Kirkland residents will receive their ballots in the mail next week for the Nov. 6 general election and will be faced with several important races and measures.

Key among those decisions is Kirkland’s Propositions 1 and 2 for streets and parks. Prop 1 would raise $3 million per year to fund street maintenance, neighborhood safety improvements such as resurfacing, pothole repairs, school walk routes, sidewalks and crosswalks. Residents will be asked to approve an ongoing property tax levy of 20.4 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. That means people with a home valued at the median $346,000 would pay an estimated annual cost of $70.58.

The City of Kirkland is also asking voters to decide whether to increase property taxes by a levy rate of 16 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to restore parks maintenance and lifeguard services. If approved, this permanent levy would raise property taxes by $55.36 per year for a home with a median assessed valuation.

If voters approve both measures, homeowners will pay about $11 per month in new taxes.

Over the past several weeks, we have received more than a dozen letters both opposing and supporting these measures.

Some residents criticized Prop 2, saying it would increase property taxes indefinitely and questioned how new projects in the future would be determined.

Prop 2 supporters say the measure will fund the Green Kirkland Partnership, which hosts volunteers who take care of Kirkland’s parks. It would also ensure sustained funding for the city’s parks system, one letter writer said.

Whether you decide to vote for the measures or not, we hope you will check the Reporter weekly for new election coverage that will help to keep you informed before Nov. 6.

Other Kirkland races to look out for include candidates vying for several seats in the 45th and 48th Districts. All of those candidates will be featured in an upcoming legislative forum on Oct. 15 (for more information, see page 9). For those of you who can’t make it to the event, our reporter Raechel Dawson will cover the event and we will publish next week.

The Reporter also has three more print issues before the general election, which means readers have just a few more weeks to submit any election-related letters to the editor.

And be sure to visit www.kirklandreporter.com and type the candidate’s name into the search engine to find out more about each candidate through our election coverage.