Portland council committee hears presentations and broad public support for parks levy renewal, questions about levy size and maintenance funding

The Climate Resilience and Land Use Committee met Thursday to discuss referring a parks levy to the November ballot, hear a national perspective from the Trust for Public Land and receive public testimony from community organizations, labor and residents urging renewal and clearer promises about maintenance funding.

The committee heard that Portland ranks highly for park access but spends less per resident than comparable West Coast cities, that private nonprofit financial support for parks in Portland is low, and that some speakers want a larger, clearer levy that dedicates money to capital maintenance as well as operations and partnerships.

Pegine Hanrahan, of the Trust for Public Land, told the committee, “People care very deeply about their parks,” and placed Portland “among America’s great cities” for park access. Will Cline, also with Trust for Public Land, said volunteer labor in Portland translates to roughly 7% of overall park spending but that financial contributions from private nonprofits are about 1%, “which is well below average of 5 to 7%,” and far below the 20–30% seen in some top cities.

Sonia Shymanski, acting director of Portland Parks and Recreation (PP&R), reviewed budget history and draft levy scenarios. She said the scenario most closely aligned with prior council guidance would produce roughly a $1.37 levy rate that preserves the bureau’s 25–26 budget service levels for five years and that an optional additional 10 cents of levy rate (about $6 million a year) could be dedicated to capital maintenance projects such as playground and restroom repair.

Public testimony emphasized three recurring themes: maintain and restore programs and frontline positions; invest in youth and stewardship programs; and expand partnerships with nonprofit and community organizations to increase services and reduce pressure on taxpayers. Ashley Murray, executive director of the Sellwood Community House, urged the council to “invest in partnerships through this levy,” describing nonprofit-managed projects that reopened parks or repaired assets without city capital funds. Multiple speakers described Youth Conservation Crew and Teen Nature Team as programs that both address maintenance backlogs and provide job pathways for youth.

Labor representatives and PP&R employees warned that failure to secure levy funding could lead to cuts that fall disproportionately on frontline maintenance workers. Ryan Hite, a horticulturist in Washington Park and union steward, asked councilors to “save frontline maintenance workers' jobs” if the full levy is not achievable and said levy funding had already supported additional horticulture staffing and volunteer coordination.

Several speakers and councilors pressed for clarity about how the levy would describe and categorize “major maintenance.” Councilor Kanell said she was concerned that labeling projects as “major maintenance” (defined in bureau materials as projects costing more than $10,001) could create misleading expectations about what the relatively modest capital allocation could accomplish; she said the council’s draft resolution does note the levy will not resolve the full backlog and that other tools such as bonds or changes to system development charges (SDCs) would be needed.

Advocates sought specific commitments: the Portland Parks Alliance and other speakers recommended allocating 10% of levy revenues to reduce the estimated $600 million deferred capital maintenance backlog so voters could see tangible improvements (open restrooms, safe playgrounds and operating splash pads). Acting Director Shymanski and multiple councilors said draft ballot materials remain editable before next week’s council hearing and that the resolution language already acknowledges the levy won’t fully resolve major maintenance needs.

Councilors and witnesses also discussed pilot ideas for extended community center hours as a public-safety and youth-engagement strategy modeled on Baltimore’s programming, and ways to