Should developers pay more towards building new parks for the people who will live and work in their new buildings—or should the city’s residents share the cost of new park space more broadly? That’s the question under debate at city hall today.

The council is hearing a committee report on Parks System Development Charges, or the fees developers pay toward new parks (there are similar fees for other kinds of city infrastructure). Commissioner Dan Saltzman wants to increase those fees, to provide more parks around town.

Commissioner Randy Leonard sounds skeptical, pointing out that it’s not very fair to tax people who don’t live here yet, but will move to the area, while those who are already in their homes and will also enjoy new parks get them for free. He also questioned the wisdom of possibly making homes less affordable, if developers pass along the charges to homebuyers—if the city’s already losing families, and losing public school students, is it smart to make homes more expensive? Parks head Zari Santner shot back, pointing out that families need good schools, but they also want parks.

There are 33 people signed up to testify, including some of the Portland’s more active neighbors, and folks like Scott Bricker of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. Their comments are going both ways—some want developers to pay for 100 percent of the cost of new parks, while others are pulling for a 75 percent recovery rate. Those folks are wearing buttons:

Then there’s the contingent—some of them parks activists—arguing that increased SDCs will make Portland less affordable.

The council isn’t going to make a final decision on these fees today. Rather, if they accept the committee’s report, they’ll set the stage for a nitty gritty discussion of how much to charge developers next year.