Levy FAQ

The measure authorized a five-year levy, which provides tax revenue to fund existing fire and police personnel and hire more firefighters and police officers to provide services for the growing population and the growing demand for emergency first responders. 

The measure costs $1.35 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The owner of a home assessed at $200,000 pays about $25.65 per month or about $308 per year. 

Over the past 20 years, Gresham’s population increased by 19%, but at the time of the levy vote in May 2024, the city had one less sworn police officer than it did in 2004. In recent years shootings in Gresham increased by more than 400%. 

Over the past 30 years, Gresham’s population has increased by 46% while, at the time of the levy vote, the daily minimum staffing for the Gresham Fire Department was the same as it was in 1994.   

The five-year levy authorizes new tax revenue, which funds fire and police positions. The levy will help retain existing fire and police positions and fund 13 new firefighters and 9 new police officers in Gresham.  

Hiring more firefighters and police officers will mitigate emergency response times and fund more neighborhood patrols and enhance public safety. 

More Gresham Police Officers 

The five-year levy funds 9 new sworn police officers – a 7% increase over existing sworn officer positions. Overall, the levy funds a 17.5% increase in total Gresham police personnel to enhance public safety. More sworn officers serving the community mitigate response times and allow for dedicated detectives to investigate all types of crimes. With more officers, GPD could restore specialty police units, including Neighborhood Enforcement Team, Traffic Enforcement Team, and other specialty that both prevent and investigate crime. 

More Gresham Firefighters 

The five-year levy will fund 13 new firefighters to improve emergency response times and provide staffing for an additional rescue truck at Gresham’s busiest fire station. The levy adds two additional Fire Marshals to conduct school inspections, business inspections, support arson investigations, and provide school education. 

Beginning July 1, 2024, the five-year levy costs each property owner $1.35 per each $1,000 of assessed property value.  The average home in Gresham has an assessed value (not real market value) of $228,000. The levy costs the average homeowner in Gresham $25.65 a month or about $308 per year. 

Levy revenue is placed in a dedicated and protected account overseen by a 7-member committee of Gresham voters and taxpayers. The committee will make annual reports to the City Council and levy spending will be audited each year. The levy will raise an estimated $64 million over five years ($12 to $14 million each year). 

An amount that, when passed by voters, is collected through a property tax charged to each property owner (residential and commercial) within the city of Gresham’s boundary. A levy requires a simple majority vote of 50% + 1 to pass. 

Property owners in Gresham pay for the levy. The cost is added to their property tax bills, and the amount each owner pays varies based on the assessed value of their property, not the real market value. The tax would not be paid by anyone who is not a property owner. 

While Gresham is home to a few tax-exempt multifamily housing complexes, for all other multifamily properties, the cost of the levy would be passed along to the property owner. Landlords would determine whether or not to extend additional fees to their tenants. 

When a person buys or sells a home, the price paid is the “real market value.”  If not readily ascertainable, real market value can be estimated by a real estate agent or via public websites like Zillow. 

However, the levy is not based on the real market value of a home. It is based on the “assessed value” of the home. Due to Ballot Measure 50, enacted by voters statewide in 1997, the assessed value is based on its real market value in 1995, minus 10%, plus 3% a year.  As a result, the assessed value is typically much less than the real market value. 

You can find the assessed value of a property on Multnomah County Property Records. Choose “continue as a guest” to use this service for free.

No. The levy is in addition to the Police, Fire and Parks Fee. The $15 per month fee paid on utility bills funds 9% of existing public safety services. Of the total fees paid, 95% is spent on public safety and 5% on parks. The fee is not enough to fund additional firefighters and police officers.