On December 18, 2012, the Metro Council unanimously approved a resolution referring a five-year parks and natural areas levy to voters in May 2013. If approved by voters, the levy will provide much needed funding for the restoration and long-term maintenance of natural areas that Metro has acquired and permanently protected using funds from its 1995 and 2006 voter-approved bond measures.
At just under ten cents per thousand dollars of assessed value, the levy is estimated to cost the average household about $20 a year and will generate an estimated $10 million a year for the purposes of maintaining and improving water quality, protecting fish and wildlife habitat and preserving regional parks, natural areas and stream frontages.