NOTICE OF RECEIPT OF BALLOT TITLE

Notice is hereby given that a ballot title for a measure referred by the Portland City Council to qualified voters at the May 19, 2020 Municipal Election has been filed with the Elections Office of the City of Portland on February 7, 2020.

An elector may file a petition for review of this ballot title in the Multnomah County Circuit Court no later than 5:00 P.M., February 19, 2020.

The ballot title is as follows:

BALLOT TITLE

CAPTION 

Renew Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax for Street Repair, Maintenance, Safety

QUESTION 

Shall Portland renew four-year, 10 cents per gallon fuel tax for maintenance (paving, potholes) and safety (crossings, lighting, sidewalks)?

BALLOT SUMMARY 

Portland’s 10 cents per gallon fuel tax was approved by voters in 2016. If renewed at the same tax rate, this measure is estimated to raise $74.5 million over four years, beginning January 2021.

The funding would continue to be dedicated to street repair, maintenance and safety projects, including paving, pothole repair, sidewalk and safety improvements. Specific proposed investments include:

Street Repair and Maintenance

• $25 million for paving, focused on busy and neighborhood streets

Safety

• $6 million for Safe Routes to School projects to improve safety for elementary students
• $4.5 million to expand Neighborhood Greenways and connect schools, parks, transit, and neighborhood businesses
• $5 million for traffic signals and crossing beacons
• $4.5 million for street lighting on High Crash Network
• $4.5 million for sidewalks and other walkways
• $1.5 million for small-scale neighborhood safety improvements

Community-Identified Transportation Needs

• $13 million for potholes, gravel streets, and pavement base repair
• $10.5 million for basic safety improvements

Expenditures go through independent financial audits and are reviewed by a public oversight committee that reports annually. Establishes license requirements.

 More information can be found on the City's Elections website.