased use and wear on county parks
  • Lost income from six years of decreasing tax revenue2

Impact

Without new funding sources, the county will eventually need to make difficult decisions to close parks when safe and clean conditions cannot be maintained.

Solutions

  • Convene a parks regional funding task team with representatives from the county and city councils of Clark County, to examine parks funding, study solutions implemented by communities facing similar challenges, and propose solutions
  • Recommend to council putting a countywide parks funding levy on the fall 2027 ballot for voters to consider

How we've reduced expenses

  • Spending only a fraction on parks, compared to other similar-sized communities nationally
Graphic showing that the per capita expenditures for parks systems serving populations >500,000 is $16.04 for Clark County and $51.73 for the national median
  • Far fewer full-time staff than even the median staffing levels of similar-sized parks agencies throughout the country
Chart showing number of full time staff per 10,000 residents for parks agencies: 0.69 for Clark County, 3.6 for the median for communities with populations >500,000, and 8.6 for the median for all parks agencies nationally
  • Reducing irrigation, saving an estimated $116,000 on water utilities in summer 2025
  • Utilizing volunteers, including hosts who live on-site, to support parks maintenance and operations (e.g., opening/closing gates, cleaning restrooms, emptying garbage cans)

There is little left to cut that will not reduce park availability, safety or cleanliness.

Funding Sources Explained

Funding for parks operational expenses comes from three primary sources: 

Graphic showing that 55% of parks funding comes from the Greater Clark Parks District, 23% from the county's general fund, 12% from park user fees, 7% from reimbursable work, and 3% from "other"
  1. Greater Clark Parks District (GCPD): A voter-approved park district created in 2005, the parks district only encompasses the unincorporated Vancouver urban growth area. Many county parks are outside of this area, so this funding cannot be used to support them. 
  2. Clark County General Fund: This is the county’s general operating fund supported by property tax income. Parks receives a very small percentage of this fund. 
  3. Park user fees: Fees collected for picnic shelter reservations, park use permits, sports field reservations, meeting room reservations, and parking fees at county regional parks
Graphic showing that 0.23% of the county's general fund goes to Parks and Land and 99.77% goes to all other funds

How much of your property taxes go towards supporting parks?

A median-value property in Clark County, located in the unincorporated area and the Greater Clark Parks District pays...

  • About $6 per month to support the parks district
  • About $34 per month to the county’s general fund
    • Parks receives less than half of one percent of the fund’s revenue

 

 

 

What about funding for parks in Clark County's incorporated cities? 

Funding for parks in Clark County’s cities is similarly unsustainable. The proposed countywide ballot measure would include a plan for sharing revenue with cities for their park systems.

Chart showing that all cities in Clark County, and Clark County, spend less per capita on their park systems than the national median for agencies serving populations of similar sizes.

This chart shows that every city and the county are funding parks well below what similar-sized communities spend. This is why we are struggling to keep up with basic maintenance and operations needs.

Contact

Ross Hoover, Parks and Nature division manager
564.397.4353
ross.hoover@clark.wa.gov 

 

 

Sources: 

1. “Clark County General Fund FAQs.” Clark County, Washington – County Manager, https://clark.wa.gov/county-manager/clark-county-general-fund-faqs. Accessed May 7, 2026.

2. Clark County. 2026 Annual Budget Presentation: Work Session. 12 Nov. 2025, p. [insert page range if citing specific pages]. Clark County, https://clark.wa.gov/sites/default/files/media/document/2025-11/111225-ws_2026-annual-budget-presentation.pdf. Accessed 7 May 2026.