"Portland's parks and natural areas are integral to the city's identity, but the city's parks system faces major financial challenges, including a massive maintenance backlog and generally unsustainable funding mechanisms. In a special election this fall, voters will be asked to approve a new, five-year levy to stop the bleeding at Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R). If the measure passes, it will enact a property tax of $1.40 per $1,000 of assessed property value, running the average Portland property owner about $310 annually."
"PP&R expects the levy to bring in $456 million over the next five years, the majority of which will go toward basic parks and recreation operations. If Portlanders reject the levy, PP&R will be forced to make major budget cuts, pushing parks further into a state of disrepair. Services like restroom cleaning and trash pick-up, community center programs, and nature preservation, would all be affected."
"In 2020, roughly two-thirds of Portlanders voted in favor of a parks levy, which expires at the end of this year. The 2020 measure enacted a tax of 80 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, meaning the average Portland homeowner paid about $177 per year, or $15 a month. That revenue was insufficient to fill PP&R's budget gaps, and city leaders determined it would be necessary to raise the tax rate in a new levy."
Portland's parks and natural areas are central to the city's identity, but the parks system faces severe financial strain, a large maintenance backlog, and unsustainable funding. A proposed five-year levy would impose a property tax of $1.40 per $1,000 of assessed value, costing the average homeowner about $310 annually, and is projected to raise $456 million for operations. Failure to pass the levy would force major cuts to services such as restroom cleaning, trash pick-up, community center programs, and nature preservation. A 2020 levy of 80 cents raised insufficient revenue, prompting the higher proposed rate. The levy has drawn broad endorsements.
Read at Portland Mercury
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