Accept the 2022-23 Parks Levy Annual Report

2022-23 Parks Levy Annual Report The purpose of this report is to review and share with the public the current status and achievements, as well as ensure transparency, of the five-year 2020 Parks Local Option Levy (Parks Levy). In Year 2 of the five-year Parks Levy, PP&R has transparently tracked the use of Parks Levy funding, and has hired approved positions to increase capacity, resources, and processes for successful delivery of Parks Levy-funded services in subsequent years. Portland voters passed the Parks Levy in November 2020 for implementation beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22. In Year 2 of the Parks Levy, FY 2022-23, community centers, pools, and facilities were able to remain open for community use and programming while significantly growing financial assistance use. Maintenance services increased in parks and natural areas. Expanded community partnerships helped reach diverse and underserved communities. PP&R is making progress on all fifteen commitments listed in the Parks Levy ballot measure. In accordance with the ballot commitment to conduct an independent audit, PP&R will conduct a mid-point performance audit of the Parks Levy in Year 3 to evaluate whether the Parks Levy funds are being spent in a manner that adheres to the ballot language, the Parks Levy is operating in a fiscally responsible manner, and the existing documentation systems are in place, transparent, and functioning well.

There are no financial or budgetary impacts directly resulting from the presentation of these reports. In Fiscal Year 2022-23, PP&R spent $25,820,644.35 of the fiscal year’s $47,987,647.56 million in Parks Levy revenue. Parks Levy funds are not limited to spending within the five-year collection timeframe, and savings from this fiscal year will be retained in the Parks Levy Fund to be spent in future years delivering on Parks Levy commitments to voters.

The commitments made in the voter pamphlet, and tracked in the 2022-23 Parks Levy Annual Report, were developed with community input and approved by Portland voters. Ballot measure language included a focus on prioritizing services for communities of color and households experiencing poverty and on providing services to diverse populations, communities of color, seniors, teens, households experiencing poverty, immigrants and refugees, and people living with disabilities. In addition, as part of the Healthy Parks, Healthy Portland framework, PP&R has committed to centering the voices and the needs of underserved communities, specifically Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, immigrants and refugees, LGBTQIA+ people, youth, older adults, people with disabilities, and people living with low incomes; this expands upon the ballot language of the Parks Levy. Both the 2022-23 Parks Levy Annual Report and the Parks Levy Oversight Committee Annual Report will be available on the PP&R website with accessibility text and translation services available. The Executive Summary from the 2022-23 Parks Levy Annual Report, and the full Parks Levy Oversight Committee Annual Report, will be translated into Portland’s four most common languages. All online reports will be available as an accessible PDF. Year 1 (FY 2021-22) reports are currently available online. Parks Levy Oversight Committee members are members of the public and are invited to present their report to City Council.