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At their May 17 meeting, City Council adopted an ordinance to place a capital bond proposal for construction of a new Civic Campus on the November 2 ballot. The Council received an update on project costs and financing options at their April 29 Work Session and after the presentation requested that the ordinance be prepared.
A new Civic Campus has been the topic of study by numerous Mountlake Terrace City Councils since the 1980s. The current City Council has followed a very deliberate and methodical process to move the city closer to final consideration.
In 2008, the Council appointed an 11-member Citizen Task Force to make recommendations on replacing the city's aging public facilities. Efforts by the task force included providing a fresh perspective of the situation, numerous opportunities for public input, and tours of Mountlake Terrace and regional civic facilities. On December 18, 2008 after six months of meetings and open houses, the Citizen Task Force recommended a new Civic Campus be built on the existing site and the Council seek voter-approval for its construction. March 2009, the City Council adopted a resolution accepting the recommendation of the Task Force.
Replacing the old Civic Center, recently demolished after a July 2008 roof collapse made it unusable, the new Civic Campus would retain the Library and Fire Station, while integrating new public spaces including public meeting places, community and senior activity centers, police station, emergency operation center, city offices, enhanced streetscapes, and a civic green with a spray fountain, ornamental garden and amphitheater that will connect to Veteran's Memorial Park. It would also incorporate sustainable design standards such as green roofs and walls, and energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly LEED Silver building techniques.
Year-round events would include a farmers market, public safety fairs, senior activities, dance recitals, art shows, outdoor movies, and concerts. Other projects to be undertaken include improvements to the Mountlake Terrace Library.
The new Civic Campus will form the heart of the new Town Center and will be a catalyst for transformation and a stimulus for private reinvestment in the downtown area.
The Mountlake Terrace community has a long history of funding civic projects through voter-approved tax levies. Examples include: old Civic Center (1960); Recreation Pavilion (1964); Evergreen Playfield (1975); Sno-Isle Library District (1986); and Police Station/Fire Department Equipment (1988).
The final cost estimate of $37.5 million would be financed through voter-approved 30-year General Obligation Bonds with a gradual implementation from 2011 to 2040. The property tax impact, based on the median home value of $256,200 would be zero in 2011, $3.48 per month in 2012 increasing to 19.27 per month averaged from 2011 to 2040. Qualified homeowners may apply for a senior exemption and not be required to pay this tax levy. | 
