NOTICE of Measure Referral
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Multnomah County has referred a measure to voters in the District at the May 19, 2026 Primary Election, and the Multnomah County Elections Division has received a Ballot Title and Explanatory Statement for that referral.
Any registered voter dissatisfied with the Ballot Title may file a petition for review with the Multnomah County Circuit Court on or before January 30, 2026. Any person filing a petition must also notify the Director of Elections, 1040 SE Morrison St., Portland, in writing that the petition has been filed, and that notice must be given by 5:00 p.m. on the next business day after the petition has been filed with the Circuit Court. - Tim Scott, Multnomah County Director of Elections
Ballot Title:
Caption: Five year levy: Oregon Historical Society Library, Museum, educational programs.
Question: Shall County renew 5-year history museum, library, educational programs levy; maintain $.05 per $1,000 assessed value, oversight, beginning 2026? This measure renews current local option taxes.
Summary: In 2021 voters approved a five-year local option levy of $.05 per $1,000 assessed property value to support the Oregon Historical Society (OHS). Renewal of this levy will continue support to the OHS's museum, library, educational programs, and fund the following without increasing taxes:
Educational Programs;
Free admission to school groups and Multnomah County residents;
Preservation of important Oregon treasures and artifacts;
Support four County historical societies: East County Historical Organization, Gresham Historical Society, Troutdale Historical Society, and Crown Point Country Historical Society;
OHS will continue to build on its efforts to provide exhibits and services that reflect the diverse histories of our region, and engage all parts of our county.
Levy continues rate of $.05 per $1,000 assessed property value, and replaces the 2021 levy. A home assessed at $250,000 pays $12.50 a year.
An independent citizen oversight committee will review expenditures to verify funds are used as approved by voters. Annual audits will be conducted and made public.
The levy will produce an estimated $3.88 million for fiscal year 2026-2027; $4.00 million for fiscal year 2027-2028; $4.12 million for fiscal year 2028-2029; $4.24 million for fiscal year 2029-2030; and $4.37 million for fiscal year 2030-2031.
The estimated cost for this measure is an ESTIMATE ONLY based on the best available information available to the county assessor at the time of estimate.
Explanatory Statement
Founded in 1898, the Oregon Historical Society (OHS) maintains a museum and public research library in downtown Portland, preserves the largest collection of historical materials about the state of Oregon, and offers programming on the people, places, and events that have shaped Oregon. In addition, the OHS is the primary historical society for Multnomah County, with photographs, maps, manuscripts, books, films, and oral histories documenting the County’s history.
Each year, approximately 40,000 people visit OHS’s Portland facilities, including about 5,000 schoolchildren and college students. OHS’s museum features three permanent exhibitions and rotating installations on diverse topics. In 2024, OHS opened Rivers, Roses, and Rip City, the first permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of Portland. This immersive exhibition, installed in OHS’s Naito Family Gallery, explores the City’s distinctive landscape and the communities and people that contribute to its vibrant identity. Also, OHS publishes the longest-running peer-reviewed journal in the West, the Oregon Historical Quarterly, which supports new research, amplifies knowledge and perspectives, and sparks relevant conversations about history.
OHS’s online resources at ohs.org provide free educational resources to students and learners of all ages. In 2024 he Society’s online collections were accessed by over 1.3 million visitors, with more than 20% of visitors coming from Multnomah County. OHS is set to debut an innovative new website in spring 2026 that will be entirely dedicated to sharing Portland’s history through digitized collection materials and imaginative technology.
Funding from the renewed levy will maintain OHS’s current public operating hours of 47 hours per week for the museum and 32 hours per week for the research library; support the preservation and curation of current exhibits; fund the development of new educational programming and scholarships; and allow OHS to continue offering free museum admission to and tours for all Multnomah County residents and K–12 school groups. Levy funds will also support operations at four East Multnomah County historical societies — East County Historical Organization (ECHO), Gresham Historical Society, Troutdale Historical Society, and Crown Point Country Historical Society.
The cost of the levy renewal will remain at $.05 (five cents) per $1,000 assessed property value, beginning 2026 through 2031. For example, the owner of a home assessed by the County at $250,000 will continue to pay $12.50 a year for this levy.
Accountability is a key component of this levy, with the Multnomah County Chair continuing to appoint an independent citizens’ oversight committee — representative of Multnomah County’s diverse communities — to review all levy expenditures. The Levy Oversight Committee will ensure funds are spent as approved by voters and advise OHS to ensure that its board, partnerships, staff, exhibitions, and programs proactively represent Multnomah County’s diverse cultures. In addition, Multnomah County will continue to select an auditor, for which OHS will pay, to conduct annual audits of levy funds that will be made available to the public.
This levy will fund approximately one-third of operations at OHS. Other funding comes from grants, private donations, admissions, and other earned revenues.