A little-known government body, the Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District, will ask Multnomah County voters to support a property tax increase to fund improvements to a flood protection system that stretches for miles along the Columbia River. Measure 26-243 would raise about $7.5 million annually over the next 20 years to bankroll the sweeping overhaul proposed by the district.
Proponents say approval of the $150 million bond measure would also unlock an additional $100 million in federal funding for the project. Current estimates peg the project’s total price tag at nearly $300 million. District officials have said they are relying on Oregon lawmakers to provide the remaining balance, an effort that Gov. Tina Kotek supports.
If passed, the measure would tax local property owners about 11 cents per $1,000 of assessed property annually. That amounts to about $44 a year on a home with an assessed value of $400,000.
There is no formal opposition to the proposal, which has earned the backing of elected leaders, a bevy of business and environmental groups, and the head of the Port of Portland. Yet its passage is far from certain as years of rising costs coupled with failures by state and local governments to tackle an array of pressing problems have soured some on the prospect of supporting any tax proposal. And it turns out that several will appear on the May 21 ballot in Multnomah County.
Most Portland voters, which comprise the bulk of the county’s electorate, are also being asked to renew a 10-cent gas tax as well as hundreds of teaching positions at Portland Public Schools. Gresham voters are weighing a five-year property tax increase to retain police officers and firefighters. Meanwhile, the Metro regional government is seeking a $380 million bond for the Oregon Zoo.
Adding further complications: Kotek, at the behest of business leaders, has asked local governments in the Portland area to refrain from imposing new taxes over the next three years. The governor, as well as the influential Portland Metro Chamber, support the flood protection bond measure, which is needed for the water quality district to qualify for the nine-figure chunk of federal funding.
“These improvements, as hard and as expensive as they are for many of us, just make a lot of sense,” said Corky Collier, executive director of the Columbia Corridor Association, which represents hundreds of businesses protected by the flood system.
Some 27 miles of levees, pump stations, pipes, drains, and wetlands protect the Portland region from potential floods, stretching from the city’s northernmost point all the way to the Sandy River delta. The protected floodplain encompasses about 13,000 acres that include residential neighborhoods, natural areas, and one of Oregon’s largest hubs for industrial and manufacturing jobs, according to the Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District.
However, much of the safety system has remained untouched since the 1948 flood that destroyed what was then the city of Vanport and does not meet current federal standards. A 2021 assessment of the system found the annual likelihood of a damaging flood in the area to be greater than a home experiencing fire damage or an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 or greater occurring.
Absent upgrades, proponents of the bond measure say, insurance for homeowners and businesses located in the floodplain could skyrocket. A major flood, meanwhile, could deliver a catastrophic blow to the region and send economic shockwaves across the rest of the state.
If it passes, the district plans to use most of the money from the levy to repair and raise the height of nine miles of levees and flood walls as well as make upgrades to seven pump stations across the entire protection system. Approximately $27 million of the funds would also be dedicated to natural floodplain restoration and resilience projects that would slow and store floodwaters and enhance overall safety.
Records show that bond measure proponents have raised just over $16,000 and have spent all but $1,000. The campaign’s top contributors include Jim Middaugh, executive director for the Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District, and Eric Mueller, finance director for the city of Troutdale ($2,500 each); the Portland Metro Chamber, formerly known as the Portland Business Alliance, and PacifiCorp ($2,000 each); and a political action committee associated with NW Natural ($1,500).
