Parks Levy Oversight Committee (PLOC) Meeting September 2025

Attending

Oversight Committee Members –

• Jacob Van Baalen
• Josh Norton
• Mary Ruble
• Silas Sanderson, not in attendance (meeting materials shared)
• Tim Williams, not in attendance (meeting materials shared)

Youth Liaison – Samantha Harder

Interim Parks Board Liaison – Ali Berman

PP&R and City Staff –

• Maja Haium | Senior Deputy City Attorney
• Sonia Schmanski | Interim PP&R Director
• Sarah Huggins | Sustainable Future Program Manager
• Bob Del Gizzi | Financial Planning & Analysis Manager
• Jason Smith | Performance Analyst
• Claire Flynn | Parks Levy Coordinator

Members of the Public –

• Taffy Everts

Claire Flynn, Levy Coordinator, welcomed participants and lead the group through an icebreaker.

Political Activities Training

Maja Haium, Senior Deputy City Attorney, presented on the restrictions on political campaigning by public officials under ORS 260.432. As Parks Levy Oversight Committee members, committee members act in an official capacity and are subject to ORS 260.432 when at a committee meeting, working on a duty assigned by the committee, or appearing at an event in an official capacity.

Committee members may use their title (including endorsing the measure) if they are not acting in an official capacity when authorizing use of their title. Use of title in political advocacy must the only indication that the committee member is acting in an official capacity.

• Mary Ruble asked if, in her role as a Parks Foundation board member, she could talk and strategize about the Parks Levy since she would not be acting in her capacity as a Parks Levy Oversight Committee members.
  • Maja confirmed that members can advocate for or against the Parks Levy but need to make a clear distinction about when they are acting on their personal behalf. The Secretary of State recommends keeping a notebook or log to note when members are acting in personal vs official capacity and the activities at that time.

Maja outlined prohibited and allowable activities and gave an overview of document impartiality and review. She reviewed the process for complaints and investigation, as well as the remedies following violations.

• Samantha Harder clarified that the rules include social media and Maja confirmed that social media is included.
• Jacob Van Baalen asked if information learned in an official capacity, such as in a committee meeting, would be public information that could be used in non-official capacity communication. Sarah Huggins, Sustainable Future Manager, confirmed that key information from meetings and meeting notes are posted publicly on the committee webpage and public information.

Community Needs Survey

Jason Smith, Performance Analyst, presented the 2024 Community Needs Survey, a large-scale survey completed every five to ten years, intended to be a comprehensive survey with results generalizable to the entire Portland population. They survey gathers information about community preferences related to park and recreation services; perception of cleanliness, maintenance, safety, quality, and access; and demographic data that allows PP&R to assess disparities among different populations in Portland.

The survey was conducted via random sample mailing and supplemental outreach to centered communities through partner organizations. The results reflect the general population with a 1.6% margin of error. Jason reviewed the demographics, income, City Council district, and education breakdown of survey respondents.

• Jacob complimented the comprehensive effort, noting that the large response is a impressive feat.
• Mary asked about communities who were targeted for survey outreach and what specific groups PP&R had in mind.
  • Jason shared that PP&R wanted to do separate reports on specific communities like the Black/African American population, the Native American population, and responses from people with disabilities and focused outreach on those groups and with partner organizations who work primarily with those communities.
• Josh Norton asked about the 1.6% margin of error and how that is determined.
  • Jason explained that the results represent opinions of the entire Portland population plus or minus 1.6%, which is a high confidence level. In general, a 95% confidence interval is common with a 3-5% margin of error and it takes more effort and responses to bring the margin of error down.
  • Sarah added that, if the survey said 50% of Portlanders preferred a certain activity, in reality, between 48.4% and 51.6% of Portlanders preferred the activity – with 1.6% either way of 50%.

Jason shared survey findings:

• 96% of Portlanders indicated they visit a park at least once annually, and 32% participate in recreation programs. Park visitation between Districts 2, 3, and 4 are consistent in that 40% or more of respondents indicate visiting a park two or more times a week. District one lags behind with only 28% visiting a park two or more times a week. 38% of respondents identified safety as being a barrier to visiting a park.
• Parks
  • The overall quality of parks is rated high, while cleanliness and maintenance are rated lower with a 65% rating good or excellent cleanliness and maintenance.
  • Respondents Moderately to Extremely agreed that they feel welcome in Portland parks
  • Safety concerns were cited as the most frequent barrier to visiting parks or natural area
  • Trees or shaded areas, natural areas with native plants and open grass areas are the three most important Park features. These features being top rated is consistent with results from past surveys. People who identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders highly rated the importance of things like outdoor grilling and barbeque areas, basketball courts, and sports fields compared to other racial/ethnic groups.
• Recreation Programs
  • The overall quality of PP&R programs was rated highly (72% good or excellent), with slightly lower ratings for Community Center cleanliness and maintenance.
  • Not aware of programs offered (51%) was the most frequently cited barrier to participating in PP&R programming
    • Josh asked what the top barrier to participation was in the last community needs survey. Jason noted that awareness of programs was also the top barrier in 2017. Sarah confirmed that it was also 51% in the 2017 survey.
  • 23% of Portlanders noted cost as a barrier – virtually unchanged from 2017
  • Safety was identified as a barrier more often by residents of District 1 (26%)
  • The vast majority of Portlanders (75%) indicated that they did not know about the Access Discount Program. For people that indicated participating in recreation programs, 40% actively participating knew about the Access Discount.
    • Mary asked if the question about the Access Discount was new given that the Access Discount program was new with the Parks Levy. Jason confirmed that the question was not asked in 2017 when the survey was last conducted.
  • Outdoor arts and culture events, Fitness programs and Nature/Environmental Education classes were rated as the highest important programs. White residents consistently ranked afterschool, educational preschool, teen programs, and sports classes lower than all other race/ethnicities.
• Email and social media were the highest as ways that people want to receive information from PP&R.

Jason shared that PP&R is working on additional summary reports to show findings specifically for Black/African Americans, Native Americans/Alaska Natives, as well as for people with disabilities living in Portland.

Jason asked for questions from the committee.

• Ali Berman, interim Parks Board liaison, asked how the survey information is being used to make tangible differences. She shared that she had written to PP&R asking about additional communications but that the bureau shared that there was not budget to expand communication efforts. Ali asked what the action plan for PP&R is based on this survey and if there are next steps.
• Sarah noted that PP&R regularly references and uses this data in budget and decision-making processes – particularly where budget is limited, in thinking about how and where investments should be made. The information is critical to understanding communities' various levels of need and importance throughout the park system. The survey information has been shared with senior leadership. While the next steps and completing the survey findings are still in development for this survey, with past listening and learning the PP&R director works with Division Managers to identify leads and next steps to implement in their Division. The bureau also circles back with community groups to share findings and solicit feedback about actions that PP&R could take to respond to those findings.
• Mary echoed Ali's question and comments and asked how the results might be used as priorities are set for the bureau related to both the general budget and the Parks Levy. She also asked if PP&R can extrapolate the 32% of people who participate in recreation programs to how many Portlanders are participating.
  • Jason noted that extrapolation of the 32% could cause a false level of precision and that a more accurate representation would be to look at bureau performance measures that track how many people are registered for programs, using drop-in passes, attending programs, etc.
  • Mary asked in the results of the survey get incorporated into budget planning. Specifically, if 80% of people don't know there is an Access Discount, does that indicate that the Access Discount isn't as important as something else?
    • Sarah shared that the survey can help give a strong indication of things Portlanders would want PP&R to prioritize in the park system. With 23% of Portlanders still finding cost as a barrier, there may still be a need for a discount program and people not knowing about the Access Discount might be why the percentage of people experiencing cost as a barrier is not dropping more.
    • Mary said it might be worth diving deeper into as the bureau is looking at major categories of expenditure.
• Samantha asked if any demographics were higher than others for not knowing about programs available.
  • Jason share that for Black/African Americans only 21% identified not aware of programs as a barrier, while all other populations were 50% or more.

Year 4 Financials

Bob Del Gizzi, Financial Planning & Analysis Manager, gave a brief overview of how underspending in Years 1 through 3 of the Parks Levy led to a beginning fund balance for Year 4 of about $49 million. In FY 2024-25, or Year 4 of the Parks Levy, expenses outweighed revenue by $13 million. Therefore, FY 2025-26 has a beginning fund balance of $36 million. PP&R expects to spend $76 million of Parks Levy funding in FY 2025-26 and bring in roughly $45 million. The remaining fund balance that was collected in Years 1 through 3 will be used to deliver services in Year 5.

• Jacob asked about the expense budget vs. year-end actual and if there is anything generalizable that carries through the fund transfer budget vs. actuals.
  • Bob shared that in the early time of the Parks Levy, vacancies generated a substantial amount of savings or unspent budget. Additionally, for Year 5, budget cuts taken in the FY 2025-26 Adopted are anticipated to keep Parks Levy spending within available resources.

Claire shared the Year 4 actuals by larger Parks Levy category: Recreation for All, Protect and Grow Nature, and Community Partnerships – as well as the amount paid to the Children's Levy to offset compression. In total, in FY 2024-25, PP&R spent $63.77 million in Parks Levy dollars.

Looking Forward

Claire solicited feedback on committee meeting format and engagement. She noted that she reached out to members not in attendance (Tim Williams and Silas Sanderson) to gather additional feedback.

• Mary shared that she generally feels the meeting format works. She would prefer fewer agenda topics to leave more time for discussion. Additionally, Mary encouraged more direction on where the committee and members' opinions and recommendations would add value to PP&R as opposed to being an advisory body that primarily absorbs information.
  • Claire noted that a good example of this was the feedback from the committee related to performance visualizations, which are now being integrated and highlighted in the Parks Levy Annual Report.
• Josh shared he likes to receive information in advance to look through and make notes but also appreciates walking through the information in meetings. Josh also prefers to have fewer topics in a meeting so that a deeper dive on a specific topic is possible.
• Samantha agreed.
• Ali agreed on having fewer meeting topics. She noted that, for a group that meets quarterly, some action associated with meeting topics and an understanding of the goal of each presentation will help better define the purpose.
• Jacob shared that reviewing information before had, and even submitting questions before hand, could be helpful. Seeing exactly where topics plug into the role of the committee will help with conversation, formulating questions, and thinking about the data.

Claire shared a list of presentation topics that had previously been covered at committee meetings and asked if members wanted follow up presentations on any of the topics or had new topics they wanted presentations on.

• Mary asked to dive deeper into the Community Needs Survey slides and report information. She also asked to learn more about the marketing and communication strategies that the bureau has for sharing all that PP&R does. Mary also wants to hear more about the restructuring and new funding associated with Urban Forestry.
• Jacob shared that the Community Needs Survey spiked his interest in the operations and management of new parks and what is prioritized in new parks relative to what the community values.
• Mary noted that reviewing the annual report would bring additional ideas and topics for focus.

Claire thanked members for attending, noted follow-up items would be forthcoming, and adjourned the meeting.

Meaningful Access Statement

It is the policy of the City of Portland that no person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in any city program, service, or activity on the grounds of race, color, national origin, disability, or other protected class status. Adhering to Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II civil rights laws, the City of Portland ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities by reasonably providing: translation and interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, and auxiliary aids and services. To request these services, contact 503-823-2525, or for Relay Service or TTY, contact 711.

Traducción e Interpretación (Spanish)

Es política de la Ciudad de Portland que ninguna persona sea excluida de participación, se le nieguen los beneficios, o esté sujeta a discriminación en ningún programa, servicio o actividad de la ciudad por motivos de raza, color, nacionalidad, discapacidad u otra condición de clase protegida. En cumplimiento con los Derechos Civiles Título VI y con las leyes de derechos civiles del ADA Título II, la Ciudad de Portland asegura el acceso significativo a programas, servicios y actividades de la ciudad al brindar de manera razonable: traducción e interpretación, modificaciones, adaptaciones, formatos alternativos y ayudas y servicios auxiliares. Para solicitar estos servicios, llame al 503-823-2525, al TTY de la ciudad o al servicio para las personas con problemas auditivos: 711.

Solicitud de traducción o interpretación de PP&R

Biên Dịch và Thông Dịch (Vietnamese)

Chính sách của Thành Phố Portland là không ai bị loại khỏi, bị từ chối phúc lợi, hoặc bị phân biệt đối xử trong bất kỳ chương trình, dịch vụ hay hoạt động nào của thành phố dựa trên chủng tộc, màu da, nguồn gốc quốc gia, khuyết tật, hoặc tình trạng khác được pháp luật bảo vệ. Tuân theo Đạo Luật Dân Quyền (Civil Rights) Khoản VI và Đạo Luật ADA Khoản II, Thành Phố Portland đảm bảo sự tiếp cận hiệu quả đối với các chương trình, dịch vụ và hoạt động của thành phố bằng cách cung cấp một cách hợp lý: dịch vụ biên dịch và thông dịch, biện pháp điều chỉnh, sửa đổi, hình thức thay thế, và thiết bị và dịch vụ phụ trợ.Để yêu cầu các dịch vụ này, hãy liên hệ 503-503-823-2525, Dịch Vụ Chuyển Tiếp: 711.

Yêu Cầu Dịch Vụ Biên Dịch Hoặc Thông Dịch Liên Quan Đển PP&R

口笔译服务 (Simplified Chinese)

波特兰市的政策规定，任何人不得因种族、肤色、国籍、残疾或其他受保护的身份状态而被禁止参与任何城市计划、服务或活动或享有任何城市计划、服务或活动的福利，也不得被歧视。根据《民权法》第六章和 ADA第二章"民权法"的规定，波特兰市须确保市民能够平等参与城市计划、服务和活动，为此要根据需要提供以下各项：口笔译服务、方案修改、住宿、替代格式、辅助工具和服务。如需申请这些服务，请致电 503-823-2525，转接服务：711。

要求 PP&R笔译或口译

Устный и письменный перевод (Russian)

Политика администрации Портленда запрещает отстранять от участия в городских программах и мероприятиях, отказывать в обслуживании и льготах или иным образом подвергать дискриминации на основании расы, цвета кожи, национальности, инвалидности или иного защищенного статуса. В соответствии с разделом VI Закона о гражданских правах и разделом II Закона о правах американских граждан с ограниченными возможностями администрация Портленда заботится о полноценном доступе жителей к городским программам, услугам и мероприятиям. При необходимости доступны устный и письменный перевод, адаптивные меры, специальные устройства, материалы в альтернативном формате и иные вспомогательные средства и услуги. Для заказа этих услуг свяжитесь с нами. Телефон: 503-823-2525; служба коммутируемых сообщений: 711.

Запрос на письменный или устный перевод информации о PP&R

Turjumaad iyo Fasiraad (Somali)

Waxaa kucad siyasada Mgalaada Portland in qofna loodiidi karin kaqaybgalka, loodiidi karin gunooyinka, ama aan latakoori karin wax kamid ah barnaamijyada magalaada, adeegga, ama shaqo sababo laxariira isirkiisam midabkiisa, wadankiisa, naafonimadiisa, ama xaalad kale oo sharcigu difaacaayo. Ayadoo raacaysa Sharciga Xaquuqda Madaniga ah ee Title VI iyo ADA Title II ee sharciyada xaquuqda madaniga ah, Magaalada Portland waxay xaqiijinaysaa barnaamijyo lawada heli karo oo macno leh ayna bixiso magaaladu, adeegyo, iyo shaqooyin ayadoo si sax ah ubixinaysa: turjumaad iyo soojeedin, isbadalo, adeegyo caawimaad ah, noocyo kaladuwan, iyo caawimaado iyo adeegyo dheeri ah. Si aad ucodsato adeegyadaan, wac 503-823-2525, Adeegga Caawimada: 711.

Письмовий і усний переклад (Ukrainian)

Згідно з політикою міста Портленд, жодну особу не можна позбавляти права на участь, відмовляти їй у матеріальній допомозі або піддавати її дискримінації в будь-якій програмі, службі чи діяльності міста на підставі раси, кольору шкіри, етнічного походження, інвалідності або іншого статусу захищених класів. Дотримуючись законів про права громадян, а саме розділу VI Прав громадян і розділу ІІ Закону про права американських громадян з обмеженими можливостями, місто Портленд забезпечує значний доступ до програм, служб і заходів міста, надаючи такі послуги: письмовий і усний переклад, модифікування, адаптування, альтернативні формати, додаткову допомогу й інше. Запитати ці послуги можна, скориставшись контактними даними: 503-823-2525, служба комутаційних повідомлень: 711.

Traducere și interpretariat (Romanian)

Este politica orașului Portland ca nicio persoană să nu fie exclusă din programe, servicii sau activități ale orașului, să nu i se refuze acestea și să nu facă obiectul unor discriminări pe bază de rasă, culoare, naționalitate, dizabilități sau alte situații vizând categorii protejate. Respectând legile privind drepturile civile „Civil Rights" (Drepturile Civile), articolul VI, și „ADA" (Americans with Disabilities Act - Legea privind americanii cu dizabilități), articolul II, orașul Portland asigură acces adecvat la programe, servicii și activități ale orașului oferind, în mod rezonabil: servicii de traducere și interpretariat, modificări, cazare, formate diferite, ajutoare și servicii auxiliare. Pentru a solicita aceste servicii, contactați 503-823-2525, Serviciu de retransmitere: 711.

अनुवादनतथाव्याख्या (Nepali)

पोर्टल्यान्डकोशहरकोनीतिहोकिकुनैपनिव्यक्तिलाईजाति,रङ,राष्ट्रियमूल,असक्षमतावाअन्यसंरक्षितवर्गीकरणस्थितिकोआधारमाकुनैपनिशहरकाकार्यक्रम,सेवावाक्रियाकलापमासहभागीहुनभेदभावगरिने,वञ्चितगरिने,लाभहरूप्रदानगर्नबाटअस्वीकारगरिनेछैन।नागरिकअधिकारशीर्षक VIर ADAशीर्षक IIनागरिकअधिकारकोकानूनहरूकोपालनागर्दै,पोर्टल्यान्डकोशहरलेशहरकाकार्यक्रमहरू,सेवाहरूरक्रियाकलापहरूमाबराबरपहुँचनिश्चयगर्नकोलागिनिम्नप्रदानगर्दछ:अनुवादनरव्याख्या,परिमार्जन,आवास,वैकल्पिकढाँचाहरूरसहायकसामग्रीरसेवाहरू।यीसेवाहरूअनुरोधगर्नकोलागि 503-823-2525,रिलेसेवा: 711मासम्पर्कगर्नुहोस्।

Chiaku me Awewen Kapas (Chuukese)

Mi annuk non ewe City of Portland pwe esap wor emon esap etiwa an epwe fiti, esap angei feiochun, are epwe kuna iteingau non meinisin an ew tetenimw kewe mokutukut, aninnis, are mwich nongonong won i chon ia, enuan, chon menni muu, weiresin inis, are pwan ew tapin aramas mi auchea are pisekisek. Fan itan an fiti Civil Rights Title VI me ADA Title II annuken pungun manau, ewe City of Portland mi ennetata pwe epwe wor etiwaoch ngeni an ewe tetenimw mokutukut, aninnis, me mwichren an aworaochu: chiaku me awewen kapas, ekkesiwin, etufich, sokonon napanap, me pwan ekkoch minen awewe me aninnis. Ika ka mochen ekkei pekin aninnis, kokori 503-823-2525, Fon Fan Itan Ekkewe mi wor Ar Osukosukan Manau: 711.