PORTLAND, Oregon — As Election Day approaches, voters in several counties will decide whether they're willing to pay more in taxes in the name of public safety and parks.

Tuesday night, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson knocked on doors in Northeast Portland asking people to support raising the city's parks levy. It would bring in around $84 million in the first year after raising the levy from $1.40 to 80 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

"I know it's a difficult time," said Wilson. "But we have the value the parks and make sure that value, that asset is really high performing and well maintained."

Critics point to a recent audit that found 86% of Portland's park assets were in poor or very bad condition, noting a massive maintenance backlog and no long-term plan to fix it.

"We h

See Full Page