Portlanders appeared poised Tuesday to approve a ballot measure to significantly increase money collected from property owners to maintain existing parks and recreation services.

Measure 26-260 had garnered about 53% of the vote in partial returns tallied as of 8 p.m.

The proposal, crafted and referred by city leaders, presented voters with a stark and, for some, an exasperating choice: hike Portland’s current parks levy by 75%, or watch one of the city’s most treasured civic assets wither under severe budget cuts and the ensuing neglect.

It appears a majority of voters opted to stomach paying much more rather than seeing the Parks Bureau slash its operations by up to 50%.

The measure will raise the existing levy from 80 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value annually to $1.40,

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