## Meeting Overview The Bellingham Parks and Recreation Advisory Board convened on September 10, 2025, in what proved to be a substantive session addressing the city's expanding park system and its financial challenges. Vice Chair Steve Walker presided over the meeting in the absence of a permanent chair, with approximately eight board members present both in-person and virtually. The meeting centered on the city's 2026 capital budget presentation, revealing a stark reality: the Parks Department faces significant funding constraints as second quarter Real Estate Excise Tax (REIT) revenues have dramatically declined. This financial pressure comes at a time when the city is actively acquiring new parklands and planning ambitious trail projects, creating tension between expansion and maintenance needs. Staff presented an extensive capital budget totaling millions in proposed projects, from the $1.2 million Middle Fork Spring Trail with its complex wetland boardwalks to the long-awaited Salish Landing park development. The meeting also featured updates on the comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) plan and master planning for the 29-acre Bakerview Neighborhood Park, one of the largest park acquisitions in recent city history. ## The Capital Budget Reality Check Lane Wilson, representing Parks staff, delivered what amounted to both promising news and sobering realities about the department's financial outlook. The 2026 capital budget request reflects a department grappling with reduced state funding while managing an expanding portfolio of parks and trails. "We've gone through multiple 4-hour budget work sessions with department heads and the mayor to contemplate a $10 million general fund shortfall," Wilson explained, setting the context for difficult choices ahead. The city proposes addressing part of this gap through a new one-tenth of one percent sales tax for public safety, potentially raising $3.5 million, but Parks will need to compete for general fund resources more intensely than in recent years. The most striking revelation concerned REIT funding, which had become a crucial revenue source for Parks infrastructure projects. "Our proportionate share of REIT that we have enjoyed for the last few years has declined substantially this year," Wilson noted. The legislature's loosening of REIT restrictions has made these funds available for broader municipal needs, reducing Parks' access to what had been reliable funding.…