Mayors Urge Metro to Delay Planned May Bond Measure

By NIGEL JAQUISS

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The Metro Council met earlier this week to decide on the level of funding they'd like a proposed May 2013 levy to provide for operating and maintenance funds for open space the regional government owns.

The council voted unanimously on Tuesday set the rate at 9.6 cents per $1,000 of valuation. The levy would raise $10 million annually for five years. The owner of a $200,000 house, for example, would pay an extra $19.20 a year.

But if Metro moves forward with the levy, it will do so despite the objections of 19 mayors within Metro's three-county service area, including those in Beaverton, Gresham, Hillsboro and Lake Oswego—effectively every city of any size except Portland within Metro's boundaries. 

Here is the letter the mayors sent Metro Council President Tom Hughes on Nov. 30:

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