Portland council narrows parks levy options, prioritizes maintenance and capital repairs

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland City Council on June 24 held a work session to give staff direction on a replacement parks levy that would go before voters in November, with most members prioritizing maintenance of existing assets and a small, dedicated fund for capital maintenance over new program expansion.

Council members and city staff said the current parks levy expires in July 2026 and the council must act at its July meeting to place a measure on the November ballot. Mike Jordan, city administrator, told the council that the levy “is really not an additive thing for new service. It is really really something to maintain service over the next 5 years.”

The discussion centered on four illustrative levy scenarios staff presented. Sonia Schimanski, deputy city administrator for the Vibrant Communities service area, said the rate needed to sustain ongoing service — after accounting for recent one‑time restorations in the current budget — is about $1.27 per $1,000 of assessed value. Staff presented example packages that ranged roughly from about $1.37 to $1.51 per $1,000, varying by how much is devoted to capital maintenance, programming and operations.

The council’s options included a “restoration” scenario that restores programming and routine maintenance without committing a major capital maintenance fund; versions that commit roughly 10 percent of levy revenues (described by staff as about $6 million a year in some scenarios) to capital maintenance for repairs such as restrooms and playgrounds; and mixed packages that also restore some community center hours and summer programming. Schimanski said these examples were…