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City Council voted to accept the Parks Levy Oversight Committee Annual Report: Fiscal Year 2024-25 on February 25, 2026.
The Parks Levy Oversight Committee (PLOC) is pleased to see Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) continue to deliver strong outcomes towards the 2020 Parks Local Option Levy (Parks Levy) voter commitments. We present our review of the Year 4 Parks Levy Annual Report and PP&R Parks Levy actions in fiscal year (FY) 2024–25.
In November 2020, Portland voters passed the Parks Levy to maintain parks, improve access and safety, provide equitable recreation programs, and proactively care for natural areas and Portland's urban forest. Supporting over one-third of the bureau's operating budget in Year 4, the Parks Levy is critical to a functioning parks and recreation system that supports the well-being of Portlanders. From cleaning public restrooms to ensuring Portland's tree canopy is safe, the Parks Levy ensures that essential services, as well as services important to community well-being, are available to all Portlanders.
The PLOC is a committee of five community members selected from an open public applicant pool and appointed by the PP&R director. We convene quarterly to review progress on the Parks Levy and provide feedback. Per our charter, our annual report reviews adherence to Parks Levy language, fiscal accountability, and transparency. In Year 4, every Parks Levy dollar was accounted for, spent on Parks Levy commitments, tied to program outcomes, and transparently reported.
The following is our Year 4 Parks Levy Oversight Committee Annual Report.
Sincerely,
Parks Levy Oversight Committee
Current Members
The current PLOC members, pictured here, began or renewed their service in July 2025. New members came on board following Year 3 and reviewed the Parks Levy Annual Report covering FY 2024–25 in November 2025.
Members serving during FY 2023–24 included Mary Ruble, Silas Sanderson, and Tim Williams. Previous members Alescia Blakely and Zay Conant sunset their service in July 2025.
Josh Norton is from southern Oregon and has lived in Portland for the last three years. Josh is an experienced public employee focusing on recreation, currently working for Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District where Josh runs swim centers for the aquatics department. Josh lives in downtown Portland and loves everything the city has to offer.
Mary B. Ruble is a long-time advocate for parks, currently an emeritus member of the Portland Parks Foundation board and previously on the Parks Board. She has contributed her expertise to local organizations including Portland Center Stage, the Regional Arts and Culture Council, and Self Enhancement, Inc. Mary retired from U.S. Bank in 2018 as a Senior Vice President.
Silas Sanderson is a Professional Civil Engineer with Schnabel Engineering, where he works on environmental restoration, risk assessments of flood reduction structures, and seismic assessments. He loves the outdoors and is passionate about empowering Portland's communities to realize their vision for their parks.
Jacob Van Baalen is a lifelong Portland-area resident. He works as an IT consultant for Multnomah County, focusing on strategic software and enterprise architecture, and is also a master's degree student at Portland State University. Jacob loves orienteering in parks and slogging up Mt. Tabor on his bike, and is committed to making Portland parks accessible and enjoyable for all Portlanders.
Tim Williams was raised in Eugene and moved to Portland in 2007 to work in health care. For the past 12 years, he has been a small business owner, managing a neighborhood restaurant and bar. Tim and his wife live in Southeast Portland and all three of their children have participated in the PP&R preschool program. They love exploring Portland's parks and splash pads.
Adherence to Ballot Language
Definition: Actions are based on and build upon the promises contained in the language of the voters' pamphlet.
PP&R uses the 15 commitments from the Parks Levy ballot language to show and track progress on promises made to voters. The continued use of this structure shows clear adherence to ballot language. Notably, in December 2024, the independent performance audit of the Parks Levy was published and showed that levy funds were used in compliance with voter-approved commitments. This audit looked specifically at Parks Levy expenses, the ballot commitments, and internal controls and processes related to spending of levy funds. We commend PP&R for a clean Parks Levy audit with no findings and no recommendations; we celebrate the validation that PP&R's framework and implementation of the Parks Levy is in accordance with the ballot language.
Year 4 saw the Parks Levy implemented at full capacity. Onboarding the Parks Levy took time—particularly to hire staff, expand workspace, and purchase equipment. In Year 4, the groundwork laid in the early years of the Parks Levy has paid off. PP&R has restored and delivered programming, improved and enhanced maintenance, removed financial barriers, and strengthened partnerships. These improvements are reflected in increases in performance measures. Year 4 saw natural program growth and strong outcomes.
It is imperative that City leadership and Portlanders understand the significant impact of the 2020 Parks Levy. Basic services such as park restroom cleaning, trash pick-up, or open community centers would not be functioning without the Parks Levy. We encourage PP&R to continue to share both performance measures, as well as programmatic anecdotes that show how Parks Levy funds are essential to a healthy Portland. Communicating impact helps improve understanding of the necessity of Parks Levy funded services.
Overall, all Parks Levy-related actions taken in FY 2024–25 adhere to the ballot language, and PP&R has been clear and intentional about communicating that adherence.
Recommendation: Continue using the 15 commitments for tracking progress and highlight in communications that Parks Levy funds are essential to a functioning and meaningful parks and recreation system.
Fiscal Accountability
Definition: Maintain fiscal accountability as a core driver. Parks Levy dollars are tracked and auditable. Ensure integrity and accuracy of financial statements.
PP&R is fiscally accountable in tracking Parks Levy dollars in a transparent, auditable, and effective way. PP&R communicated fiscal accountability to the PLOC in Year 4 through:
- Quarterly financial updates to share year-to-date actuals for revenue and expenses and a year-end summary of financial actuals
- Updates on projected Parks Levy spenddown over the 5-year levy
- Overview of the FY 2025–26 Proposed Budget, impacts of budget cuts, and one-time buy-backs sustained for FY 2025–26
- Overview of expense and revenue drivers that have increased costs for the bureau
As in years past, PP&R published all Parks Levy expenses, categorized by service area (Functional Area) and work group (Fund Center), as part of the annual report. We appreciate that PP&R can track Parks Levy expenditures at a variety of levels, from alignment with ballot commitments to granular line-item expenses.
The December 2024 Parks Levy independent audit found that PP&R's financial systems and tracking mechanisms ensured transparent management of funds. Parks Levy revenue and expenditure data tied to underlying financial records and the dollars were accurately tracked. This confirms fiscal accountability and shows that financial statements had integrity and accuracy.
The 2020 Parks Levy was approved by voters to be additive funds for enhanced park and recreation services. Recent General Fund cuts (five percent in FY 2024–25 and eight percent in FY 2025–26) mean that the Parks Levy is relied on more heavily to support PP&R operations. These cuts impact and undermine the bureau's ability to fulfill commitments made to voters. We caution City leadership about a reliance on the Parks Levy and emphasize that taking General Fund away from PP&R will erode the impact of the Parks Levy as a funding source to deliver critical services Portlanders need and value.
PP&R was transparent and accountable about the ramp-up efforts of approving new positions, creating workspace, and purchasing equipment to support Parks Levy commitments—and the early underspending that resulted from ramping-up. In Year 4, Parks Levy expenses were greater than Parks Levy revenue, resulting in a spend down of the Parks Levy balance accrued in previous years. Given financial pressure on the General Fund and the critical support
of the Parks Levy, we encourage PP&R to glean lessons learned from the ramp-up time period to understand and improve efficiency where possible.
Recommendation: Continue sharing projections and drivers impacting Parks Levy revenue and expenses, and communicate the importance of sustained General Fund in delivering Parks Levy outcomes.
Transparency
Definition: Act in a way that clearly promotes equity, participation, accountability, and engenders trust.
PP&R proactively shares information with the PLOC and adapts meeting content to the interest of committee members. PLOC meetings are open to the public and meeting notes are posted online.
PP&R has proven receptive to feedback and collaboration. Following the drafting of the Year 3 Parks Levy Annual Report, we recommended that PP&R explore new communication methods, including performance measure graphs and stronger webpage content. We appreciate the graphs incorporated into the Year 4 Parks Levy Annual Report and added to the Parks Levy webpage, which clearly illustrate outcomes and impact for each year. These changes increase transparency and accountability.
The PLOC was encouraged to see the completion and publishing of the 2024 Community Needs Survey; understanding Portlanders' perceptions and experience with the parks and recreation system is essential to improvement. We suggest adjustments to levy-supported programs based on the survey results. For example, the survey showed that cost is a barrier to participation and that there is a low awareness of the Access Discount program, which should inform implementation and communication around the Access Discount. We also recommend a deeper dive on geographic and district data to analyze varying parks and recreation experiences across the city.
The PLOC appreciates topical presentations provided by PP&R, particularly in showing how Parks Levy funds have improved specific programs. In Year 4, we received programmatic presentations on Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation, Lifelong Recreation, the early registration evolution, Access Discount data, and the Teen Program. These programs have been enhanced by the Parks Levy but information and wide-spread communication about PP&R programs is limited. Not being aware of program offerings was the most frequently cited barrier to participating in programming in the 2024 Community Needs Survey. We encourage PP&R to broaden communication efforts so that Portlanders are aware of the community benefits that PP&R has available.
Recommendation: Enhance communication about PP&R programs and initiatives to better engage Portlanders with PP&R and continue using visual representations of performance measures to share Parks Levy impact.
Portland Parks & Recreation's developing civil rights page offers information related to making programming more accessible and inclusive.
The City of Portland ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws, and reasonably provides translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids, and services. Request these services or call 503-823-2525. For for Relay Service or TTY contact 711.
503-823-2525
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