Nine years ago, voters in Cuba passed the Parks and Recreation tax, a 0.25% (one fourth of a penny) sales tax for the support of Cuba’s parks. Thanks to this small tax, we have four thriving city parks, each with its own activities and personality.
Mapleshade Park is the smallest of the four. Quiet and secluded, it has a walking trail, picnic tables, and playground; a perfect place to get away from it all. Tangle Creek Park boasts our community swimming pool, brand-new pickle ball courts, large pavilion, and two separate playgrounds.
At the Cuba Sports Park, dozens of children play their first T-Ball game every year, older children learn more advanced baseball and softball skills, and proud parents and grandparents cheer them on.
Hood Park is home of the annual county fair where thousands of people gather each year to ride the rides, see the exhibits, and enjoy the entertainment. The demolition derby and 4th of July fireworks attract overflow crowds each year. Our children play flag football and soccer with hundreds of little boys and girls playing as parents and grandparents watch.
If you think you are sensing a pattern, you are right. Over the years, Cuba’s parks have brought and held this community together. Thousands of people go to them to enjoy a wide range of activities. Hundreds of children learn to play various sports while families and friends watch. Older spectators fondly remember back to the days when it was them playing ball at the same parks.
The park tax expires next year. On August 4, we will be asked to renew it. This is not a new or additional tax, but a renewal of the tax we have paid for years.
The beauty of the park tax is that it is a sales tax. Every person who makes a purchase in Cuba pays it. Thousands of people pass through Cuba each year. They buy everything from food to sunscreen, gas to T-shirts, souvenirs to camping equipment, and they pay the park tax on every purchase.
The park tax is a win-win for Cuba. For just one fourth of a penny, we enjoy all the benefits of our four different parks, but we don’t have to shoulder the entire cost of maintaining them; travelers and tourists pay part of the cost.
I encourage everyone to vote “YES” for the park tax on August 4.
Jackie Hunt
Cuba
