Key Policy Questions Posed by this Project

There are many policy-related questions inherent in this project. Here are a few the team, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the City Council will likely wrestle with:

• To what extent should recreation programs and services, and MICEC costs be taxpayer supported, as opposed to being paid for by participants or users? Does that extent vary depending on if the service is deemed to be a core service rather than a discretionary one, or if the service benefits individuals more than groups or the community as a whole?
• Should specific populations be the target audience or recipient of a larger share of the City’s recreational programming or MICEC use? If so, who are those populations?
• Should the way the City charges for programs and services reflect the mission, values, and vision for recreation services? If so, how?
• What is the City’s role and responsibility for recreation (or as a recreation center or events center) in Mercer Island? How can the new portfolio of programs and services reflect that role and responsibility?