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The Oregon Senate Finance and Revenue Committee this morning held a work session on Senate Bill 123, which would accomplished a long-held hope of City Commissioner Dan Saltzman—making the Portland Children's Levy into a permanent taxing district.
Voters created the Children's Levy in 2002 at Saltzman's behest to fund a variety of programs for needy kids. Voters then re-authorized the levy in 2008 and 2013. It currently generates about $15 million a year.
Saltzman, who took office in 1999 and is by far the longest-serving city commissioner, told WW in December he plans to run a sixth term next year. There's no question he'd like to cement his legacy by making the levy permanent, so after he'd left office his successors won't need to convince voters to fund it every five years.
Saltzman pushed the same idea in 2014 but came up short. He faces opposition again this year from the Special Districts Association of Oregon and the Association of Oregon Counties. Opponents say creating a new taxing district may overlap with services already offered by school and parks districts and could divert money from other taxing authorities.
In testimony he submitted for an earlier hearing on the bill, Saltzman said without the Children's Levy, as many as 30,000 kids "could enter school unprepared for kindergarten."
The bill passed out of committee today on a four to one vote.