Put the Horse Before the Cart

During the eight years that the city and the community have worked on a master plan for Balboa Park, a crucial question--how to finance about $100 million in improvements--has loomed in the background.

After the idea of adding revenue-producing activities to the park was correctly rejected, the financing question overshadowed discussions. But rarely was it directly addressed.

Logically, that made sense. Conceptual agreement on a plan is needed before specific costs can be calculated.

As a practical matter, the money must come from taxes or fees, and tax increases are notoriously difficult to get passed. Park-improvement bond measures that would have raised property taxes about $2 a month on a $100,000 home failed to get the needed two-thirds majority last November.

The furor generated by the recent Park and Recreation Department suggestion of a 25-cent surcharge on admissions to the zoo and cultural institutions foretold the difficulties that fees face.

However, a recent Times Poll indicates that city residents prefer fees to taxes. In other words, let those who use the park pay for it.

But reasonable fees are unlikely to be sufficient to pay for all of the improvements, and fees high enough to pay the price would put an unfairly heavy burden on users. The park benefits the whole community and that benefit is greater than the sum of our individual visits. The City Council undoubtedly will have to try again on taxes if the park is to remain affordable.

But until the council finishes work on the conceptual framework of the plan, financing decisions are premature. This week, the council is scheduled to consider a consultant’s report on traffic, parking and financing. The park’s tenants have requested a delay to allow them time to submit new ideas. A delay in the discussion of financing is in order. But after eight years, it’s time for work on the conceptual plan to proceed.