Windowbox · Portland City Council

Portland City Council AM Session 09/23/26

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The City Council passed a franchise transfer of the Zenith Energy fuel terminal to ISQ Springer Holdings on a 7-6 vote, with Mayor Keith Wilson breaking a 6-6 tie to approve it (02:05:31).

Zenith fuel terminal transfer

The transfer had failed the previous week, and Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), who voted against it, moved to reconsider in hopes of negotiating conditions. He told the council he "didn't vote for the franchise transfer, and I'm not going to," saying no citizen-suit condition had seven votes and that a denial would bring "vastly greater legal and financial risk to the city." Council voted 7-5 to reconsider, with Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) changing her vote to no during the roll call (01:59:57).

On the underlying transfer, the council tied 6-6 (02:02:14). Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) voted "Absolutely not" (02:01:41). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) voted yes and said, "sometimes you got to take tough votes. No less than 3 members who are going to vote no today on this have asked me to make sure I vote yes" (02:01:49). Mayor Wilson was called down under Charter Section 2-401 and cast the deciding aye.

Two ODOT traffic grants and a police-oversight fight

The council spent about 45 minutes on a $207,411 Oregon Department of Transportation grant for speed-racing street-takeover enforcement, most of it over an amendment by Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) moving $10,370.57 from general-fund contingency to the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability to keep its funding at 5% of the police budget, which the city charter requires. Chief Deputy City Attorney Heidi Brown told the council the charter sets that 5% at budget adoption and that mid-year changes are not required but "would not violate the charter" to adopt (00:58:34). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) said the match comes from the operating budget, not individual grants, and opposed it. The amendment passed 8-4 (01:23:11); the grant passed 11-1, with Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) opposed (01:25:05).

The debate turned pointed. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said "there's a lot of conversation... about decorum at this dais, and oftentimes it focuses on my colleague, Councilor Morillo. But at multiple times over here, folks have stepped out of the order of the queue and interrupted" (01:02:27). Kanal said, "I understand that there are people who represent the 18% proudly up here... But we have to listen to the majority" (01:01:07). Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) replied, "I was part of the 82% that voted for police accountability in 2020, and we all don't think exactly like you, Councilor Knoll" (01:03:45). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said she was "tired of being lectured about decorum by people not great at following it" (01:14:45).

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-09-23-1

Audio is the City of Portland's public recording of the meeting. Windowbox is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Portland.

Portland City Council Public Works Committee 09/22/26

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 16:30:00 GMT

The Public Works Committee voted 4-0 to send three transportation ordinances to the full City Council, then took an hour of testimony on how Portland will spend and bill the new street fees residents start paying January 1.

Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) presided over the September 22 meeting; Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) was absent, and the committee's four other members formed the quorum. The committee opened by approving its July 28 and August 11 minutes by unanimous consent (00:09:29).

Streetcar contracting method advances

The committee referred Ordinance 2026-333, which authorizes a Construction Manager/General Contractor method for the Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension, to Council with a recommendation to pass (00:28:48). PBOT Capital Project Manager David Backus said the project would extend the streetcar about 1.3 miles into a former industrial site in Northwest Portland, with riders projected around 2030. Backus said construction cost is "likely in the $60 to $70 million range" (00:20:17) and that the project scored 30 out of 32 points on the exemption scoring sheet — "I haven't seen a project score this high" (00:20:18). Chief Procurement Officer Sylvester Donaldson said disadvantaged-business engagement with TriMet would begin that week. One person signed up to testify but did not appear.

Two eminent-domain authorizations for East Portland safety projects

The committee referred two ordinances letting PBOT acquire temporary construction easements through eminent domain if negotiations fail, both 4-0. Ordinance 2026-334 covers the SE Division 148th-to-174th project (00:42:55); Ordinance 2026-335 covers SE Stark 111th-to-151st (00:56:52). Capital Project Manager Elizabeth Tilstrom said Division segments with raised center medians saw crashes fall 55%, compared with 7% where medians were not added. The Division project needs one easement; Stark needs two, of 65 and 63 square feet.

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) pressed staff to phone affected owners rather than rely on mail: "sending a letter, you know, it's, it's probably not going to work" (00:49:29). Property Services Division Manager David McEldowney said the process runs nine months or more and that condemnation is rare — "We have not had a trial. I cannot remember the last time" (00:53:23). Smith also asked that any move to eminent domain trigger an executive session on the Division item.

New street fees: how the money will be spent and billed

PBOT presented its investment strategy for the transportation utility fee and street damage restoration fee that Council passed in spring, an item placed on file without a vote. Program manager Gabe Graff said the strategy directs $57.4 million in investment next fiscal year. Three-quarters of transportation utility fee revenue goes to maintenance — $15.7 million for pavement, $8.1 million for signals and streetlights, $5.1 million for local street cleaning, $3.2 million for striping — and one-quarter to safety, split evenly between $5.3 million for Vision Zero and $5.3 million for sidewalks. All $10.7 million of street damage restoration fee revenue goes to pavement maintenance, held as contingency for now.

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-09-22-pwc-1

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Portland City Council PM Session 09/16/26

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 22:05:00 GMT

The council rejected the transfer of Zenith Energy's fuel-terminal franchise to a new owner on a 5-6 vote, then spent much of the night in a procedural fight over whether to bring it back — ending with an 8-4 vote to postpone that question to next week.

Zenith franchise transfer fails, then reopens

The transfer of a petroleum-terminal franchise from Zenith Energy Terminals Holdings to ISQ Springer Holdings failed to pass, 5-6, with Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) absent (00:39:55). Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) voted no because amendments adding public accountability measures had not secured a seventh vote, saying "I can't really in good conscience support this" (00:36:04). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) cited the company's "long history of broken promises in this town" (00:37:04). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said the record lacked clear criteria to judge the recipient's technical, legal, and financial qualifications (00:38:16).

When Smith returned from an approved absence, she moved to reconsider (01:50:07). Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) ruled she was ineligible, interpreting the rules to mean an absent member was not on the prevailing side. Kanal read Code 3.02.030(J), which treats absences as no votes only for a mayoral tiebreak (01:51:55). City Attorney Robert Taylor said the rules could be read two ways and the chair could rule. Smith and two others appealed; the appeal was decided on a 6-6 vote, which sustained Dunphy's ruling (02:07:19). Smith pressed repeatedly afterward, and Dunphy told her, "Councilor Smith, you're out of order" (02:03:30). Dunphy then moved reconsideration himself, seconded by Smith, before withdrawing it as Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) argued the withdrawn motion had never been properly closed (02:07:27).

At the meeting's end, Dunphy again moved to reconsider, seconded by Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4), saying he saw "room" to add an enforcement and disclosure provision as a condition (03:23:48). Kanal noted a rule barring new items after 9 p.m., and Taylor confirmed the item could not be discussed that night. Morillo urged colleagues to change the transfer, invoking climate impacts on her generation. Steve Novick (District 3) responded, "I just have to say that I find Councilor Morillo's assertion that anyone who disagrees with her on an issue relating to which company has a franchise agreement means that they don't care about climate change" (03:35:36). Morillo replied, "I'm sort of done with that happening repeatedly to me and being chastised on council. So you can take my words at face value" (03:39:35). Council voted 8-4 to postpone the reconsideration vote to next week (03:41:05).

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-09-17-1

Audio is the City of Portland's public recording of the meeting. Windowbox is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Portland.

Portland City Work Session 09/17/26

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland planners told the council a proposed CEI Hub package would cut in-service fuel storage capacity in the city's riverside fuel hub by 20% by December 2036, a target industry and environmental advocates both urged the council to rework before a September 24 hearing.

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability presented two ordinances at a work session on the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub, the cluster of bulk fuel terminals along Highway 30 and the Willamette River. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), presiding, said four councilors had asked that the items be heard in full council rather than committee, and that the session was meant to give members and the public "a reasonably equal understanding" before the hearing.

The BPS proposal

Supervising planner Tom Armstrong said the hub holds 11 bulk fuel terminals with about 315 million gallons of storage (00:12:33) and provides 90% of the liquid fuels consumed in Oregon (00:24:20). One ordinance amends the comprehensive plan and the zoning and building codes; the other creates a Title 17 program requiring each terminal to cut in-service storage by 20% from a January 1, 2027 baseline by December 2036 (00:27:07). Armstrong said the 2036 date tracks the decade terminals will need for state-required seismic upgrades. Exemptions cover a regulated public utility — a single 7-million-gallon Northwest Natural tank — aviation fuel, and expansions approved through a land use review (00:28:20).

Penalties would run $12,000 a day, and $24,000 after 30 days for inventory violations, and $0.25 per gallon per day for failing to meet the reduction (00:31:03). Armstrong cited an Eco Northwest analysis finding a sustained 10% fuel price increase could cost 4,600 jobs, against 1.9 million jobs statewide in 2025 (00:34:07). Updated modeling using 2024 data raised projected hub utilization from about 75% to 91% after the 20% cut, he said (01:10:33).

State seismic program

Svetlana Lazarev, who manages the Fuel Tank Seismic Stability Program at the Department of Environmental Quality, said the program is in its fourth year and that 98% of hub tanks were built before 1993, when codes first accounted for a Cascadia earthquake (00:49:35). Facilities get 10 years to complete mitigation after plan approval, and she expects work to run through about 2038 (00:58:11). A 2026 law, HB 4100, requires facilities to show they can cover spill damages up to $300 million (00:53:35).

Advocates split on how to cut

A coalition of more than 20 organizations meeting weekly since May 2025 asked the council to measure reductions by fuel volume rather than tank count. David Labbe of the CEI Hub Task Force said tanks run roughly 40% full and that reducing built capacity alone could leave actual fuel unchanged (01:34:29). Nikki Mandel said the Land Use Board of Appeals twice remanded city decisions, calling the comprehensive plan language "hortatory and aspirational" (01:41:38), and the coalition seeks stronger, mandatory wording. Asked by Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) whether their approach could yield less than 20%, Labbe said, "It certainly could" (01:44:01).

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-09-17-ws-1

Audio is the City of Portland's public recording of the meeting. Windowbox is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Portland.

Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 09/16/26

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The Finance and Governance Committee took no vote on how Portland finances its police and fire pensions, placing a discussion of the $3.6 billion legacy plan on file after staff said the city's best option is to stay its current course.

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2), who chaired the committee in place of Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), opened the pension discussion by confining it to financing. "I'll call to order any councilor who veers outside the scope of the financing discussion today," he said (00:18:36), adding that benefits are protected by the voter-approved charter and legally cannot be changed.

How the police and fire pension is paid for

Franco Lucin of the City Attorney's Office walked through Chapter 5 of the charter, which funds the Fire and Police Disability and Retirement plan through a dedicated property tax levy and created a new tier, FPDR 3, under a 2006 ballot measure that moved officers hired after January 1, 2007 into the state Public Employees Retirement System.

Chief Financial Officer Jonas Beery and FPDR Deputy Director Stacy Jones described the legacy plan as pay-as-you-go, meaning current property taxes pay current retirees. Jones said the plan closed at the end of 2006, that a little over four-fifths of legacy members are retired, and that full closeout will likely come in the 2070s. She put the total plan liability at $3.6 billion as of June 30 (00:44:56), but said that in cash-flow terms "there is no funding gap." Jones said current taxpayers bear a double burden — funding legacy retirees while prefunding current officers' PERS pensions — and compared it to "paying for your kids' college tuition while you're paying off your student loans" (00:47:19). She said the assessed-value rate taxpayers see in 2026-27 is about $3.19 per $1,000 (00:49:31), and that the real-market-value levy is projected to peak around $1.75 in about five years.

Beery laid out four options: a cash reserve (unviable), a one-time levy increase (highly disruptive), a gradual levy increase within the charter limit, and pension obligation bonds, which the Government Finance Officers Association advises against. Absent "a low-risk windfall resource," he said, the viable strategy "is to stay the current course" (00:53:00).

David Drain, Principal Officer for the State Fiscal Policy Project at the Pew Charitable Trusts, recommended forward-looking analysis and cited Indiana's teacher retirement system, which seeded a $425 million stabilization fund to begin prefunding. He noted the actuarial firm Milliman found the levy exceeds its cap in less than 2% of scenarios.

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4), who serves on the work group with Kanal, said any prefunding money "would need to be a tax or a fee" and would need to be referred to voters (01:51:34). He warned the FPDR share of a property tax bill could grow from about a third to 40% over a decade, reaching roughly $240 million a year at peak. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) separated two questions — whether to prefund at all, and who pays — and asked when a prefunding "breakpoint" passes. Kanal cited written testimony estimating $200 million upfront could save $2 billion. Beery asked the council for direction on where any prefunding money would come from.

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-09-16-fgc-1

Audio is the City of Portland's public recording of the meeting. Windowbox is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Portland.

Portland City Council Housing & Permitting Committee 09/15/26

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Portland's Housing and Permitting Committee took no action at its September 15 meeting, using two hours to examine the city's decade-old mandatory relocation assistance policy and to hear renters and landlords debate whether the payment that renters get when a rent hike forces them out should be triggered at a 5% increase rather than the current 10%. The committee, chaired by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), placed all three agenda items on file.

What the relocation policy does, and why fewer people use it

The Portland Housing Bureau briefed the committee on the Mandatory Relocation Assistance policy, known as RELO, which requires landlords to pay a departing tenant when a landlord's decision — a no-cause termination or a rent increase of 10% or more — forces a move. Interim Director Light and Policy and Planning Director Josh Roper walked through a policy adopted by emergency ordinance in 2017 and made permanent in 2018, with 5 triggering events and 12 exemptions. The current payments — $2,900 for a studio, $3,300 for a one-bedroom, $4,200 for a two-bedroom, and $4,500 for three or more bedrooms — have not changed since 2017 (00:22:00).

Roper said relocation notices tied to rent increases fell from 27 in fiscal 2022-23 to 4 in fiscal 2024-25 (00:26:15), which staff attributed largely to state law — Senate Bill 611 in 2023 capped covered increases at the lower of 10% or 7% plus inflation — and softening rents. Asked by Avalos whether fewer people were being displaced or the policy was simply reaching fewer of them, Roper said staff could not be certain (00:49:22). If the payment amounts were revised, he said, "I would expect it to go up based on the numbers" (00:51:43). The bureau reported 728 help desk contacts about RELO in fiscal 2026, and noted it does not track what happens to tenants after they receive assistance.

Vice Chair Mitch Green (District 4) pressed on the state cap, saying it functions as roughly 10% because inflation is never zero — "this year it's ... 7.9%" — and that at that rate "rents double in 7 years" under the rule of 72 (00:40:18). Green also questioned whether the bureau's hired consultant would understand tenants; Roper named the firm as Stout, citing its right-to-counsel experience (00:39:23). Staff clarified the broader review covers all landlord-tenant policies, including FAIR and the North/Northeast preference policy, not RELO alone (01:07:29); the request for proposals went out last December and the contract is being finalized this month. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) noted that 15-20% rent increases were once routine and that no-cause evictions remain the largest source of relocation payments (00:59:30).

Renters, a landlord, and a councilor testify

Eleven people registered and two walked in for the renter forum. The dominant proposal came from Jamie Evenstar, a District 4 council candidate who described herself as author of Portland's tenant protections, including FAIR and RELO. Evenstar urged lowering the RELO trigger from 10% to 5%, saying "10% ... has always been too high" and that her 2017 analysis showed anything above 5-7% pushes the average renter into severe rent burden (01:28:14). She said the city defended RELO "all the way to the Oregon Supreme Court" and named city attorney Denis Valliere.

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-09-15-hpc-1

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Portland City Council Community & Public Safety Committee 09/15/26

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 16:30:00 GMT

The Community and Public Safety Committee laid a firearms ordinance on the table 3-2 after passing an amendment to it 5-0, deferring a proposal to strip the concealed-handgun defense for guns carried into three downtown city buildings. (01:51:24)

Steve Novick (District 3) chaired the meeting. The committee approved its July–August minutes by unanimous consent (00:07:29) and took up three items.

Firearms in city buildings tabled after procedural clash

The ordinance, introduced by Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) on behalf of the administration, would remove the affirmative defense that lets concealed-handgun-license holders carry into City Hall, the Portland Building and the 1900 Building. The City Administrator said the idea grew from Multnomah County's move to bar firearms from its meetings and from an incident in which a person breached a secured area, and that he wanted a safe environment "as tensions are rising" on many dais conversations (01:14:39).

Dunphy said city HR policy has barred staff from carrying since 2002, and that the highest penalty for a violation would be a Class A misdemeanor, adding that a person "would need to make a lot of compounding bad decisions" before police became involved (01:17:09). The committee passed his amendment 5-0, directing the City Administrator to write administrative rules that start with education and an opportunity to store a weapon before any law-enforcement referral (01:31:58).

Eric Zimmerman (District 4) challenged that framing: "that's actually not how laws are enforced," calling the measure "a solution in search of a problem" and a "pet project" brought back "every couple weeks with no substantive difference" (01:24:23). He said a September 1 public records request seeking the item's origin had gone unanswered 14 days later: "I don't take kindly to what I felt was a reasonable request" (01:32:13). Sameer Kanal (District 2), questioning limits on councilor briefings tied to quorum rules, said, "If any state legislators are listening to this, this is absurd" (01:39:07).

Zimmerman moved to table the ordinance with no date. A drawn-out exchange followed over whether the motion was a "table" or a "postpone indefinitely," which the clerk warned would kill the item; Zimmerman kept his original motion, saying it "more reflects my intent" (01:50:47). The committee laid the item on the table 3-2, with Novick and Angelita Morillo (District 3) voting no (01:51:24). Loretta Smith (District 1) had said she was prepared to support the ordinance but that lawful owners "must receive clear notice" of the change (01:29:07).

Police expansion cost report placed on file

A report requested by Smith's February resolution laid out what growing the Portland Police Bureau would cost. Performance analyst Nick McDonald said a mid-range 10-year model adds about $700,000 the first year, rising to roughly $38 million a year above current levels by 2036, net of overtime savings, plus about $340 million in capital costs for buildings and vehicle storage (00:14:39). He said overtime could be cut by two-thirds by 2036, saving about $13 million a year (00:12:07). Smith stressed the report "is not a final staffing plan" but a framework, and welcomed a projected 207% increase in community policing activity (00:26:20).

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-09-15-cpsc-1

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 09/10/26

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 16:30:00 GMT

The Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole voted 9-0 to refer the appointment of Omar K. Salomon to the Homelessness Response System's Steering and Oversight Committee to the full City Council with a recommendation to accept, with three members absent (01:53:22).

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) presided in the absence of Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), who had a preplanned absence. Councilors Olivia Clark (District 4) and Loretta Smith (District 1) were also absent. Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) arrived at 10:45 a.m.

Homelessness oversight appointment

The committee heard the nomination of Salomon, owner of Zocotl, a juice and smoothie bar with two Portland locations, to fill the business-sector seat on the Steering and Oversight Committee. Jillian Schoney of the Homelessness Response System staff said the seat is one of five non-voting positions and that its holder must be nominated by a chamber of commerce; Salomon was elevated by the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber (01:22:54). Policy advisor Robin Johnson described a roughly four-month recruitment reaching 17 chambers and business associations, of which two recommended candidates; Salomon was the single person meeting the standards.

Salomon told the committee he had been a business owner about eight years and previously worked as a social worker with families experiencing or at risk of homelessness (01:27:51). Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) said he had pushed for independent members "that aren't connected to the industry" and encouraged Salomon to "own your voice," adding he was "a little bummed" the seat is non-voting (01:34:38). Zimmerman, who sits on the committee, said the business voice had "been missing for a few months now."

Schoney clarified that the oversight committee uses a two-step process: a consensus 3-2-1 vote by all members, then an official vote by the five voting members (01:48:33). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said he had difficulty finding minutes and vote tallies from prior committee meetings and asked that summaries be made public. The motion, moved by Zimmerman and seconded by Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), passed 9 aye, 3 absent. The appointment is tentatively on the County Board of Commissioners' consent agenda for September 17.

2020 protest police discipline reviews

Kanal questioned Deputy City Administrator Warren about reviews of six investigations into the Portland Police Bureau stemming from 2020, two involving former chiefs of police. Warren said the city has a past practice of having a neutral party review so that a current chief does not review a former chief, and that the mayor's office worked with the city attorney's office. She said the Bureau of Human Resources provided a recommendation to the mayor, who made the decision; she was Human Resources Director when the cases were assigned and continued the work in her interim role (00:39:57). She described herself as a "second recommender" alongside Independent Police Review, and said the City Attorney's Office told her there is precedent, though it had not happened during her tenure as HR director.

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-09-10-fgc-1

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City Council Work Session - Budget Process Revisions 09/10/26

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland's budget team laid out four areas of possible changes to the city budget process for the 2027-28 cycle at a September 10 work session, taking direction from the 12-member council but casting nothing as a recommendation and taking no vote.

Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery and Budget Director Ruth Levine presented options grouped into four themes — information access, decision-making support, community engagement, and budget accuracy — each option flagged as easy, challenging, or medium to implement. Biery told councilors the options were "a synthesis of the feedback that we've heard" and that "nothing in here is identified as a recommendation." Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) ran the queue and held members to five minutes per theme.

Members press for spreadsheets over narrative

The sharpest agreement of the afternoon came on how budget information reaches the council. Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) said she wanted line-by-line data showing programs, dollars, and staffing counts. "I don't need a story for you to explain. I just need a spreadsheet," she said (00:35:05), and objected to internal-fee charges she put at rising 22% a year. Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) said forward-facing budget documents carry too much internal accounting data, pointing to fund transfers of $500,000 between identical line items as meaningless for decisions. "Names help, numbers don't," he said (00:47:46).

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) asked the team to restore the program-offer detail published under the former form of government. Levine said program offers still exist in the budget book but changed with new software, and are tied to the city's SAP financial system, making a full overhaul a multi-year effort. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said his office got answers when it asked but the process is "under-resourced relative to the demand," and urged the next proposed budget to fund training so council staff can run standardized data queries. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) and Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) asked for standardized one-page bureau summaries; Ryan wanted a 5- and 10-year look-back and figures on money going to private and nonprofit partners.

Whether to issue a City Administrator report

On decision-making, Biery said members disagree over whether to keep the City Administrator's budget report and what it should contain, with general agreement it should not carry balanced recommendations. Dunphy, in his opening, said cutting that report this year left the mayor's proposed budget appearing to "come out of a black box." Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said she would accept a report framed as analysis but not one resembling a budget proposal.

Levine described scenario guidance built around cut targets such as 3% and 10% from current service level. Ryan said, "I find across-the-board cuts to be lazy and not very strategic" (01:05:51). Morillo cautioned against asking for deeper cuts than needed, citing employee morale after years of feared layoffs, and said the council learned merit increases went unawarded to non-represented staff because some bureaus budgeted for them and some did not.

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-09-10-ws-1

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Portland City Council AM Session 09/09/26

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 23:31:00 GMT

Portland's City Council adopted a resolution 8-4 directing the administration to open planning talks with Portland State University on a new city-owned, 3,000-seat Broadway-capable theater estimated at $447 million, while committing no money and pledging to keep the Keller Auditorium in use. (03:19:44)

PSU performing arts venue and the Keller

The resolution (03:19:44) authorizes the administration to work with Portland State on a venue proposed for the university's campus and to plan the future of the aging Keller. Sue Pack told the council the measure "greenlights financial planning" and confirmed the theater "would be a city-owned asset." Sarah Schwarz, PSU Foundation president and project lead, said the university has secured state bonds and $12.5 million in philanthropy and warned donor interest could fade, but acknowledged "we would fully expect for the city to potentially fund the entire project" (02:47:39).

Much of the three-hour discussion turned on money the city does not have. Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira said nothing is budgeted beyond staff time and that the resolution was meant "to stop the swirl" of years of indecision, with a December 1 target to bring back a concept — or a report that no deal could be reached. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) put the exposure at "$440 million with no funding source" (01:18:49) and questioned a $44 million figure PSU had floated; Schwarz said that was a 10% target to signal commitment, not a set city obligation. City Attorney Robert Taylor said the resolution commits no funding and that he "would not be worried" about defending the city if PSU sued over the $44 million (02:16:43).

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) urged passage, calling the Keller a "seismic death trap" and arguing that closing it for renovation would suspend touring Broadway shows for up to five years and cost union jobs. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) opposed, favoring a full restoration of the Keller and calling two new large venues a "fantasy" that staff had confirmed the market cannot support (02:37:45). Voting no were Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Angelita Morillo (District 3), Sameer Kanal (District 2) and Ryan; Koyama Lane cited PSU classified staff preparing to strike.

Executive authority disputes

The venue debate reopened a running fight over how far the administration can act without the council. Kanal recalled being told a May 18 tennis center vote would not commit the city to privatization, then said "I found out yesterday in the chamber that a contract has already been signed" (01:29:12). He cited $24,000 quoted to move Dunphy's desk as an example of internal rates that will rise without a new funding source. Morillo pressed Taylor on whether the resolution could let the executive bind the council; Taylor said the measure's terms limit that and that funding decisions return to the council. CFO Jonas Biery said "the administration cannot spend dollars that are not appropriated in the budget and authorized by Council" (03:12:12).

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-09-09-1

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Portland City Council Work Session 09/09/26

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland's council held an informational work session on regional behavioral health and heard a four-part proposal to press the 2027 Legislature to backfill 55 recently closed inpatient psychiatric beds, add about 50 psychiatric respite and 50 subacute beds, create a sustainable inpatient-psychiatry reimbursement rate, and remove barriers to building capacity — no vote was taken.

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) opened the session and handed the gavel to Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), who has shepherded the behavioral health strategy since the last agenda-development cycle (00:06:38). Pirtle-Guiney noted the city does not provide behavioral health services and "don't generally weigh in at this dais about what these systems should look like," but that the city's biggest challenges are tied to gaps in that system. Office of Government Relations Director Sam Chase framed the meeting as a foundation for coordinated state advocacy and asked whether the proposed direction matched the council's intent.

The proposal and the data behind it

Joe Hardman, Chief Medical Officer at Health Share of Oregon, walked the council through a care continuum running from prevention and outpatient care to residential, crisis, inpatient psychiatry, and the Oregon State Hospital. He said the state hospital is now "almost exclusively focused on the aid and assist patients," tracing the shift to the 2003 Mink case and later federal oversight.

Hardman presented a "high acuity behavioral health cohort" — members with stimulant use disorder, opioid use disorder, psychosis, or overdose — that he said represents 9% of Health Share's adult members but 29% of total costs (00:23:31). Linking health and housing data, he said more than half of people served through shelter, supportive housing, and street outreach have a high-acuity condition.

The model produced four linked priorities: preserve inpatient capacity and backfill the 55 inpatient psychiatric beds that closed, add about 50 psychiatric respite beds and 50 subacute beds, create a sustainable inpatient-psychiatry reimbursement rate, and remove capacity-building barriers (00:57:42). Pirtle-Guiney confirmed the 55-50-50 figures on the record. Hardman said inpatient beds cost about $1.5 to $2 million each, while subacute and respite beds run about $500,000 each (01:13:53).

Julie Ibrahim, CEO of New Narrative, described a supported-housing building at 13th and Clay with 24/7 staffing that "operates at about $50,000 per bed per year," which she called "a bargain compared to hospitalization" (00:49:00). James Schroeder, CEO of Cascadia Health, said acuity mismatch in housing produces "3.5 times more likely return to homelessness" and, in the last month alone, one murder at a Cascadia affordable-housing unit and three staff assaults (00:29:21).

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Portland City Council Public Works Committee 09/08/26

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Portland's Public Works Committee held a discussion-only session on parks partnerships and volunteerism on Sept. 8, taking no vote but placing both agenda items on file — and used it to press Portland Parks and Recreation over a 25-year Portland Tennis Center contract signed without a council vote.

Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4), who presided, framed the two-hour session as a chance to hear from Parks and its community partners about "what works, what gets in the way, and what the city could do differently." Interim Parks Director Art Pierce reported that volunteer hours reached 485,391 this year, which he valued at "nearly $17 million" in community contribution and said exceeded Mayor Keith Wilson's goal of returning above pre-COVID levels (00:16:40). Pierce described more than 100 partner organizations and 40 site-based partnerships.

Tennis Center contract signed without a vote

The session turned pointed when councilors learned that operations of the Portland Tennis Center had already been transferred to the U.S. Tennis Association. Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), whose district includes the center, said the city administrator had signed a lease for the center and a license for six outdoor court sites, both with 25-year terms and automatic 5-year extensions. She said council had been promised an open process: "I've had to tell my constituents, oh, it's It's a done deal. It already happened" (02:04:49). She noted an access discount program was being replaced with one year of complimentary access, and said she was surprised City Administrator Raymond Lee was not present given prior messages about further conversation at this meeting.

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) questioned whether the deal was within the administrator's authority: "I'm actually not convinced that it's within the city administrator's scope to sign that kind of a contract," because the charter ties that authority to consistency with the budget (02:12:56). Green said the item went to the Arts and Economy Committee on Dec. 16 as a presentation with a commitment it would return for a decision, "it never did," adding "committees don't make decisions for this whole city. City Council does, not committees" (02:19:08).

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) read from a May 18 budget transcript in which Lee said a technical amendment funding partial-year tennis operations did not commit council to the transfer, and quoted charter Article 4, Section 2-401 that the administrator may execute contracts "consistent with the city budget" (02:29:04). Kanal said, "I'm going to be very specific when I say behind our back. That is not an— that is an intentional use of the phrase." Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) offered a different reading, interjecting "It went through committee" (02:19:05) and later saying the charter gives the mayor and administrator authority to execute contracts without council review. Pierce, two months into the job, apologized for the timing, saying he had come on as negotiations were being finalized (02:08:36).

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Portland City Council PM Session 09/03/26

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council voted 12-0 to direct the city administrator to negotiate exclusively with Albina Vision Trust as the development partner for city-owned parcels next to the Moda Center, capping negotiations at 12 months (01:55:00).

Albina development partnership adopted unanimously

Resolution 37751, sponsored by the three District 2 councilors — Sameer Kanal, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, and Dan Ryan — came out of the City Life Committee on a 5-0 vote and directs the administrator to negotiate with Albina Vision Trust for city-owned properties around the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The resolution does not transfer property or appropriate funds, and negotiations may not exceed 12 months. Pirtle-Guiney (D2) tied it to the displacement of Black Portlanders when I-5 and urban renewal cut through Lower Albina. Kanal (D2) argued the city should "stop doing the only" — ending the scarcity that pits communities of color against one another (01:44:03). Ryan (D2) said up to 10 parcels could be added.

More than 20 people testified, all in support. Wynta Johannes, executive director of Albina Vision Trust, called the resolution "nearly a decade in the making" (00:36:00). JT Flowers said the trust has brought $850 million in direct investment and described it as "the largest community-led development ... in the United States of America" (01:27:02). Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang said Metro invested $5 million in 2023 to begin acquiring land (00:49:00). Multnomah County Commissioner Shannon Singleton (District 2) said county funds are contingent on a binding city–Albina Vision Trust agreement (00:47:00). Michael Alexander, the trust's board chair since 2024, described a 94-acre vision and the completed 94-unit Albina 1 housing (00:57:53).

Kimberly Horner, executive director of the Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, supported the resolution but asked the city not to forget legacy organizations, citing her group's Pathway 1000 goal of 1,000 housing units (01:32:49). Councilor Mitch Green (D4) asked whether the commitment holds even if the Moda Center lease "gets sideways"; Kanal said it does (01:40:24).

PSU performing arts venue held over after hours of split testimony

The council heard 53 signed-up testifiers on Resolution 37752, which would accept recommendations to advance a new roughly 3,000-seat Broadway-capable venue at Portland State University while keeping the Keller Auditorium programmed. It came out of committee on a 4-1 vote. The council ran out of time and continued the item to September 9 at 9:30 a.m., reaching neither discussion nor a vote (03:50:23). Councilor Steve Novick (D3) earlier called it "the Keller-PSU knife fight" (01:43:43).

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Portland City Council AM Session 09/02/26

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council voted 12-0 to adopt an emergency ordinance giving every city employee a free annual TriMet pass, and amended it 12-0 to extend the benefit to contracted janitors and security staff who work full-time for the city.

Free transit passes for city workers ahead of the I-5 closure

The council approved a one-year pilot providing a fully subsidized annual TriMet pass to all city employees, including casual and seasonal workers, as an emergency ordinance requiring nine votes. It passed 12-0 (01:46:03). Introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson, the pilot costs a flat $495,000, about $245,000 more than the city paid for transit passes last fiscal year, at roughly $61 per employee (00:53:41). Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Millicent Williams tied the timing to the Oregon Department of Transportation's closure of southbound Interstate 5 beginning September 11, which she said could extend commutes "up to 3 times" what people expect (00:42:39).

Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) pulled the item from the consent agenda to confirm employees wanted the benefit and to ask about roughly 100 to 150 subcontracted janitors and security staff who were left out (00:40:05). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) moved an amendment directing the city administrator to extend the pass to contractors providing "sole service" to the city, saying "I don't want to get silly over $7,000" (01:28:29); the amendment passed 12-0 (01:44:40). City Administrator Raymond C. Lee said he worried about time constraints on adding contractors before the closure (01:32:08). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) cautioned that "once we open this door to one contractor, we're going to have to open this door to all of our contractors" (01:31:04). The one speaker, Jordan Lewis of Portland Democratic Socialists of America, said the plan was not universal and cited a downtown worker paying $104 a month to park versus a $100 monthly transit pass (00:55:01).

Renaming Cesar Chavez Boulevard

The council passed to second reading an ordinance renaming Northeast and Southeast Cesar Chavez Boulevard as Campesinos Boulevard (04:36:26). Co-sponsors Smith and Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) said the change moves the honor from one man to the collective of farmworkers, citing revelations that, as Koyama Lane put it, "Cesar Chavez was a pedophile and abuser" (02:39:56). The ordinance waives five sections of city street-naming code. About 19 people testified. Invited supporters included original 2009 campaign organizers Marta Gomez and Jose Romero, former Mayor Tom Potter, and Maria Cecilia Hinojos-Presi of PCUN, who said Oregon agriculture is a $42 billion industry while the average farmworker earns less than $30,000 a year (02:34:44).

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Portland City Council Community & Public Safety Committee 09/01/26

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 23:50:00 GMT

The Community and Public Safety Committee referred a 27% Portland Fire & Rescue fee increase to the full City Council on a 4-1 vote after first stripping its emergency clause, and spent the rest of its meeting dissecting why police response times keep rising even as call volume falls.

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) chaired the September 1 meeting remotely, explaining he had COVID. Councilors Angelita Morillo (District 3), Loretta Smith (District 1) and Sameer Kanal (District 2) attended, and Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) arrived shortly after the start.

Fire fees and code update

Fire Chief Lauren Johnson and Fire Marshal Kerry Schimmel presented two ordinances introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson. The first adopts the current Oregon Fire Code and removes year-specific references so staff need not return with a new ordinance at each state update. It went to full Council with a do-pass recommendation on a 5-0 vote (00:48:50).

The second raises fire fees, which Johnson said had not been comprehensively updated since before 2012 while personnel costs rose 43% since 2020. The 27% increase would move cost recovery from 42% toward a historic target of 55%; a 36% increase would be needed to reach 57% (00:16:00). Johnson said Portland's fees average $146 below peer cities now and would remain $53 below after the increase (00:17:00). Councilors noted the fees were approved in principle during the June budget, which relied on them to keep the Fire Bureau solvent.

Novick and Kanal both worried the fees drew no targeted outreach beyond the budget process. Kanal moved to remove the emergency clause from the fee ordinance to allow public input at full Council; that amendment passed 3-2, with Zimmerman and Smith opposed (00:47:26). The amended fee ordinance was then referred 4-1, Zimmerman opposed (00:49:55). Zimmerman objected that tripling a plan-review fee cut against the council's permit-cost reform work: "if we're serious about permit reform, permit cost reform... this is one of those areas I'm going to kind of draw a line here" (00:30:09). He also told City Administrator Raymond Lee he was "growing a little frustrated" that routine items arrived without advance briefings (00:42:48).

The exchange had lighter moments. When Zimmerman asked Kanal to repeat the amendment because "Angelita and I were being like the bad kids in the back here," Kanal replied he "was skillfully listening to both at the same time. Skill issue" (00:46:36). Novick added that with "a reasonable organized crime organization in this city... we could charge them fees for investigations" (00:47:35).

Police response times

Deputy Chief Brian Hughes, Lt. Christy Butcher and Christian Peterson of the Strategic Services Division presented for the Portland Police Bureau, at the request of Morillo and Novick. Hughes said rising response times reflect more Priority 1 calls, more officers per call for de-escalation, and staffing losses. Priority 1 calls rose 23.4% from fiscal 2017-18 to last year (01:53:19), available officers are down about 11%, and at least 90 to 100 officers are in training. Peterson said shooting-with-weapon calls nearly doubled and stabbing calls rose about 29%, each drawing more officers. Hughes noted homicides tripled in 2020-22, peaking above 90 in 2022, and are on pace for about 30 this year (01:57:49).

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Portland City Council Housing & Permitting Committee 09/01/26

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 21:00:00 GMT

A Portland City Council committee voted 4-0 to send full Council a resolution urging the City Administrator not to sign non-disclosure agreements for data center deals, after amending it to add the Council's intent to pursue a moratorium or zoning limits on hyperscale data centers.

The Housing and Permitting Committee, chaired by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), took up the resolution from Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Mitch Green (District 4) and Avalos, who joined as a co-sponsor during the meeting. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) was absent; Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) stepped out for part of the discussion.

Data center transparency resolution

Koyama Lane framed the measure as a first step toward broader protections, saying it "literally costs the city nothing to commit to being transparent" (01:24:00) and calling it a "high-integrity first step" toward a possible moratorium or ban. The committee first adopted an amendment adding the Council's stated intent to pursue a moratorium or zoning restrictions on hyperscale data centers, passing it 3-0 with Novick and Pirtle-Guiney absent for that vote (01:46:46).

Green explained why the resolution "urges" rather than requires: the charter reserves contract execution to the mayor, so a resolution can only signal Council's will, and compelling different behavior would require an ordinance (01:47:41). He said he does not believe the city should have NDAs "of any kind" among government officials but that the body could not compel that by resolution.

After the amendment added moratorium intent, Pirtle-Guiney declared a potential conflict of interest, saying her wife works for Microsoft, whose business includes developing data centers (01:59:21). She said she saw no conflict before the amendment but wanted to note it out of caution. The committee then referred the amended resolution to full Council with a recommendation to adopt, 4-0 with one absent (02:09:11).

What staff told the committee

Sandra Wood, a principal planner with the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, said data centers are currently classified as "industrial office" uses and are largely limited to commercial mixed-use and employment zones, with an added allowance in the Central Eastside industrial subdistrict. She said Portland's small lot sizes make hyperscale facilities unlikely, and noted the 2025 Oregon POWER Act created a new electricity rate class so data centers "pay their fair share" (00:37:00).

Natalie Didion, the Portland Permitting and Development building official, said large projects go through early-assistance review but there is no report to City Council when permits come in (01:53:19). On a proposed 20-megawatt threshold, both Wood and Didion said they had not done the crosswalk to building or lot size. Koyama Lane said 20 megawatts defines large-load customers, not necessarily hyperscale, aligning with the state definition in HB 3546. Green, citing utility rate-making, said large-load tariff thresholds generally begin around 20 megawatts, and that the Moda Center is about a 10-megawatt load (02:02:17).

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 08/13/26

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 02:00:00 GMT

A committee panel of health, toxicology and environmental experts urged the Portland City Council to ban chemical weapons in the city, telling the Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole that tear gas and related agents pose respiratory, reproductive and ecological harms — a presentation that drew pointed objections from two councilors over its scope. The committee took no vote on the presentation, which was placed on file.

The August 13 meeting, chaired by Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2), also referred a slate of appointments to the New Portlanders Policy Commission to the full Council and continued a discussion of how the city builds its budget. Councilors Olivia Clark (District 4) and Eric Zimmerman (District 4) were absent.

Panel on chemical weapons draws a scope fight

Four presenters described health and environmental effects of chemical agents used in Portland. Dr. Charisse Bach of 350 PDX said a study of "Tear Gas Tuesday" estimated 2 kilograms of toxins entered the Willamette River from airborne particles on June 2, 2020 (01:52:00), and that samples contained barium, copper, lead and zinc. Dr. Erica Moseson, a pulmonary and critical care physician with the Oregon Thoracic Society, said a masked study of over 6,000 soldiers was halted after it doubled the rate of bronchitis symptoms, and noted more than 1 in 10 Oregonians have asthma (01:57:00). Stacy Harper, an Oregon State University toxicology professor, cited a 2023 paper that surveyed over 1,200 tear-gas-exposed people with a uterus, of whom 83% reported at least one adverse symptom (02:00:00), and said 54.5% of surveyed menstruating Portland protesters reported a menstrual change. Chad Robison, a retired firefighter-paramedic who volunteers as a medic outside the Portland ICE facility, described canisters thrown to trap crowds: "It wasn't an attempt to disperse a crowd. It was to cause pain" (02:11:00). The panel recommended the council ban chemical weapons in Portland.

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) questioned why the item lacked state and federal law context and any Portland Police Bureau perspective: "I really am just a little lost on what we're doing" (02:27:10). Kanal said the panel was an external-stakeholder discussion of public health and told Ryan, "I'm hearing you'd like a presentation with the users of chemical weapons in the future" (02:26:53). Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) said the police bureau should be part of the conversation but added, "I do not see you tear gassing our children in Portland." Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said Portland Police "regularly deployed many chemical weapons" in 2020.

The exchange sharpened when Kanal said Portland Police used chemical munitions "yesterday" on the 1800 block of Northwest Overton, reading from the bureau's website. Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) raised a point of order (02:47:17), saying her understanding was that the bureau had not used tear gas since 2020 and that "you're confusing the public because you're confusing me" (02:48:07). Kanal replied, "Not sure how much clearer it could be about reading the thing" (02:49:53), and said he would follow up with more clarity. Moseson stated a fatality rate figure and an Egypt fatality count only tentatively and offered to provide written references.

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Portland City Council AM Session 08/12/26

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Portland City Council adopted a non-binding term sheet 8-4 to begin negotiations to renovate the Moda Center and keep the Trail Blazers in Portland for at least 20 more years, after amending it to add rent from the team and raise that rent to $3.17 million a year. (04:22:42)

Trail Blazers term sheet

The resolution (item 6), introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson, passed with Councilors Steve Novick (District 3), Olivia Clark (District 4), Eric Zimmerman (District 4), Loretta Smith (District 1), Sameer Kanal (District 2), Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Dan Ryan (District 2) and Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) in favor, and Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Angelita Morillo (District 3), Mitch Green (District 4) and Candace Avalos (District 1) opposed. Council President Dunphy called it "the city's opening proposal" and said the 2 p.m. continuation session was cancelled.

Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira told the council the document was assembled without the Blazers having formally negotiated, and that the city will need renovation details from the team before returning in December. The term sheet describes a $120 million upfront city contribution and a $275 million ongoing capital contribution over 20 years, drawn against roughly $300 million-plus committed by the state. An amendment package co-sponsored by Dunphy, Pirtle-Guiney, Ryan and Kanal — built from proposals councilors raised the prior week — passed 12-0 (02:05:16) and added a rent term of $2 million a year, joint-authority approval over public dollars, city development rights and community-benefits reporting.

Novick then moved to raise the rent to $3.17 million a year, saying his goal was for the city to recover about $117 million over 20 years assuming it borrows $75 million at roughly 4.6 percent. It passed 7-5 (02:22:19). Novick also told any listening NBA owners the city's ask amounts to about $6 million a year — "less than the salary of Clint Capela of the Houston Rockets" (03:26:47) — and noted the Blazers made $361 million in 2024-25 (03:25:11).

An earlier Green amendment to peg rent escalation to Oregon's rent-stabilization cap failed on a 6-6 tie (01:59:35), with Dunphy joining Koyama Lane, Morillo, Green, Avalos and Kanal in favor. "I don't know why we would charge Rip City Management... a better rent control deal than we're giving Portland tenants," Green said, noting 53 percent of his District 4 constituents rent. Smith objected that the amendment referenced a residential statute for a commercial lease.

The dissents

Morillo said economists who study arena deals call it "the worst deal of all time" (01:24:09) and tied the spending to school lunches and cuts to the Portland Clean Energy Fund. Green cited coming TriMet service cuts and said no credible economic study supports the deal: "There's no such thing as a free lunch in public economics" (03:34:20). Avalos said the owner must make a private contribution and framed her vote as "not a vote against the Blazers" (03:47:03). Koyama Lane said she could not support it "without a firm commitment of funds from Mr. Dundon" (04:08:05).

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Portland City Council City Life Committee 08/11/26

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The City Life Committee referred to the full City Council, 4-1, a resolution advancing a new Broadway-capable performing arts venue at Portland State University, after adding amendments that bar the city from committing construction money until it sees a full financial plan. (02:06:52)

Performing arts venue at PSU heads to Council

The resolution, introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson, affirms the city's interest in a roughly 3,000-seat venue as part of a Performing Arts + Culture Center at PSU and starts planning for the future of the Keller Auditorium. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) opened by drawing a line between "planning a project and paying for a project" and said flatly that without her amendments, "I cannot support" the measure (00:34:41).

Her three amendments all passed. Avalos 1 replaced "affirm the city's commitment" with "support advancing planning and pre-development," passing 5-0 (01:00:34). A financial-guardrail amendment stating the resolution does not authorize or appropriate city funds passed after being split in two; the first half went 5-0, the second 4-1 with Chair Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) the only no, on the ground that requiring confirmed outside funding first would make the city "last dollar in" (01:16:14). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) asked Avalos to strike a "return on invested capital analysis" requirement, saying "quantifying return on investment in the arts and education is almost an impossible task" (01:02:28). A third amendment requiring council approval before any capital commitment passed 5-0.

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) pressed staff on money. He established that the state's $137 million goes to PSU's education and parking components, with no state funding currently for the Broadway-capable venue (00:49:33), and that the university has asked the city for $44 million to fund design and cost estimating on the city-owned facility (00:51:39). Deputy City Administrator Daniel Oliveira said the intent was never "to come to you with a price tag for you to vote on in December" (00:40:00). Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) cited "the biggest budget deficit we've seen in a long time" and roughly "$160 million" in cuts (00:37:27).

Two more amendments addressed the Keller. A Clark amendment tying Keller funding directly to PSU fundraising was withdrawn; a revised version from Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) decoupling the funding and directing the city to seek Keller money "where feasible" passed 4-1, with Morillo the no (01:51:25). Zimmerman cast his yes as an FDR-style bet on construction, invoking "build, baby, build" and saying he would not "turn down the opportunity to leverage state dollars to get the Portland economy cranes in the air" (01:55:48). Ryan was the lone no on the resolution: "I can't get on the bandwagon to abandon the Keller to support something that is not on our balance sheet" (02:01:23). Pirtle-Guiney said "taking this step today says we are in on the vision" (02:03:33).

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Portland City Council Public Works Committee 08/11/26

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The Public Works Committee voted 5-0 to send the Portland Bureau of Transportation's streetcar-advertising code amendment to the full City Council with a recommendation to pass (00:24:39), the only vote taken at a meeting otherwise given over to three oversight presentations.

Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) chaired the session, with Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) as vice chair.

Streetcar advertising amendment referred to Council

The amendment to City Code Chapter 17.45 (Ordinance 2026-212), introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson, would let the city include Portland Streetcar benches and shelters in future advertising contracts. Caitlin Reff of the transportation bureau called it "a code cleanup" that "does not create a new program or change streetcar service," needed because the code was written before the streetcar existed (00:10:26). Dan Bauer of Portland Streetcar Inc. said the city owns the assets and can advertise its own programs, but "we're probably foregoing a little bit of revenue each time we do that" (00:15:24).

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) urged the bureau to avoid running car advertisements and to consider promoting the Portland Clean Energy Fund. Councilor Smith objected sharply to any restriction on which businesses could advertise, saying "to eliminate their businesses wholesale... that will not fly with me" and interjecting during the discussion, "I'm not going to allow this kind of conversation without me speaking up" (00:20:33). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) noted that current contract language bars marijuana businesses from advertising and offered to work with Smith on the issue. The motion to refer, moved by Kanal and seconded by Green, passed 5-0.

Bull Run filtration oversight

Water Bureau staff briefed the committee on the Bull Run filtration project (Doc 2026-281) after a site tour the prior Friday. Portland Public Utilities Director Ting Lu said the project was 37% complete as of June 30 and on track to deliver filtered water by September 29, ahead of the 2029 water-delivery mandate (00:28:52). A deputy city attorney put the current program estimate at about $2.56 billion (00:26:10). Chief Engineer Muriel Geisa Teufel reported $881 million spent through June, with $54 million spent in the prior month, and clarified that performance reporting uses the $2.46 billion figure for the two open projects (00:34:00).

Councilor Smith questioned whether the owner's representative, Brown and Caldwell, has a conflict of interest because it holds other contracts on the project, asking "who's going to check the checker?" (00:42:05). Deputy City Attorney Nancy Thorington answered that the two roles "are not two separate contracts. They're not going to be paid twice. It is just an amendment to an existing contract" (01:04:24), and said staff would return with a conflict-of-interest review from the city attorney and procurement.

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Portland City Council PM Session 08/06/26

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council let all 11 proposed amendments to the Moda Center arena term sheet die on August 6, most on 6-6 or 5-7 splits, and continued the resolution to August 12 without adopting a single change sought by councilors trying to force a financial return for the city.

Moda Center term sheet stalls amid a split council

The council spent most of the meeting on a non-binding term sheet that would keep the Trail Blazers in Portland for at least 20 more years through a renovation of the Moda Center. Every amendment failed. Six councilors — Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Angelita Morillo (District 3), Steve Novick (District 3), Mitch Green (District 4), Candace Avalos (District 1) and Sameer Kanal (District 2) — repeatedly voted to change the document; the other six repeatedly voted no.

Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira and Ken McGarry of the City Attorney's Office described the renovation as a $573 million project — $365 million from the state under Senate Bill 1501, a $120 million verbal city commitment, and $88 million from Multnomah County. Green (District 4) argued the deal actually obligates the city to far more, because it pre-commits roughly $275 million in Moda contributions and spectator-facility revenue over 20 years, which he put at an effective $848 million (01:11:00). His amendment to strike the post-renovation operations clause — which he said would free the spectator fund to bond for the $120 million and get him to "yes" — failed 5-7 (01:59:56).

Kanal (District 2) said he could not see how $75 million of the $120 million could be funded, with only $40-45 million identifiable from a business license tax source and up to $5 million from Prosper Portland (01:16:00). Novick (District 3) noted the city currently receives $1 in rent and proposed raising the user fee from 6% to 7% and taking all non-Blazer parking revenue; that failed 4-8 (02:35:10). Avalos (District 1) moved amendments to charge rent, secure a private capital contribution and split naming-rights revenue: "The rent for Portlanders is too damn high" (02:45:00). Her rent amendment split 6-6 (02:52:56); after it failed she said, "Yikes. No rent on a building we own. Cringe."

Morillo (District 3) cited two economists from a webinar the night before and said the Jacksonville Jaguars are rebuilding a stadium for about $725 million while the median comparable arena renovation runs about $340 million (01:44:00). She and Avalos noted the city just cut $160 million and laid off employees.

The dispute over whether to amend at all

The sharpest exchanges were procedural. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) said his office had asked councilors to craft amendments "in conversation with the professional negotiating team, not as a veto point." Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) and Olivia Clark (District 4), among others, said they would not support any amendment, arguing the term sheet is a framework and piecemeal dais changes could weaken the city's position.

Morillo pressed a colleague on the reasoning: "Based on what evidence?" The answer: "Honestly, it is what I am believing at this moment" (01:50:00). Morillo asked Mayor Keith Wilson directly whether the NBA had said the deal was dead if amendments passed; Wilson said, "I can't speak to that" (01:56:00), and later said he does want a return on investment.

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 08/06/26

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:30:00 GMT

A Portland City Council committee voted 7-5 to send the transfer of the Zenith Energy fuel-terminal franchise to a new owner, ISQ Springer Holdings, to the full council with a recommendation that it pass (02:39:42). The vote followed roughly two hours of testimony, most of it opposed.

Zenith franchise transfer moves toward full council

The Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole, chaired by Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2), took up the transfer of a franchise — the right to run fuel pipes across Front Avenue — from Zenith Energy Terminals Holdings to ISQ Springer Holdings, an entity of the private-equity firm I Squared Capital. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) moved to refer the ordinance with a do-pass recommendation, saying "staff has recommended this. I trust their due diligence as professionals" (02:31:04). Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) seconded and said he wanted to "get Zenith out of the way" (02:31:30).

The clerk announced the tally as 7 ayes and 5 nays (02:39:42). The transcribed roll records ayes from Novick, Olivia Clark (District 4), Loretta Smith (District 1), Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) and Ryan, and nays from Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Angelita Morillo (District 3), Eric Zimmerman (District 4), Mitch Green (District 4) and Kanal.

Councilor Pirtle-Guiney, voting yes, said the decision was narrow: I Squared can technically, legally and financially operate the pipes, and the same on-site staff would remain. She told Zenith directly, "the lawsuit you filed is not helping us" (02:34:16). Green, voting no, called the transfer "a regulatory checkpoint" and said "I would not vote to pass this outta committee today" (02:33:20). Morillo said she did not "feel comfortable approving anything today without more information" (02:10:38). Kanal, presiding, said an attempt "to bully me out of letting people testify on this item was not a good way to demonstrate" any intent, adding that "the bully's own business partners are among the testifiers" (02:37:11).

Records dispute and public testimony

More than 30 people testified across two panels, most urging delay. A recurring demand was release of documents referenced in the ordinance's Sections 4, 8, 9 and 10, plus third-party enforcement and an emergency resolution barring fuel-expansion permits until the city's Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub policy is in place. Nick Caleb of Breach Collective said the city had been sued by Zenith and that he had sought records since April, getting "the runaround" (00:22:09). Cassie Cohen of the Portland Harbor Community Coalition itemized I Squared's 18 UK violations — nine safety, six employment, two environmental and one consumer-protection (01:55:35). Danny Noonan said about 90% of Oregon's liquid fuel storage sits in the Cascadia subduction zone, where there is a 37% chance of a 7.1-plus earthquake within 50 years (00:25:06).

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Portland City Council AM Session 08/05/26

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The City Council took a full day of testimony but no vote on a non-binding term sheet to keep the Trail Blazers in Portland for 20 more years, continuing the matter to August 6 for deliberation and to August 12 for a final vote (03:52:08).

Term sheet for the Moda Center draws hours of testimony

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) opened the Moda Center item by telling the public what the term sheet is and is not. It "has not been subjected to back-and-forth negotiations," he said, but was drafted by the city's legal and negotiating team as a "reasonable first draft," and the Trail Blazers had not engaged in the process (00:29:49). He reminded the room that "Portland City Councilors are not the city's negotiators" — by charter, the mayor and his team negotiate, and the council's role is advice, consent, and approval of public funds (00:29:49). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) confirmed the term sheet is non-binding (00:36:44).

Councilors previewed amendments they will formally introduce later. Steve Novick (District 3) described three: raising the ticket revenue user fee from 6% to 7%, directing all non-Blazer event parking revenue to the city, and asking the Blazers to keep giving $2 million a year through the Blazer Foundation (00:33:00). Mitch Green (District 4) said his amendment would strike the post-renovation contribution to lower the city's exposure to $120 million rather than $400 million (00:34:00). Angelita Morillo (District 3) proposed a bond-impact analysis and a street-pricing requirement for concessions (00:35:21). Sameer Kanal (District 2) offered an amendment raising the user fee to 7% and the property-tax offset from $3 million to $4 million a year; he later corrected the record to say his escalator change goes from 5% to 6%, not 7% (03:52:28). City Administrator Raymond C. Lee told Candace Avalos (District 1) the term sheet gives a framework but "does not box us in" from negotiating other terms (00:39:15).

What the public said

Invited supporters framed the deal as unlocking money that otherwise does not exist. Mike Phelan of the We Are Rip City coalition said the city investment unlocks $365 million in state funding bonded against team revenues — "money that doesn't exist without the team being here" (00:44:00). Claire Hamill, president of the Portland Fire, cited a $150 million privately funded training center and urged WNBA-standard facilities (00:53:33). Megan Conway of Travel Portland said visitors spent $5.5 billion and created 35,000 jobs in 2025 (01:15:43). Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson said "this is a deal we must get done" and previewed county conditions (02:12:18).

Service workers described a wage gap at the arena. Bea Marston of Unite Here Local 8 said Portland'5 venue cooks make $29.25 an hour while a Moda Center cook posting listed $20 (01:35:31). Gisela Marroquin of SEIU Local 49 said she now earns $22.25 an hour with a union after years at about $8 without one (01:38:40). A concessions worker, Alex DeRora, said a unionized counterpart across the street makes $9 more an hour (01:43:49).

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Portland City Council Community & Public Safety Committee 08/04/26

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:30:00 GMT

The Community and Public Safety Committee referred a grant to expand police traffic enforcement to the full City Council on a 3-2 vote, over objections from two members that the city was funding an activity with documented racial disparities before examining them. The committee, chaired by Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), also advanced a psychedelics deprioritization ordinance after stripping out its proposed advisory commission, and heard an hour-long briefing from Multnomah County's corrections agency.

Traffic enforcement grant splits the committee

The committee voted 3-2 to refer a $103,069 grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation for expanded traffic enforcement, with a $25,768 match from the Portland Police Bureau (02:48:46). The money funds officer training, mobile citation printers, and drones used to document crash scenes. Sergeant Christopher Petrov of the Traffic Division said the drones are for "crime scene purposes only" and not for enforcement.

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) read from the bureau's own stops-data reports to show that Traffic Division stops of Black Portlanders rose from 8.0% in 2012 to 15.4% in the 2025 report, against a Black population of about 5.8% (02:18:02). He said he did not want to "expand something that's a problem by a dollar if we are not able to have the conversation about how to make it not a problem" (02:47:14). Deputy Chief Brian Hughes said the Chief's Office acknowledges the disparities "do exist and warrant additional exploration." Kanal asked that an equity measure be added to the grant's evaluation plan, which lists efficiency and accuracy but not equity; the city administrator said he would involve chief equity officer Latrice.

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3), who also voted no, pressed for a privacy impact assessment through the city's new Data Privacy Office before any new equipment is bought and called the sequence "very backwards," objecting that the committee spent over an hour on a county program it does not oversee while rushing an item within its direct responsibility (02:42:22). Novick said he had not been told the item would be "a forum for a much broader discussion" and committed to schedule a future session on traffic-stop disparities with police leadership present. Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) said the matter belonged in the Committee of the Whole and voted to move the grant. Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) voted aye but criticized the budget document as unhelpful, saying it lacked any breakdown of what the money buys.

A companion grant of $207,411 for street racing and takeover enforcement, also from ODOT with a $50,000 police match, was referred 5-0 (02:05:53). Captain Chris Burley said the bureau had no intent to buy drones or cameras with those funds.

Psychedelics ordinance advances without its commission

The committee referred an ordinance making natural psychedelics a low priority for police enforcement, first stripping the proposed Portland Psychedelics Advisory Commission. Kanal's amendment removing the commission passed 3-2 (03:02:40), and the ordinance as amended passed 4-1, with Smith the only no (03:11:50).

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Portland City Council Housing & Permitting Committee 08/04/26

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 22:42:00 GMT

The Housing and Permitting Committee referred a $35 million federal housing loan and 10 property-foreclosure ordinances to the full City Council on 5-0 votes, then heard an hour-long presentation on single-stair building reform that drew sustained pushback from one member.

The committee, chaired by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) with Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) as vice chair, met August 4 with five of its members present.

$35 million federal housing loan

The committee voted 5-0 to send Mayor Keith Wilson's ordinance appropriating a $35 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 108 award to full Council with a recommendation to pass (00:55:59). Kari Mosden of the Grants Management Division said the funds must serve households earning 0 to 80% of area median income and are aimed at preserving existing affordable housing; the city's 2023 Housing Needs Analysis identifies a need for 38,000 affordable units by 2045.

Avalos and Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) stressed repeatedly that the award is a loan, not a grant, and that the city is responsible for repayment. Amanda Saul of the Portland Housing Bureau said the bureau would first focus on preservation projects. Kara Hamilton of the bureau said the loan carries a floating rate — the three-month Treasury auction bill rate plus 35 basis points, "about 4.17%, so significantly lower than a for-profit lender would be lending at" (00:47:50) — over a 20-year term. Saul said the bureau will set aside part of its annual Community Development Block Grant entitlement as a reserve to cover any repayment gaps, and would likely cycle the funds through projects only once. Pirtle-Guiney said she was "comfortable with that intent moving forward" (00:52:10). Saul noted the bureau chose not to combine this money with an $8.8 million mortgage and rent buydown Council passed in April, opting to move that out quickly and treat the Section 108 fund as a later step (00:53:18). Green called the item "this is a slam dunk for me" (00:52:16). One person testified, reading a statement: "home-forward-cages-people-for-profit. End-the-suffering-now." (00:38:38).

Ten foreclosure ordinances advanced

The committee voted 5-0 to refer 10 ordinances initiating foreclosure on properties with delinquent city liens to full Council (00:34:00). Kevin Foster, the city's Foreclosure Prevention Manager, gave updates on a package first taken up July 21. Three items were pulled back to the Mayor's Office because owners resolved their situations — one satisfied the liens, one entered a payment plan, and one, at 6307 N Montana Avenue, reported progress by email "within the last hour" (00:23:12). A fourth property, 10104 SE Harold Street, was held in committee at Avalos's request to give the owner's family more time; Avalos said she believed "additional time is appropriate to allow the property owner's family to determine whether they can resolve the situation without the need for foreclosure" (00:21:48).

Pirtle-Guiney asked that 855 NE Church Street not be placed on a consent agenda so she can question its status at full Council. Foster said the package reaches full Council on September 9, with the committee's vote coming later, leaving time to remove properties if owners commit (00:25:49).

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Portland City Council PM Session 07/30/26

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's council passed a $287,500 settlement 9-0 on Thursday to resolve a bodily-injury lawsuit from a cyclist's collision with a Water Bureau dump truck, and sent a land-use code package back for a final August vote. The afternoon session ran under 30 minutes with two items on the agenda; Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) presided, and three members — Steve Novick (District 3), Mitch Green (District 4) and Candace Avalos (District 1) — were absent throughout.

Dump-truck settlement

The council approved paying $287,500 to settle a lawsuit by Michael Duffer over a collision with a city dump truck (00:22:48). Senior Deputy Attorney Anne Milligan told the council the crash happened July 1, 2024, at Southeast Hawthorne and 34th Avenue. She said the cyclist passed vehicles on the right and was riding alongside a 2024 Freightliner Water Bureau truck when it turned right onto 34th Avenue. The city driver testified his right turn signal was engaged; the cyclist testified he did not see one. The cyclist suffered closed avulsions in his ankles, road rash and a five-day hospital stay. Milligan said the settlement was recommended by the bureau, Risk Management and the City Attorney's Office.

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) pressed on how the city handles drivers involved in collisions. Charles Smith, Group Director of Maintenance Construction at the Portland Water Bureau, said discipline follows the union contract and a progressive process, with automatic action in some cases such as a positive DOT drug or alcohol test after an injury crash. He said that in 27 years at the bureau he could name three people removed from service for their driving (00:26:19). Smith said the driver in this case had clipped a car mirror in a narrow alleyway about six months earlier but had no moving violations.

Dave Farrow of Risk Management said the Water Bureau had 26 collision vehicle claims across fiscal years 2024-25 and 2025-26 (00:30:12). Kanal said it might help for the council to examine vehicle incidents "in the aggregate" rather than case by case. He also asked whether the allegation that the cyclist was dragged a full city block had been established as fact; Milligan replied, "There was security footage from the restaurant across the street that substantiates that allegation" (00:31:28). Kanal said he had "heard enough to support the settlement." The emergency ordinance, which required nine votes, passed with 9 ayes (00:32:04).

Land-use code package advances

The council moved the Regulatory Improvement Code Amendment Package 11, which amends Code Titles 32 and 33, to a second reading after a series of procedural amendments, each carried 9-0. Dunphy said the package's initial hearing was July 8, when the council adopted a mechanical-equipment amendment and his amendment allowing residential units in the campus institution CI-1 zone. He moved a conforming amendment, "Dunphy 2," to apply those changes throughout the code by pointing to RM-1 zone standards; it passed (00:10:35).

Chief Planner Eric Diffenderfer said a request to change the ordinance's effective date from October 1 to November 1 was "more for administrative reasons," tied to a project remediating the code to meet ADA accessibility requirements (00:11:22). The council then adopted replacement exhibits incorporating prior amendments (00:20:55) and set the effective date to November 1, 2026 (00:22:21).

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City Council AM Work Session 07/30/26

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council spent a three-hour work session laying out demands for a Moda Center renovation term sheet — with the Trail Blazers and city negotiators openly at odds over whether the team has provided the financial data the council needs — ahead of a first public hearing Aug. 5 and a scheduled council vote Aug. 12.

The session took no vote. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) opened by telling residents the council is not the negotiator: by charter, Mayor Keith Wilson and his team negotiate, while the council gives "advice and consent" and controls public funds (00:05:50). Dunphy set the schedule: public testimony Aug. 5, deliberations Aug. 6, and a term-sheet vote Aug. 12, with a long-term lease vote due in December.

The Blazers' terms and the "first-class" fight

Duane Hankins, President of Business Operations for the Trail Blazers and Rip City Management, said the team needs a "market-rate deal" and that negotiations cannot advance until the city addresses the "first-class standard" in the current bridge agreement, which he called "a relic language from a 30-year-old lease." He said the city must acknowledge the arena "is and remains in first-class condition" to remove "the threat of litigation" (00:09:23).

Hankins said the team has "invested nearly $1 billion" over 30 years and "accrued losses of more than $1 billion," and that the city's draft term sheet "contains more than 20 material departures" from Senate Bill 1501 and "adds hundreds of millions of dollars in extra costs." He warned that "A vote on August 12th gets us no closer to a deal unless that vote fixes the bridge agreement" (00:09:23).

Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) drew out the tension: if the building is in first-class condition, why does it need a major renovation? Chief Legal Officer Xandria Conyers said "Yes, we think the building is in first-class condition" and that the condition assessment is "forward-looking" over 20 years (00:51:53). Candace Avalos (District 1), joining remotely, asked why the team would not contribute privately; Hankins said the money "needs to come from the public sector," citing the roughly $1 billion already invested (00:32:25).

The dispute over information — and litigation

Several councilors said the team is withholding data. Mitch Green (District 4), a trained economist, said the Blazers "refused to convey critical details to our consultant" and asked, "Why won't you help us make an economic case for the deal?" (00:42:46). Conyers repeatedly cited the litigation threat as a "chilling effect."

Mike Wilkerson, Director of Economic Research at Eco Northwest, presented a study prepared for the Blazers tied to SB 1501 and the state — not the city. He said operations from 2030 to 2045 would support about $14 billion in output and return $950 million to the state (00:17:54). Green later learned the analysis was done "in late fall and early spring" (01:04:56) and said the city was seeing it for the first time: "the city's just now seeing it, that's troubling to me" (01:04:18).

Mayor Wilson answered the litigation claim directly: "We are not contemplating suing the Blazers," adding it "has never been a part of our conversations" (00:58:14). Sameer Kanal (District 2) said he could not imagine seven councilors voting to authorize a suit (02:00:33).

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Portland City Council AM Session 07/29/26

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council passed an ordinance removing income requirements for publicly subsidized affordable-homeownership units on an 8-3 vote, over objections that it turns a targeted program into a broad market subsidy (00:48:43). This digest covers the Wednesday, July 29 morning session, presided over by Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1); Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) was absent.

Income limits dropped from homeownership subsidy

The ordinance amends the city's system development charge exemption code to temporarily remove income requirements for homeownership units, aligning it with an SDC waiver passed last fall. It passed on a second reading, with Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Eric Zimmerman (District 4), and Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) voting no (00:48:43).

Koyama Lane said homes "supposed to be reserved for families that make less than $128,000" would become available to people earning more, naming "teachers and nurses and the people who make your coffee" (00:39:50). Pirtle-Guiney warned that removing income limits could "turn[] a public investment into a broad market subsidy," citing a 2023 Harvard study that found $25,000 in down payment assistance is "often the sweet spot" and most impactful for Black and Latina households. She said the $3 million in rent assistance the council passed this year, redirected as $25,000 grants, "would have helped 120 Portland families" toward homeownership (00:35:19).

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) supported the measure and pushed back on the down payment focus, noting the existing Down Payment Assistance Program gives "up to $120,000 per person" plus $2 million set aside in the prior budget, and said credit scores and job history are bigger barriers than cash (00:43:37). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) also supported it, arguing the waiver gives developers "on average of $25,000 to $30,000 of headroom" to keep building affordable homeownership, and that letting experienced firms fold would replace them with providers lacking that commitment (00:45:02). Green added that down payment assistance under the North Northeast Preference Policy averaged "something like $300,000 per household" over 10 years. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) supported it but asked City Administrator Raymond Lee for analysis of the waiver's impact; Lee said he was not certain and offered to bring housing staff (00:41:59). Pirtle-Guiney said she is developing standalone legislation on down payment assistance.

Fallout from prior week's "daddy" remark

Both public testimony and dais comments returned to a dispute from the previous week. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said she "was not directing my comment to Councilor Smith" and was "making a comment generally about someone invoking a different patriarchal authority," adding that Smith "was repeatedly interrupting me, so I ended up speaking to her directly through those interruptions" and that she has "immense respect" for Smith's work (00:24:23).

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Portland City Council Work Session - 07/29/26

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland councilors used a work session to press Oregon Department of Transportation officials on who will pay the citywide costs of a southbound I-5 closure through the Rose Quarter that begins September 11 and could last up to five weeks — a session that produced no vote.

City Administrator Raymond C. Lee III opened by calling the shutdown a project that "will have a significant impact on the city services, on our workers, our businesses, and our community at large" (00:06:33). Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) presided and skipped roll, noting work sessions take no formal action.

The closure and why ODOT chose it

David Kim, ODOT Statewide Project Delivery Manager, said the work replaces about 2,000 feet of a 38-foot-wide southbound bridge deck first laid in 1985, now 40 years old and past its 25-year lifespan. He said the Rose Quarter segment is Oregon's worst congestion bottleneck and carries the highest crash rate of any urban interstate in the state — about 3.5 times the statewide average, and 20 times higher on the southbound stretch near the Wheeler ramp.

ODOT evaluated single-lane and weekend-closure options before choosing a continuous shutdown for "safety, schedule, cost, and quality." Kim said drivers should expect travel times two to three times longer, with morning congestion starting 30 minutes earlier and evening congestion lasting 2.5 hours longer. One southbound lane stays open for local access to the Broadway-Weidler exit; the signed detour routes traffic to I-405 across the Fremont Bridge, with regional trips pushed to I-205.

Who pays for the spillover

Dunphy pressed the cost question hardest. Citing an estimate that a continuous closure saves roughly $9 million over a weekend-closure approach (01:02:26), he asked what happens if the costs pushed onto the city exceed those savings: "To whom do we send the bill?" (01:03:10). He added that the freeway "is not our asset to fix" (01:03:59).

Kim said ODOT is reimbursing the city for signal retiming, providing speed-feedback signs and some camera funding, and giving TriMet some money to review plans affecting its facilities — but "there are no funds that we typically provide for that type of response" (01:56:16).

Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said the mitigation ODOT described was inadequate: "I do not think 3 incident response vehicles and 4 speed signs are sufficient" (01:26:46). She asked ODOT to support the community financially "regardless of whether it exceeds the cost of the next best option" (01:29:47). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) and Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) echoed the concern; Green called the shutdown "a natural experiment" and urged spending "whatever political capital we need to" to fund more transit service (02:19:12).

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Portland City Council City Life Committee 07/28/26

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:00:00 GMT

A City Life Committee held over Mayor Keith Wilson's resolution to advance a new Broadway-capable theater at Portland State University and reimagine the Keller Auditorium, taking no vote and continuing the matter to August 11 after more than an hour of divided public testimony.

The four-member committee — chaired by Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), with Councilors Eric Zimmerman (District 4), Dan Ryan (District 2) and Angelita Morillo (District 3, appearing remotely) — never reached deliberation on Resolution 37752, running past 5 p.m. with public testimony still queued (03:07:19). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) was absent.

Resolution on a PSU theater and the Keller's future

The resolution would direct the city to advance a Broadway-capable venue as part of a proposed Performing Arts and Culture Center at PSU while beginning planning to convert the Keller into a smaller house. Deputy City Administrator Donny Oliveira told the committee that a technical steering committee reached its recommendation unanimously and the mayor's ex officio table by majority, both endorsing the two-pronged approach — with the ex officio group specifying a 1,200-to-1,800-seat Keller.

City figures put the Keller renovation concept near $290 million and the PSU facility near $447 million (00:54:00); Oliveira said the costing was done by Venue Consulting Group in May 2024 (01:22:34). PSU Foundation President Sarah Schwarz said "the city and PSU will never need to solve for $1 billion" and asked the city to identify $44 million by December 1 — about 10% of the Broadway theater cost — to signal confidence to donors, noting three donors had committed $12.6 million (01:44:00). PSU President Anne Cudd said the university is "all in." Randall Friesen of the Columbia Pacific Building Trades said PSU and his council reached a labor agreement "late last week" and projected roughly 2,000 construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs (01:55:08).

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), who sat on the ex officio table, urged a do-pass, cataloguing the Keller's flaws — no loading dock, too few bathrooms, no ADA compliance, poor acoustics — and warning that renovating it in place would mean "no Broadway in Portland" for over five years (02:01:00). Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4), also on that table, said she did not agree with its majority and offered amendments: questioning the 2030 opening date, adding operations-and-maintenance detail, and requiring the Keller's future be funded "in tandem" (02:03:07).

Opposition centered on cost and PSU's finances

Lejeune Thorson, president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, asked the committee to reject the resolution and disputed the level of support, saying that of 14 ex officio members who submitted final questionnaires, "only 7 endorsed building at PSU," six wanted more cost and funding information, and one abstained (01:32:00). She and Karen Whitman of the Halpern Landscape Conservancy — who put "about $1 billion for both projects" (01:34:00) — pressed for a $10-to-15-million deferred-maintenance fix instead.

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Portland City Council Public Works Committee 07/28/26

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Portland's Public Works Committee took no votes on July 28, placing on file two Portland Bureau of Transportation presentations — one on rolling out the new transportation fees, one on regulating driverless taxis — but a committee member said he would block one measure in September unless staff bring more options (00:36:21).

Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4), the committee's chair and vice president, presided. Vice Chair Loretta Smith (District 1) was absent. The committee approved its June minutes by unanimous consent and heard no live public testimony on either item.

Transportation fee rollout and a discount fight

PBOT Director Millicent Williams told the committee the transportation utility fee and street damage restoration fee, both approved this spring, take effect January 1 and have already stabilized the bureau's budget. "If not for the transportation utility fee, PBOT would have faced very significant reductions in services this fiscal year," Williams said (00:10:31). She said the local gas tax now buys half of what it did in 2016.

Staff laid out this year's allocations: the fee revenue splits 75% to maintenance and 25% to safety, with $15 million to $26 million for pavement maintenance (00:20:31) — the range driven by uncertainty over how much the street damage fee will raise — plus $1.8 million for streetlights and signals, $2.9 million for Vision Zero, and $2.9 million for sidewalk infill.

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) pressed staff on the low-income discount for market-rate multifamily renters, saying the research presented only advanced one approach, a direct-to-tenant rebate. "I won't vote yes on anything if I don't get another option besides that in September," Kanal said (00:37:34). He disputed staff's account of engagement: "The time was offered. My staff did meet. We asked if more research had been done. And in that briefing, we were told no" (00:41:40). Chief of Staff Shoshana Cohen answered that the three models shown reflect implementation feasibility, not a final choice, and "we have done more research" on what she called a hard problem with few national precedents (00:39:39). Williams said the team needs more time to weigh a fuller set of options. Kanal later said his April vote "was contingent on credible affordability analysis" and that a bill delivered in a way "easy and/or cheap for the city but harmful for our community's most vulnerable was not a policy decision that I thought I was voting on in April" (01:24:43).

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said he wants to revisit the rate design before the non-residential rate hearing, calling the commercial side hard on small businesses, and offered to work through the August recess "cracking open some spreadsheets" (00:53:50). He also urged bonding against Vision Zero revenue, noting $2.9 million could back roughly $27 million in bonds (01:07:12). Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), attending remotely, asked how the bureau would target funds to save the most lives and whether fee money could pay for safety studies ahead of paving.

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Portland City Council PM Session 07/23/26

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's council voted 12-0 to establish a Drivers' Resource Center for ride-hailing drivers, adding an emergency clause from the dais that put the ordinance into effect immediately. (01:13:36)

Ride-hailing drivers get a resource center

The council passed the ordinance amending the Vehicles and Traffic Code to create a Drivers' Resource Center for transportation network company drivers, sponsored by Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) and Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3). Pirtle-Guiney's amendment, adopted 12-0 (00:59:39), added a definition of deactivation and clarified that the center "does not exercise regulatory or adjudicatory authority" — the point she said had been the "main crux of the concern that Lyft and Uber raised." Joe Jackson of the Drivers Union told the council, "We have had a chance to review the amendment, and we do believe that this will help us accomplish our goals" (00:57:29).

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) moved mid-meeting to attach an emergency clause so drivers would not "have to keep coming back." When Council President Dunphy insisted the emergency justification be put in writing, Ryan replied, "I don't know about that, but I think you might be taking it too seriously" (01:02:33). The drafted clause cited "the ongoing deactivation of rideshare drivers in Portland" (01:11:00); it passed 12-0 (01:12:27), as did the final emergency ordinance (01:13:36). Novick called the measure "the appetizer. The ordinance on compensation will be the entree" (01:12:35). Rideshare driver Nathaniel Hudson Hartman said he was "just overcome with emotion" and "not quite prepared for this to become an emergency ordinance" (01:07:00).

Affordable-homeownership rule advances after two amendments fail

The council sent to a second reading, set for July 29, an ordinance introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson that would temporarily remove income requirements on homeownership units built under the affordable-housing System Development Charge exemption program. Staff estimated the change would affect 200 to 400 homes (01:22:56) that qualify for a capped sale price but are not selling.

Councilor Pirtle-Guiney and Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) offered an amendment to stair-step the income cap — from 100% of median family income up to 120% after 60 days on the market, 140% after 120 days, and no cap after 180 days — and to direct a report on down-payment assistance. Pirtle-Guiney argued the council should decide whether homeownership for people making "an average wage" remains a policy goal rather than simply "move the inventory." Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) opposed it, calling the underlying ordinance a low-cost fix worth "$20,000 to $30,000" per unit against a down-payment approach he pegged at "$300,000 to $400,000 per unit" (01:46:24); he corrected himself on the record after misreading part of the amendment as reallocating funds. Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) said District 1 homes had sat unsold for 245, 336 and 246 days. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) said "proving that you're poor is a pain in the neck" (01:38:42). The amendment failed 2-10 (02:26:59).

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 07/23/26

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:30:00 GMT

The Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole voted 11-1 to send Mayor Keith Wilson's reappointment of Marcelino Alvarez and Eric Kress to the Prosper Portland board to the full City Council with a recommendation to accept, with Councilor Loretta Smith absent (01:44:04).

Prosper reappointments carry an unresolved settlement fight

The reappointment report drew more than an hour of questioning. Committee Chair Sameer Kanal (District 2) told Prosper Portland leaders he wants the agency to pay a larger share of a lawsuit settlement over Black residents displaced in Albina during a proposed Legacy Emanuel expansion. The council approved that settlement June 5 at $7.5 million from the city and $1 million from Prosper, and Kanal said Prosper should contribute an equal share, pressing for an additional $3.25 million toward what he called a $4.25 million fair share.

Executive Director Cornel Wesley answered that "Prosper's committed share has always been $1 million" (00:43:00), that the amendment raising the city figure never changed Prosper's obligation, and that the agency has invested more than $135 million in North and Northeast Portland over the past decade. Kanal said "My vote on this at the council will be dependent on this issue" (00:45:28) and asked that Deputy City Administrator Oliveira, absent Thursday, be present at the full council. Alvarez said he would recommend the board discuss the settlement in public (01:37:18).

Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) raised the failure of the Made in Old Town project, whose loan defaulted. Wesley said the board acted "immediately," took a deed in lieu of foreclosure, and reorganized the agency's underwriting after he audited "every grant, every loan, every policy" (01:31:55). Board chair Gustavo Cruz said the loan "was not — it was obviously not something that one of my clients would have done" (01:31:23). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) pressed on whether Prosper's Strategic Investment Fund might be used in the Moda Center capital stack and on the opportunity cost. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) said stalled projects at the Broadway Corridor and Centennial Mills were "embarrassing sometimes that it's not moving the way it should" and added, "I want our budget to actually have money in it again" (01:16:00).

Two members of the public testified. Skylar Cruz of Goose Hollow said "spending money on shoe manufacturing companies with bad business models is a waste of our time" and called housing the number-one priority (01:23:00). Jordan Lewis, a volunteer lobbyist for the Portland Democratic Socialists of America, began testifying on Vision Zero; Kanal cut him off: "we do have rules of conduct that say testimony has to be on the matter at hand" (01:20:40).

Vision Zero data shows a motorcycle spike

The committee heard a Vision Zero update from Dana Dickman, the city's Vision Zero policy manager, then continued the item to August 6 so a public hearing could be held. Dickman reported 25 traffic fatalities so far this year, trending 12% below the four-year average, but motorcycle deaths up 67%, accounting for 11 of the 25 (02:20:00). She said about 70% of fatal crashes involve impairment, 49% involve speed, and 56% occur on streets with four or more lanes — 4% of the city's streets. Requested outreach funds, both internal and a state grant, were unavailable because of budget constraints.

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July 22-23, 2026 Council agenda

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's council split 6-6 on a $13.1 million plan to restore jobs cut in June, and Mayor Keith Wilson broke the tie by voting no, clearing the way for a smaller competing budget that passed 10-2 minutes later.

Two supplemental budgets, one that could survive

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) said state budget law allows only one supplemental budget at a time, so the council would hear both ordinances in filing order knowing only one could become law. The first, from Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3), would have appropriated $13,076,892 in Portland Clean Energy Fund interest income, $5,491,200 in other fund resources and $335,000 in county intergovernmental agreement revenue to restore frontline positions (00:54:36). Morillo noted that her June amendment to save 103 jobs at about $22 million died 6-6, and said the rival plan "relies on funding that does not yet exist" (01:04:43).

The council roll came back 6-6, with Councilors Steve Novick, Olivia Clark, Eric Zimmerman, Loretta Smith, Elana Pirtle-Guiney and Dan Ryan voting no. Dunphy then read Wilson his tiebreaking prerogative under the charter (01:17:12). The mayor, offered two minutes to speak, said only that his vote was no, and the clerk announced the ordinance failed 7-6 (01:18:11).

Interim Human Resources Director Ron Zito warned that intent and outcome would not match: "across both ordinances, we see we've got about 10 vacancies of the positions being restored," and some restored positions would return to teams already disbanded "with no manager" (00:59:31).

The ordinance that passed

Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) presented her ordinance as a compromise built with labor unions that "will extend pay and benefits to all laid-off employees through September 30th" (01:18:47). Smith (District 1) backed $9.96 million in general fund underspend as a "close-the-gap remedy" after learning that 10 of the 30 additional jobs in Morillo's ordinance were vacant (01:56:32). Zimmerman (District 4) counted 30 full-time positions restored across ten bureaus (01:45:35).

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) rejected the fiscal framing: the measure "is going to validate deep cuts in the Parks Bureau, full stop," he said, warning voters would remember it at the next parks levy (01:34:11). Morillo put the gap between the two plans at about $4 million, "0.05% of the over $8 billion budget this council adopted" (01:29:17). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said the ordinance lacks any requirement that the administration explain future job cuts, and noted police are "currently sitting on 70 unfilled positions while we're cutting 200" (02:05:35). It passed 10-2 (02:13:15). The roll is garbled, but Avalos is recorded voting no, and the second no aligns with Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane, who said minutes earlier, "I plan to vote no" (01:55:11).

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Portland City Council Housing & Permitting Committee 07/21/26

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council Housing & Permitting Committee 07/21/26, Tuesday, July 21, 2026.

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Portland City Council Work Session - Financial Stabilization Plan Report- 09/23/26

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Portland's chief financial officer presented 44 potential actions to stabilize the city's finances at a September 21 work session, where councilors debated priorities but took no vote.

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) opened the session and handed the gavel to Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2), who chaired the discussion. Kanal said the city's financial situation is "in crisis," driven not by "one or two bad years" but by "structural long-term issues" (00:07:36). Chief Financial Officer Jonas Beery, who anticipates the city "will still be in a financial crisis mode for fiscal '27-'28 budget development," walked the council through recommendations from a Financial Stabilization Workgroup and his own implementation proposals.

The workgroup and the CFO's plan

The workgroup was co-chaired by Councilors Eric Zimmerman (District 4) and Mitch Green (District 4), who described themselves as representing "very different sides of the ideological spectrum." Zimmerman said the city is "oftentimes a reactionary government" and that it's "time to be more deliberate" (00:09:03). Green recalled getting the assignment from incoming City Administrator Lee: "oh no, we're in a financial crisis" (00:11:29).

Beery said the workgroup's recommendations reflected disagreement rather than consensus, and he translated them into 44 potential implementation actions grouped by feasibility and timeline. He grouped recommendations into financial strategy and discipline, decision support and governance, regional coordination and advocacy, and administrative effectiveness. Kanal reminded the room at the outset that "there's no decision that we have to take right now."

Where councilors pushed

Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) named defining core services and auditing city facilities as her priorities, saying the facilities audit belongs on a nearer-term list than the CFO proposed. Dunphy questioned why items like organizational structure and intergovernmental-agreement protocols sat on a financial list, calling them "good things we should do to get our house in order," and voiced "deep concerns about biennial" budgeting, urging it not be prioritized. He closed with a recurring plea: "Portland loves to reinvent the wheel. Please don't" (01:21:33).

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) pressed Beery on why a formal revenue report was slated for spring 2027 when the adopted budget already lists revenue sources. Beery said the action would add "context" and volatility ratings the raw numbers lack. Smith asked that ongoing money like opioid-settlement funds, expected "for the next 20-some odd years," be shown as line items (01:23:56).

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) urged near-term discussion of span of control and contracting, pointing to "those 50 people that supervise fewer than a few people," and pressed for annual review of one-time-funded programs (01:43:39). Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) called for a 10-to-15-year look back at spending, warning that county cuts tied to "the deep devaluing of properties downtown" would hit the city's general fund, and championed a citywide economic development strategy, citing the city ranking "80th out of 81" as a place to invest (01:50:45).

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Portland City Council PM Session 07/16/26

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The City Council voted 10-1 to amend a budget ordinance restoring 55 frontline positions with roughly $18 million, most of it Portland Clean Energy Fund interest, over the objection of Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), who called it "a desperate effort to save face" (03:23:50).

Two budget ordinances head to a second reading

The council spent the afternoon on rival plans to reverse job cuts in Mayor Keith Wilson's approved budget. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) brought a same-day amendment to her ordinance (2026-222) that she called "my final stand for a compromise." The full package appropriates about $18 million and funds 55 positions across parks, transportation, water, environmental services, fire, 311, police unarmed responders and other offices, drawing roughly $9 million from Portland Clean Energy Fund interest and about $4 million from bureau contingency and reserve funds. Morillo said the fund's available interest was found that morning to total $27 million (02:44:20). Over her own stated objection, she added $3 million for Portland Police Bureau emergency-medical training and $1.7 million for a reserve, saying she heard "so strongly" that colleagues wanted the training (02:46:00).

Novick refused to support it, saying "I frankly am not interested in negotiating with Councilor Morillo" and referring to "Councilor Rio and her fellow peacocks," adding "The peacocks had a strong position that they want poorly trained police" (02:48:33). Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said she was "a little shocked by the extent of the price tag" and warned that pulling forward money available for next year doubles the size of future cuts (03:06:50). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said he would "take my lashings probably for funding police training with PCF" (02:56:50). The amendment passed 10-1 with Pirtle-Guiney absent; Novick was the sole no (03:23:50).

The competing Save Our Services ordinance (2026-223) from Pirtle-Guiney, Novick, Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) and Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) was kept under $10 million. Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) said a prior-day change to its funding source "introduced a poison pill," saying he had never passed a budget "where we didn't actually know where the money was coming from" (03:47:46). Novick answered that the ordinance always listed clean-energy-fund interest as a backup and that the change only broadened a reference to general-fund underspending (03:48:00). Both ordinances move to second reading July 22 at 9:30 a.m.

A separate amendment from Councilors Sameer Kanal (District 2) and Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) sought to restore a ceasefire coordinator and an international relations position. Smith disputed the need, saying she was told Ceasefire had "$300,000 that POIC didn't use." Director of Community Safety Stephanie Howard said "We did not have carryover in the ceasefire program at all," and Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery agreed there was no carryover (03:29:36, 03:32:16). Smith told Howard "you don't even know when you're winning" (03:30:33). Koyama Lane withdrew the amendment after it appeared to lack votes.

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July 15-16, 2026 Council agenda

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council split 8-4 to strip language naming the police-accountability office as a budget backfill source from one of two rival plans to reverse this year's layoffs, then continued both plans to the next afternoon without adopting either.

The night pitted two budget ordinances against each other, both aimed at undoing cuts in the adopted budget before layoffs scheduled for early August. Under state law only one supplemental budget can take effect, so the council can pass just one.

Two plans to reverse the layoffs

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) presented "Save Our Services," Ordinance 2026-222, sponsored with Councilors Angelita Morillo (District 3), Candace Avalos (District 1), Sameer Kanal (District 2) and Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3). Green said the $12.8 million package funds 48 positions the mayor proposed cutting, spanning parks, transportation, water, environmental services, fire, 311 dispatchers and unarmed police responders, and restores 24-hour coverage for three fire rescue units (00:52:31). Most of it draws on Portland Clean Energy Fund interest already earned — over $7 million of the $24.3 million available, "less than a third" (00:56:04). Green said his plan restores 18 more positions than the alternative and, unlike it, adds no $3 million for police training and funds the police-accountability office rather than drawing on it.

Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) presented the "Risk Reduction Rescue Plan," Ordinance 2026-223, with Councilors Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Steve Novick (District 3) and Loretta Smith (District 1). Clark said it uses $9.96 million in general fund contingency to restore peak-hour public-service-specialist coverage, fund police training in vehicle operation and crisis de-escalation, preserve fire and rescue teams, and return $1.75 million to the Business License Tax Reserve Fund to protect the city's credit rating (00:58:52). She cited "America's leading Democratic Socialist, the New York mayor," as also investing in police training, and said the plan "does not delay, defund, or interfere with the Office of Police Accountability in any way" (01:01:37).

The dispute centered on how 223 would refill the contingency it spends. Its text directed the City Budget Office to look for underspending, naming the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability and Clean Energy Fund interest. Budget Director Ruth Levine told the council the ordinance would not reduce the accountability office's budget now and that naming a specific bureau was "not required" legally (01:12:14). She said the office's preliminary underspending for 2025-26 was $12.2 million, noting it stood up only partway through the year (01:21:39).

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 07/15/26

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The Finance and Governance Committee referred Mayor Keith Wilson's slate of three Portland Utility Board appointees to the full City Council on a 12-0 vote, after first amending it 11-1 to add a third appointee (01:24:15). The committee also held a lengthy, unresolved discussion of Home Forward, the county housing authority now carrying a roughly $30 million deficit.

Utility Board appointments referred to council

Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) moved to amend the report to add Rose Podin as a third appointee, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of board member Brooke Bernahue; the amendment passed 11-1, with Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) absent for that vote (00:49:55). The full report, joining Al Haag of District 1 and Joe Robinson of District 4 with Podin, was then referred to City Council 12-0 with a recommendation it be accepted (01:24:15). No one signed up to testify.

Co-chairs Kyle Chipman and Lorraine Wilson and City Budget Office analyst Amy Archer Masters presented. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) asked the nominees how they would balance affordability against infrastructure needs. Councilors returned repeatedly to rate anger. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) said the Bull Run Water Filtration Project now stands at $2.5 billion (01:12:16) and pressed the co-chairs on oversight; Chipman and Archer Masters said the board had not made a recent onsite visit but was scheduling one within a couple of months. Councilor Jamie Dunphy (District 1) urged the board not to act as "a rubber stamp, a simple body to review documents that the Bureau brings to you." Lorraine Wilson said, "I don't want to see rate increase," while stressing the board asks "the hard questions" before recommending one (00:59:00). The board's annual report and work plan are due September 30.

The amendment roll call briefly went off the rails when clerk Rebecca Dobert started at the wrong district. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said, "I'm sorry, I was unprepared. I thought we were starting with District 3 now"; Dobert replied, "my tracker is not updated. Sorry about that" (00:48:53).

Home Forward discussion, framed around future appointees

Kanal opened the Home Forward item by stating it "is not an oversight hearing" but information gathering to signal to the mayor and city administrator what the committee will look for in future board appointees. Interim Executive Director Michael Bonacore said Home Forward, formed by council resolution in 1941, runs about 110 apartment communities, manages roughly 2,600 units in-house and 4,300 through third parties, and faces a deficit of about $30 million (01:39:56). He said 8 downtown properties account for 47% of portfolio vacancies (01:40:05). An organizational assessment RFP is out, with a consultant expected by September and work finished by January. Three board seats are vacant, two Portland and one Gresham.

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Portland City Council City Life Committee 07/14/26

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The City Life Committee sent a code requiring certification for electricians on city-funded electric-vehicle charging projects to the full council on a 5-0 do-pass recommendation, and held over the proposed Parkrose Forward Enhanced Service District after roughly two dozen residents split sharply for and against.

Parkrose enhanced service district held over

The committee took no vote on two ordinances that would create the Parkrose Forward Enhanced Service District and authorize a management agreement with Historic Parkrose estimated at $3,876,970 over five years (item 5, doc 2026-235). Committee Chair Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) held both items over, saying it would "likely be our meeting in 2 weeks."

The district, proposed by Mayor Keith Wilson and championed by District 1 councilors, would cover Sandy Boulevard from Interstate 205 to 122nd with a proposed annual budget of about $644,000. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), who lives in Parkrose, voiced strong support, saying East Portland "has been an afterthought of city services" and that the district is "one tool in our toolbox." He added, "This isn't a perfect solution, but we won't know how close to perfect we can get if we don't try." Hector Martinez, executive director of Historic Parkrose, said he was initially unconvinced but changed his mind, citing crime, homelessness, prostitution and drug activity, and described 171 mailers and more than 50 meetings during outreach.

Testimony ran heavily contested. Roger Coppe, the city's lead revenue and tax specialist, said non-residential parcels would pay the square root of their land area times $8 plus the square root of their building area times $20, with residential caps of $150 per unit, or $35 for affordable housing.

Opponents disputed both the cost and the process. Lindsay Berschauer, a registered lobbyist with the group Protect Parkrose, said the coalition represents owners responsible for $319,780 in proposed annual assessments — 49.6% of the district's total — above the one-third threshold the city uses for dissolution. She cited Ingrid Nichols, near 80, facing $1,200 a year on a vacant lot, and said the group filed a procedural complaint over notice and outreach. Jared Wadimall, an industrial property owner, said the fee funds "zero additional police officers" and locks owners in for a decade. Melissa Finkel cited Oregon business closures outnumbering openings by 1,700 in 2024 and 6,000 in the first nine months of 2025. Chris Wagner and Steve McGinnis said properties they manage received no mailers. Corky Collier of the Columbia Corridor Association reported that in 160 calls to 80 industrial owners, of those reached, 54% opposed, 18% supported, and 28% needed more information (02:56:00).

Supporters described daily conditions. Kanan Patel said she keeps her children away from her Sandy Boulevard property because of shootings and open prostitution. Don McKeever, former owner of the Parkrose Grocery Outlet, said armed security "did not solve the problem." Sean Hogan of Cultivate Initiatives, formerly homeless in Parkrose, said the group picked up more than 1.1 million pounds of trash in the last year.

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Portland City Council AM Session 07/08/26

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Portland City Council AM Session 07/08/26, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

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Portland City Council Housing & Permitting Committee 07/07/26

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:00:00 GMT

A city committee took no votes at its July 7 meeting, instead placing on file a decade-in review of North and Northeast Portland's anti-displacement housing program and opening public oversight of Urban Alchemy after allegations of abuse at city-funded shelters.

The Housing and Permitting Committee, chaired by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) with Vice Chair Mitch Green (District 4), heard from Councilors Steve Novick (District 3) and Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2). Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) was absent. Mayor Keith Wilson attended and questioned presenters. No item on the agenda called for a vote; all four were placed on file.

Ten years of the North/Northeast housing strategy

Oversight Committee Chair Dr. Stephen Holt and Portland Housing Bureau Equity and Business Operations Manager Leslie Goodloe reported on the North and Northeast Neighborhood Housing Strategy, created to address displacement of Black households. Goodloe said the program has spent $121.8 million in tax increment financing through December 2025 (00:17:33), a program that began as a $20 million initiative in 2014 under Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Dan Saltzman. She reported 975 rental units open or in development, 740 of them preference-policy units (00:26:43), and said home repair grants have stayed at $10,000 for the life of the program even as costs rose (01:01:05).

Holt called the program a "blueprint" and said the work "has grit, that has data" (00:35:28). He gave inconsistent figures for homeowners created — "130 homeowners" and "200 homeowners by the time the strategy is done" (00:34:25) — while Goodloe cited component counts that the record does not reconcile to a single total.

Goodloe told Novick that vacancy in preference-policy buildings runs "about the same" as citywide affordable housing, because a 60% area-median-income unit is "about market rate" in Northeast Portland (00:40:53). She estimated between 1,000 and 1,500 people on the active rental waitlist at any time (00:45:16). Pirtle-Guiney asked how funds were split across the strategy's four parts; Goodloe said the community prioritized rental first, and down-payment assistance has been raised four times, from $60,000 to $150,000 within the district (00:59:10). Green argued for decoupling rents from federal AMI definitions toward a cost-based model and buying down building costs; Goodloe said Metro has already funded rent buydowns at several buildings (01:09:50). The committee set an October return to the Oversight Committee's schedule.

Oversight of Urban Alchemy shelters

Green and Avalos opened a public look at the city's oversight of contracted shelter operator Urban Alchemy following what Avalos called "serious allegations involving Urban Alchemy employees" reported publicly (01:40:31). Portland Solutions Deputy Director Hank Smith said the city's shelter system provides 1,609 beds nightly and that Urban Alchemy operates about 700 beds, or 84% of the city's alternative shelter (01:43:13). Emergency Humanitarian Operations Director Brandy Westerman said a complaint tracker had logged 83 complaints from mid-2024 to March 2025, and 22 since a May policy update.

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Portland City Council Community & Public Safety Committee 07/07/26

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:30:00 GMT

The Community and Public Safety Committee held over both major items on its agenda — an ordinance to deprioritize personal psychedelic use and create a city advisory commission, and a firearms-code change — sending the psychedelics measure to August 4 without a vote (01:38:07).

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) presided. Councilors Loretta Smith (District 1), Sameer Kanal (District 2), Angelita Morillo (District 3) and Eric Zimmerman (District 4) attended; Smith arrived at 9:50 and Zimmerman at 10:06. A scheduled Portland Street Response report was cancelled after the bureau said it could not present (00:09:57).

Psychedelics ordinance held for a fourth hearing

The bulk of the meeting went to an ordinance from Councilors Mitch Green (District 4), Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Morillo and Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) to make personal use of natural psychedelics a low law-enforcement priority and to create a Portland Psychedelics Advisory Commission. Two questions dominated: whether the city needs to codify a deprioritization police already practice, and whether the city should host a commission that touches public health.

Green said he would want to pass the deprioritization even without the advisory body, "because I do think it's appropriate to codify directives for any bureau." Pirtle-Guiney said codifying matters because "changes in leadership happen, and that means changes in policy happen." The sponsors circulated a proposal for a 3-year sunset on the commission and language directing the mayor to consult state and local public health entities on appointments (00:35:40); Pirtle-Guiney said the underlying ordinance had cleared legal and clerk review but the amendment had not (00:40:57).

Smith questioned whether the council can direct police priorities at all, saying enforcement is "in their discretion." Kanal answered on the record that the measure is an ordinance and therefore binding: "I find the idea that we cannot tell the police bureau what to do through legislation to be one of the scariest things that's been said in this room" (00:32:38). Pirtle-Guiney interjected, "Who has the floor right now?" (00:32:56). Kanal supported the deprioritization but said he prefers the commission live at the county or state, and objected to the mayor appointing a body that advises the council.

Novick questioned the city's role and asked why the county, as public health authority, was not acting. Advocate Nate Howard said advocates met with county public health, which supported the idea and advised the city host it; advocate Courtney Moran, of the Portland Psychedelic Society Action Fund, said the county cited "other political issues" — an ordinance restricting needle exchanges near schools and libraries (00:47:18). Novick called that "a little disturbing." Howard argued the commission would give roughly 10,000 Portlanders with psychedelic experience a trusted, science-based safety resource, likening it to city guidance on swimming in the Willamette. Howard said about 25,000 people have moved through Oregon's state-regulated model (01:20:40).

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Portland City Council PM Session 06/25/26

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council continued the appeal hearing on the Lloyd Center redevelopment master plan without deciding it, closing the record and sending the matter to July 8 after two days of testimony split between residents fighting to save the mall's ice rink and a lineup of business and neighborhood groups urging approval.

The Council reconvened Thursday afternoon under Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), a continuation of a June 24 session in which, Dunphy said, "we barely got through about half of the appellants' signed-up testimony." With roughly 100 people still signed up on the Lloyd Center item (00:07:49), the Council reordered its agenda to clear several ordinances first.

Sewer rate correction

The Council passed an emergency ordinance correcting an error in the sewer and stormwater rate schedule adopted last month. Public Utilities Director Ting Lu told the Council that Exhibit A "had an error" — sanitary and stormwater SDS rates "didn't get updated to the 9% increase as what was presented to the council on May 14th." Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) pressed for clarity that "this is not any sort of additional increase beyond what we've already discussed" (00:13:36), which Dunphy confirmed. The measure passed 9-0 (00:15:12), with Councilors Dan Ryan (District 2), Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), and Eric Zimmerman (District 4) absent.

Cable ordinances and sandwich boards

Three second-reading ordinances each passed 10-2, with Koyama Lane and Zimmerman absent: creating a Cable Franchise Fund for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (00:16:14), amending code for the dissolution of the Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission (00:17:18), and Councilor Steve Novick's (District 3) ordinance removing the permit and registration requirement for portable business signs (00:19:21). Novick said the permit for a sandwich board was "silly" and "a form of discrimination against particularly well-informed and conscientious people" who "send in my $100" (00:18:08). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) added, "Today we're legalizing sandwich boards. Tomorrow we're legalizing hot dog carts that will also sell vegan hot dogs" (00:18:39).

Lloyd Center master plan appeal

The core of the meeting was the appeal of the Design Commission's unanimous approval of a voluntary Central City Master Plan for the Lloyd Center site. The mall is set to close August 8, and the applicant said that will happen regardless of the Council's decision.

Roughly 20 appellant supporters testified to preserve the mall and its ice rink, described repeatedly as the only indoor rink in Portland and as a cooling shelter and gathering space. Stephanie Winningham said Lloyd Center's Learn to Skate program is the second largest in the Pacific Northwest and is 80 to 90% women and girls. Paul Cienfuegos quoted a recorded statement by URG's Tom Kilbane about a departed tenant — "we finally came to terms and got them out of the way" (00:36:00). Janelle Collier cited "over 10,000 people who signed our petition." Appellant Boz Epley pointed to nearby stalled projects, including a URG building bought for nearly $10 million in 2018 that "was auctioned for bankruptcy and no one showed up to buy it."

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 06/25/26

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Portland's Finance and Governance Committee spent nearly three hours dissecting how the city builds its budget and took no vote, placing the discussion on file and agreeing to return to it within a month or two (02:56:15).

The committee, chaired by Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2), structured the June 25 session around three rounds of questions covering the start of the budget process, council deliberation, and how to track outcomes after adoption. City Budget Director Ruth Levine opened with the legally required milestones: base budgets and forecasts in December, the mayor's proposed budget due by May 5 under charter, an approved budget delivered to Multnomah County's tax body around May 20, and an adopted budget heard by roughly June 18. Levine said Mayor Keith Wilson delivered this year's proposal April 20 — about three weeks early (00:27:43).

What councilors wanted changed

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) said work session time was roughly tripled from last year, but the legislative branch "never fully had access to full and clear program financials" (00:36:38). He said the Budget Office and council both need more staff, including independent legal counsel. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) attended remotely and did not speak substantively.

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) proposed November and December bureau presentations on current budgets to avoid what he called the "Washington Monument problem" — councilors treating every proposed cut as catastrophic because they lack basic understanding. Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) said the bureau presentations this year "almost seemed like a token" (00:50:07) and that the budget was too hard to read. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said "the quality of our decisions are only as good as the quality of the information that we receive" (00:53:00) and pushed for position-by-position service impact analyses before any cuts. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) wanted the mayor's proposal always in mid-April and earlier work sessions.

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) floated a two-year budget cycle to manage volatile business license tax revenue and urged a return to an independent City Budget Office. City Attorney Robert Taylor said the charter contemplates an annual budget but leaves room for longer-term planning (01:31:22). Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) proposed that between the approved and adopted budgets, council briefly abandon balanced amendments and instead have each member rank must-fund items and acceptable funding sources.

Kanal said he disagreed that annual budget guidance to bureaus is the mayor's prerogative "until and unless I see a legal requirement, and I've asked for it for months now and not received it" (01:22:05). He said this year's budget document ran about 1,100 pages, up from roughly 400 the year before (01:27:39).

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Portland City Council AM Session 06/24/26

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council recessed its hearing on two appeals of the Lloyd Center master plan without a decision, after hearing dozens of skaters and neighbors urge it to preserve the city's only ice rink, and continued the matter to June 25. (03:12:35)

Lloyd Center master plan appeals

The June 24 session was dominated by appeals of the Design Commission's approval of a voluntary Central City Master Plan for Lloyd Center, introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson. City planner Benjamin Nielsen of Portland Permitting and Development told the council the plan covers about 27.1 acres, divides the site into 14 development areas with roughly 6.2 acres of publicly accessible open space, and could accommodate up to 6.8 million square feet of development. He said the site has no historic designation and that the zoning code places no restrictions on demolition there. The Design Commission voted 5-0 to approve the plan on March 5 after hearing 44 in-person testifiers and hundreds of written comments (00:59:38). Design Commission Chair Chandra Robinson, testifying remotely, said the commission "does not have the power to stop demolition of a property" and that its purview was the design of the plan (01:02:56).

Two appeals were filed — one by the Save Lloyd Ice Coalition and Jennifer Gilmore Robinson, one by Matthew Henderson and the Save Lloyd campaign. Attorney Jeff Kleinman argued code criteria on community building were not given due consideration and asked the council to remand the plan or add a condition of approval preserving the rink. Jenny Gilmore Robinson, a District 3 resident, said the rink is the city's only publicly accessible one, reachable by transit, and asked the council to "preserve, replace, or relocate" it. Henderson said more than 10,000 people had signed the petition against demolition (01:16:29).

Roughly 90 people signed up to testify for the appellant and 50 for the applicant, with oral testimony held to 90 seconds each. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) declined to cap the lists after Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) objected that limiting testimony when sign-ups were lopsided "would" not "make it a fair process" (00:23:37). Dozens of appellant supporters spoke before the recess. Recurring themes: the rink offers about 50 hours of public skating a week and serves "over 500 skaters a week" (Chelsea Meyer, 02:19:27); lessons are affordable and transit-accessible; and the developer had for years publicly represented that a rink would remain, disclosing its exclusion about three days before the February 5 Design Commission hearing. Several testifiers pressed environmental and reuse objections — Matt Kelly said Nordstrom demolition waste was sent to "Coffin Butte landfill 75 miles away," and multiple speakers noted a "$50 million" renovation about a decade ago. Zach Newman said a 2011 report by Peter Meyer Architects ranked Lloyd Center a "Rank 2 significant historical resource" (02:53:53). The applicant's presentation had not yet been heard.

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Portland City Council Work Session - Moda Center 06/24/26

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland councilors used their first public work session on a Moda Center renovation to demand a private capital contribution from the arena's ownership and more detailed cost information, with several rejecting a timeline that would have them vote on a term sheet within weeks; no vote was taken.

The session was led by Kristen Dennis, chief of staff to the Metro Council, on loan to the city council, who said her job was to learn councilors' priorities so she could return "in just a few very short weeks" with a funding proposal and lease term sheet (00:08:14). Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) opened by acknowledging "there are certain things we simply don't know yet."

What the city is being asked to fund

An ordinance passed earlier this year authorized state bonds sufficient to yield $365 million for the renovation, Dennis said, with three conditions to unlock it: a joint authority, a local funding commitment of roughly $120 million, and a 20-year lease. Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira tied the schedule to hosting the NCAA Final Four in spring 2030, which requires the state to issue bonds in spring 2027 and construction to begin that summer.

Spectator Venues Program Manager Carl Lyle laid out the finances. The city had no maintenance obligation at Moda before taking ownership in 2024; under the current bridge agreement it reinvests Blazers-derived parking and ticket fees on a 50/50 match, spending about $4.5 million last fiscal year, matched by the team, mostly on a new scoreboard (01:15:22). Public ownership costs about $1 million a year in lost property taxes (01:13:56). Lyle said a facility condition assessment estimated $400 to $500 million to keep the building running in its current form over 20 years (01:52:44). The city receives nothing from naming rights, which the operator holds (01:56:11).

The demand for private money

Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) called private investment her "starting line," saying "I don't care that you bought the Blazers. That is not an investment in the city" (02:50:21). Oliveira said the city had formally asked the team for a private stake and "have not gotten a response," and that the team's response to date had been the existing ticket and parking fees (02:51:11). Avalos answered: "I do not accept that response from them" (02:52:15).

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) listed minimum term-sheet demands including private capital contributions — noting peer cities range 20% to 60% — rent flowing to the general fund, payments in lieu of taxes, and street-level pricing (01:00:46). Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said the total project cost approaches $900 million and, with interest, the public could pay north of $1 billion, including $100 million in luxury suite renovations. She argued that if owners put up 25% of the renovation and paid rent equivalent to what the Carolina Hurricanes pay in Raleigh, it "would cover the upfront costs" for the city and county.

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Portland City Council City Life Committee 06/23/26

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The City Life Committee voted 4-0 to send a five-year extension of the CityKids childcare lease to the full City Council with a recommendation to pass (01:51:41), the only formal action at a June 23 meeting otherwise given over to a presentation on a proposed Hollywood film district.

Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) presided; Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) was absent, and Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) arrived shortly after the start. The committee also approved its April 14–May 26 minutes by unanimous consent.

CityKids lease extension referred to council

The committee referred an ordinance extending the lease for the CityKids Childcare and Development Center at Crown Plaza by five years, on a motion by Ryan seconded by Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) (01:51:17). Pauline Goble of the Bureau of Fleet and Facilities said the program began in 2000 at the Portland Building and relocated to Crown Plaza in 2016 during that building's reconstruction. Rick Dyer of the bureau said only the financial terms changed, at a 3% annual rent increase over the five years (01:41:47).

Ron Zito, interim director of the Bureau of Human Resources, said the program serves both city employees and downtown families and supports staff recruitment and retention. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) asked whether city employees get any tuition discount; program staff said families pay the same rate regardless of employer. Valerie Moreland, director at CityKids, said the center taps state childcare funds, its own tuition assistance, and now Preschool for All, under which qualifying children age three and up in Multnomah County attend free.

Ryan pressed on cost. Staff said infant tuition runs $2,169 a month for five days a week (01:35:27), which they said is lower than many for-profit chains because of the city subsidy; without it, tuition would run about $400 to $500 more per child each month (01:35:02). Staff said about 70% of enrollment over the program's 25 years has been city families, and that the center has never turned away a city employee's child, keeping room open by consolidating an older classroom. Ryan said he had initially understood city employees were only prioritized on a waitlist and that "I'm glad we had more dialogue on that" (01:49:42).

Pirtle-Guiney said the subsidy supports "60 to 70 families of city employees" and that "at a time that is not now, when we're not cutting $160 million from our budgets," the city might consider sliding-scale support to fill open slots (01:46:29). She said childcare "will never support families and providers without public subsidy." Staff said the market was surveyed and staying put was the least disruptive option; there is no automatic renewal, and staff will look at the market again around year three.

Hollywood film district presentation

The committee heard an hour-long presentation on a proposed Hollywood Film District, carried over from the former Arts and Economy Committee at Ryan's request. Doug White, executive director of the Hollywood Theatre, said the theater was built in 1926, is turning 100, and that the neighborhood took its name from it. He said the organization's budget grew from about $600,000 in 2010 to $7.5 million, and membership from roughly 600 to 8,000. He said a donor bought the building across the street to house Movie Madness, which the group can buy in ten years.

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Portland City Council Public Works Committee 06/23/26

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:30:00 GMT

The Public Works Committee referred an ordinance directing the transportation bureau to evaluate and install no-turn-on-red restrictions at high-crash intersections to the full City Council with a recommendation to pass, on a 5-0 vote (02:59:17).

No turn on red referred, with one conditional yes

Councilors Loretta Smith (District 1) and Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) brought the ordinance directing the Portland Bureau of Transportation to evaluate and install no-turn-on-red signs at signalized intersections in the city's high-crash network. Smith said the intersection of 122nd Avenue and Halsey Street saw over 80 crashes in just four years (01:51:55) and cited an approximately 9% crash reduction from the change, a figure the transportation bureau's signal system manager Peter Kuntz attributed to the Federal Highway Administration (02:44:39). About 90% of the network's targeted intersections are in District 1, Smith said. The work would draw on the 12.5% Vision Zero set-aside in the Transportation Utility Fee.

Four panelists testified, all in support. Eva Frazier of Bike Loud said right turn on red was legalized nationally through the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 as "2 lines in a 99-page bill" that also funded coal mines, when the average car got 13.1 miles per gallon (02:00:03). Mike Dennis of Oregon Walks said Black people, homeless people, older adults, and people with disabilities face disproportionate risk, and noted no funds are attached to the ordinance (02:03:35). Lorena Mora of Division Midway Alliance cited a 2025 report showing pedestrians made up 51% of traffic deaths with 20 pedestrian fatalities in 2025 (02:10:05). Indy Namcoong of Verde asked what other Vision Zero work might be delayed to fund it.

Cost figures were revised on the record. Transportation Director Millicent Williams said each intersection would cost about $4,000, with 30 high-crash-network intersections totaling roughly $120,000 (02:22:16); a manager's amendment with corrected numbers will go to the full Council. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) called it a "directive ordinance" novel to the new council and said "I'm going to vote yes on this" (02:35:03).

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) pressed on the ordinance's LiDAR enforcement provision, saying "I don't want to create a surveillance state" (02:48:03); Kuntz said LiDAR is not surveillance-based and would be managed by the transportation bureau. Kanal also asked how many crashes had a nexus to a right turn on red — Williams said she would return with that analysis. Kanal voted to refer with a condition: "I want those questions answered or I'll be a no on it at the full council" (02:58:57).

As debate ran toward the noon deadline, Smith moved to advance the ordinance and to limit debate, telling Kanal "You can vote no, um, I'd like to limit debate, Madam Chair" (02:53:10). Kanal said "Still have a floor" (02:53:17). Green raised a point of order: "I don't— I think Councilor Connell still had the floor" (02:53:38), and Chair Clark returned the floor to Kanal. The agenda records the ayes as Kanal, Koyama Lane, Green, Smith, and Clark; Williams said the 30-day education period and enforcement, which rests with the Portland Police Bureau, still require conversations with that bureau.

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Portland City Council PM Session 06/18/26

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council passed the Moderate-Income Revolving Loan Program on an 11-0 second reading, letting the city tap state loan money for middle-income housing while several members voiced unease about the risk it places on city finances (00:19:36). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) was absent for the vote.

Housing loan program clears with reservations

The ordinance, introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson and Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), gives Prosper Portland authority to administer a state-led revolving loan program for housing. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) called revolving loan funds "the cheat code for housing production in the years forward" and estimated "maybe $20 million on the table" in a first-come, first-served program (00:08:05).

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) supported the ordinance but repeated a concern that it "leave[s] the city carrying the repayment liability to the state for the loans Prosper underwrites and the council never approves" (00:10:31). She said council's charter investigative authority does not extend to Prosper, so if a deal soured the council could not compel the underwriting records, and cited Maiden Old Town as a case the city did not want to repeat.

Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira answered the risk question on the record: the measure gives Prosper authority to administer a state loan, and for projects in tax-increment financing districts, "TIF would be the first line of defense" if a project failed (00:14:49). Absent TIF, he said, "the city's full faith and credit would be backing" the underlying loan (00:14:00). Asked by Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) whether the program guaranteed geographic distribution, Oliveira said there was none (00:16:02); non-TIF projects are also eligible.

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) pressed for East Portland projects, telling Oliveira, "I'm not voting for this if you don't have none in East Portland," to which he replied, "It's a competitive program, Councilor" (00:15:25). Kanal said he would "begrudgingly be supporting this" and asked agency leadership to be ready to move the program back to the Portland Housing Bureau if the council found it was not working (00:16:40). Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) called herself an "enthusiastic supporter," and Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said the state dollars "should not just leave on the table."

Councilor Smith also noted the absence of bureau staff at the table, saying "it's almost like we're on our own" with no one from the administration present, before Oliveira came forward (00:12:29).

Cable commission dissolved; two ordinances advance

The council advanced two first-reading ordinances tied to the end of the Mount Hood Cable Regulatory Commission, both moving to a second reading on June 25 (00:30:44). One establishes a Cable Franchise Fund (Fund 234) in the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, effective July 1, 2026, replacing the commission's Fund 855; the commission dissolves June 30, 2026. The other amends city code to remove references to the commission while keeping the city's seat on Open Signal's board.

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Portland City Council PM Session 06/17/26

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council adopted a fiscal year 2026-27 budget on a 9-2 vote with one abstention (01:58:39), closing a gap the council president put at more than $160 million while confirming that layoffs affecting frontline workers will take effect.

The budget vote

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) recused himself from the final vote and debate, citing his wife's employment with the Bleach Botanical Garden. The budget passed as amended, with Councilors Dan Ryan (District 2) and Eric Zimmerman (District 4) voting no and Dunphy abstaining (01:58:39).

Dunphy said the mayor's proposed budget sought to close a gap of more than $160 million (00:47:00), roughly $105 million of it from expiring one-time money and about $55 million from ongoing revenue shortfalls, including $25 million he attributed to a federal tax bill that hit the city's business license tax. He said 150 individuals were on the block to be laid off and that layoffs are not effective until August 3rd (00:47:00).

Before the vote, Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) questioned Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery and City Attorney Robert Taylor on whether a late amendment was still possible. Biery said it was legally possible but "extremely dangerous and high-risk behavior" that would leave the city without an implementable budget by July 1 (00:57:42). Taylor said any amendment would require an emergency clause and nine votes, and a fund change of 10% or more would trigger added notice requirements. Green noted "the council approval rating is about 24%" (01:02:38). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) disputed the framing, saying the charter allows amending on the last day.

The debate turned personal over failed compromise talks. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said progressive councilors brought roughly six funding sources to restore fire rescues, each dying 6-6, while the other side repeatedly sought to defund a police accountability fund "that 82% of voters approved" (01:14:58). Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) called her account false: "your idea that you bent over backwards to forge an agreement is false," and said one obstacle was a bottom line of "no money for police training" (01:22:39). Morillo answered, "I'm talking about the week before with Elana, not you." Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) returned to the queue to say she never walked away from negotiations, calling it a "false narrative" she could not let stand (01:46:01).

Zimmerman, explaining his no vote, said "I cannot make well-informed decisions in this process with this budget moving forward" (01:23:57) and pressed the administration for more granular budget documents. Ryan said he was "leaning no," giving the mayor "a B- or C+" (01:37:20). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said progressive councilors, with crossover votes, restored the Office of Violence Prevention, Ceasefire, Portland Street Response, a St. Johns fire engine, a 911 call taker, and six Portland Police Bureau jobs (01:51:02). Multiple councilors said ideas repeatedly died on 6-6 ties; Smith said such ties would recur "until we have the ability to have the mayor to break a tie, or we have an uneven council" (00:50:47).

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 06/17/26

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole voted 11-0 to send Mayor Keith Wilson's slate of four Portland Clean Energy Fund committee appointments to the full council with a recommendation they be accepted, with Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) absent (03:01:47).

Four appointments advance to PCEF committee

The committee forwarded three new appointees and one reappointment to the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund committee, the nine-member advisory body that shapes the fund's five-year climate investment plan. The fund draws from a surcharge on large retailers and was approved by 65% of voters in 2018 (01:56:41). Program Manager Sam Barrasso and External Affairs Manager Rafael Tamarki said the recruitment drew 67 applications for the three open positions over roughly six months.

The new appointees are Tamara Kennedy, executive director of the Northwest Energy Coalition; Danielle Walker, an energy-efficiency evaluator with the Brightline Group; and Randall Friesen, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbia Pacific Building Trades and Construction Council. D'Angelo Moaning, the committee's co-chair, was reappointed. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) pressed each appointee on whether transportation projects are a proper use of fund dollars, noting that most said they would need to study the plan first. "I'm a little worried that people... aren't at all sure whether any transportation investments are appropriate subjects," Novick said (02:35:11). Moaning, whose background is in transportation, said the fund should invest in transportation decarbonization but "reimagine what that looks like in terms of equitable access."

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) repeatedly pressed Friesen on how he would handle a "greenwashing movement for data centers" given his union represents workers who build them. Friesen said he would evaluate any conflict "case by case" and recuse himself if needed: "I would do whatever was ethical and legal and make sure that nothing shady happened." Morillo replied, "You're doing your best, man" (02:46:34).

Moaning's reappointment was backdated; Barrasso attributed the lag to a plan to batch recruitments that took longer than expected. Two more members roll off in September, with recruitment beginning shortly.

Novick–Smith clash over PCEF fund shifts

Novick used the appointment hearing to air concerns about the council's relationship with the fund, citing last year's shift of money from an under-spent transportation program into housing. His proposals to keep the money in transportation "lost 11 to 1" (02:26:04). He said grant recipients had told the council "we've already been promised this money."

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Portland City Council Housing & Permitting Committee 06/16/26

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The Housing and Permitting Committee voted 3-2 to send the full City Council an ordinance temporarily removing the income cap for homebuyers under the Portland Housing Bureau's Affordable Housing System Development Charge exemption program, over objections from two members that it would push aside lower-income buyers (02:46:52).

The committee, chaired by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) with Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) as vice chair, referred four measures to full council during its June 16 meeting.

Permitting overhaul cleared unanimously

The committee voted 5-0 to recommend a resolution directing the City Administrator to reestablish a Permitting Improvement Team for the second phase of the Code Alignment Project (01:32:34). Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), the lead sponsor, told colleagues Portland "is the slowest in the metro region for permitting timelines," citing a Johnson Economics analysis that the city averages 413 days to issue a multifamily permit against 225 in Vancouver, 204 in Hillsboro, and 313 in Gresham (00:29:56). "Can we please at least be as good as Gresham?" he asked. He said the city lost "an estimated $700 million in development investments" last year as developers built elsewhere (00:32:57), and noted the zoning code has grown from 250 pages in 1980 to about 1,800 today.

Deputy City Administrator Donny Oliveira backed the resolution, saying bureau staff are "overleveraged" and that applicants want "certainty" about cost and timing. He said the earlier task force ran on "essentially 4 FTE over 2 years" and that a future team might need between four and 10 people (01:23:24).

Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) voted yes but warned against folding policy changes into what is framed as administrative streamlining, asking that any policy shifts return "as standalone policy changes." Dunphy gave his "personal assurance" that administrative decisions would come separately from "meaty policy directional changes" (01:30:16). Invited testimony came from Sarah Radcliffe of Habitat for Humanity Portland Region, who said the group has 77 homes under construction and 100 in pre-development in the city; Peter Finley Fry, a nationally certified land use planner, who said Portland is "the only place I know of that actually does not have site review"; and Ben Hemson of the Home Building Association of Greater Portland. Architect Byron Balog said two affordable projects he is working on took 572 and 608 days from application to permit issuance (00:57:56).

SDC income-cap removal splits the committee

The narrowest vote came on an ordinance to temporarily remove the income requirement for homebuyers under the Housing Bureau's Affordable Housing SDC exemption program. Josh Roper, the bureau's Policy and Planning Director, said the 2025 temporary SDC waiver (Ordinance 192082) exempted nearly all new housing without an income test, leaving developers in the older affordable program at a "competitive disadvantage" because they must still sell only to buyers at or below 100% of area median income. The change would apply to units permitted before Jan. 1, 2026 and run through Sept. 30, 2028.

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Portland City Council Community & Public Safety Committee 06/16/26

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 16:30:00 GMT

A committee amendment removing personal-defense pepper spray from a list of weapons banned in city parks passed 5-0 (02:55:40), while the underlying ordinance stripping concealed-handgun protections from certain city buildings was held for more negotiation.

Guns in public buildings sent back for rework

The Community and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), spent more than an hour on an ordinance introduced by Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) that would remove the affirmative defense allowing concealed-handgun license holders to carry in buildings where a city governing body holds official meetings. Staff member Eben Harford said the measure mirrors what Multnomah County did last fall and touches three code sections; the committee-approved amendment removes tear gas, mace and pepper mace from the weapons presumptively banned in parks so that carrying personal-protection spray "should be okay" (02:13:05).

Dunphy said the goal was straightforward: "philosophically, I'm trying to have no guns in City Hall" (02:21:37), arguing the city was "governing for the 15%" of people who won't do right on their own. He noted he did not draft the language, which came from the City Attorney's Office and the administration.

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4), himself a concealed-carry license holder, pressed on the consequences. He said that over a period of years — he stated it two ways, "in 5 years there were 3 incidents, or it was in 3 years there were 5 incidents" — people stopped at the metal detectors simply proved a legal right to carry. "You are asking to place a felony on those who right now under state law can do a thing," he said (02:26:44), and proposed an exclusion policy instead: tell a carrier they must leave, and use trespass rules if they refuse.

Harford at one point said a felony sat "at the very end of the process," then corrected himself. City Attorney Robert Taylor, called up mid-item, clarified the disposition: once the affirmative defense is removed, carrying in such a building is a misdemeanor, not a felony (02:46:15), and any city criminal statute must stay consistent with state law, including a state exemption for honorably retired officers that the council cannot override. The prospect of prosecution turning on officer discretion drew objections from both sides of the debate: Zimmerman said "that's not how laws are supposed to be written," and Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said "the discretion conversation did scare the hell out of me," citing "a felony for some of us and not for all of us" (02:41:50).

Security manager Manny Guerra told the committee the change "wasn't brought forth by security," said "more guns do not make areas more safe," and said he was comfortable with an exclusion approach: "I don't think it should go automatically to a criminal matter" (02:59:48). Novick said he would convene a working group with Dunphy, Zimmerman, the administration and lawyers — with only one of himself or Kanal to avoid a quorum — aiming to act on July 7.

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Portland City Council Special Meeting 06/11/26

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council Special Meeting 06/11/26, Thursday, June 11, 2026.

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June 10-11, 2026 Council agenda (regular and special meetings)

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMT

A push to protect frontline jobs and reverse city budget cuts died on a 6-6 tie, as Portland's council spent its June 10 session unable to agree on how to fund fire rescues, parks and worker layoffs before its budget deadline. (03:16:49)

The "Services First" amendment fails on a tie

The centerpiece fight was Green-Avalos-Morillo 1, called "Services First," moved by Councilor Mitch Green (District 4). It would have funded 96 positions across multiple bureaus — including public safety support specialists, Advanced Life Support teams, parks maintenance and janitorial workers, and a new Office of Immigration Affairs — and paused a core realignment process that would lay off 46 employees. Green said the mayor's budget cuts almost 80% of public safety support specialists and that competing plans cut parks maintenance by $6 million, risking renewal of a parks levy worth nearly $450 million. He pointed to a stated $45 million the city expects from the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers, which the city's website says "could go towards the $120 million the city would invest in the Moda Center." (02:31:00)

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said the pause was needed to engage labor properly and called the alternatives "the Temu versions of our amendment." Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said dollars are available today to prevent the cuts. Opponents argued the amendment relied on one-time money. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said it "punts every hard decision" and reverses nearly every cut except to managers. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) warned it would use two years of Portland Clean Energy Fund interest in one year, deepening next year's shortfall.

Chief Financial Officer Jonas Beary told the council the proposal "increases risk to future stability" and "punts responsibility... to a future council," and said fund balance and contingency levels had already dropped below what rating agencies recommend to keep the city's AAA rating. The amendment failed 6-6 — ayes from Councilors Sameer Kanal (District 2), Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Morillo, Green, Avalos and Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1); nays from Pirtle-Guiney, Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2), Novick, Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4), Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) and Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1). (03:16:49)

Six tries to fund fire rescues, none adopted

Restoring three fire rescue units — reduced to peak-hour staffing in the mayor's budget — drew six separate amendments. Two were withdrawn and three failed. Pirtle-Guiney-Novick 1 would have restored Rescue 19 by cutting $142,146 from nine council office budgets — a net $92,146 cut per office after restoring a prior one-time $50,000 reduction — while excluding District 1. Novick said "voters will be paying attention" to office budgets, citing a KGW interview. Morillo objected that Minneapolis staffs its council operations with over 40 people against Portland's 11, three of them vacant, and Kanal called it inefficient, "a $1.2 million cut to save $550,000." It failed 5-7. (02:30:34)

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Portland City Council City Life Committee 06/09/26

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:00:00 GMT

A Portland City Council committee voted 5-0 to send the full council an ordinance establishing a Driver Resource Center for rideshare workers, funded by clarifying that the city's existing $2 ride fee applies to trips ending in Portland, not just those starting here (02:09:58).

The Driver Resource Center

The City Life Committee spent most of its June 9 meeting on an ordinance sponsored by Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) and Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3). It would create a contracted, independent center where drivers for Transportation Network Companies can get help with deactivations, wage disputes, benefits and language access.

Pirtle-Guiney said the funding comes not from a rate increase but from clarifying the existing fee, which the council raised last year from $0.65 to $2 a ride (00:14:56). Applying it to rides that end in Portland is estimated to raise about $1.5 million (01:12:09), and the ordinance caps spending at that amount annually. Novick said drivers have told him they make less than minimum wage, "like around $12 an hour," and face deactivation with "no idea why" (00:18:05).

Drivers Union Oregon organizer Nathaniel Hudson Hartman presented, citing roughly 2 million private-for-hire rides per quarter and nearly 15,000 active drivers in Portland, a workforce speaking 25 to 30 languages. He said his notebook holds "over 60 names of Portland drivers" trying to get their jobs back and named the pattern he sees: "It's not Steve, it's not Dan, it's not Eric. It's Hamidullah, it's Abdullahi, it's Ali" (00:31:36). He pointed to Washington's center, which he said returned more than 2,100 wrongfully deactivated drivers to work and put over $12 million back in drivers' pockets (00:33:36).

Testimony

Six people signed up. Samir Kanal, a District 3 resident who drove for more than 10 years, said he was deactivated over a background-check error and could reach only English-language text support (00:43:34). An online testifier, Angela, said she was paid $49 for a Seattle-bound ride, and after contacting Washington's resource center recovered "around $350" (00:46:47). Ram Damala testified in limited English about a permanent deactivation prompted by a complaint. Rob Nesbitt said he was deactivated for unexplained "fraudulent activity" despite being a 5-star driver with 5,500 rides (01:25:38).

Lyft's Meadow Johnson urged the council to wait, saying Portland's fee burden on TNCs is "already among the highest in the nation" and that a statewide framework would work better, noting Oregon is the only state without one (00:40:32). Uber submitted written testimony. Pirtle-Guiney said Senate Majority Leader Jama submitted a letter of support and that the center "supplements and complements rather than conflicts" with his statewide work (00:16:52).

Questions from the dais

Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) pressed the Portland Bureau of Transportation on procurement, geographic access and how success would be measured. PBOT Director Millicent Williams described a standard request-for-proposals process taking "between 4 to 6 months" (00:55:39). Mobility Innovations Manager Jacob Sherman said Uber and Lyft hold deactivation data that is "not the kind of information that's shared with us on a regular basis" (01:00:24).

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Portland City Council Public Works Committee 06/09/26

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

The Public Works Committee took no votes at its June 9 meeting, spending the session on a presentation about the I-5 Rose Quarter project that laid out a five-week closure of southbound I-5 beginning September 11 during which travel could take two to three times longer. The item was placed on file.

A five-week closure and a summer of detours

ODOT staff told the committee that crews will fully close southbound I-5 between the Broadway-Weidler exit and the I-84 interchange for up to five weeks starting Friday, September 11, working 24 hours a day to replace a bridge deck last resurfaced in 1985. A shorter, 14-hour full closure of both directions is scheduled for July 11 (01:36:19) to install a sign bridge, starting at 10 p.m. Saturday and reopening no later than noon Sunday.

Staff said they chose a single continuous closure over a single-lane approach — infeasible in the 38-foot-wide corridor and roughly $4.5 to $7 million more costly — and over weekend closures, which would have stretched across two summers and added roughly $6 to $9 million. The presenter warned the closure "could be some of the worst traffic that the region has seen in a long time," with travel taking "2 to 3 times longer" at peak (01:41:39). Traffic modeling assumes no change in driver behavior; staff said past closures show drivers shift routes and times. The signed detour sends through traffic onto I-405 over the Fremont Bridge, with regional drivers urged toward I-205.

David Kim of ODOT described the corridor as the top congestion bottleneck in the region, telling councilors Portland has "the 4th worst congestion and 7th worst traffic amongst 49 major metropolitan areas" (00:20:27). The wider project includes a highway cover over I-5 meant to reconnect the Albina neighborhood split by freeway construction in the 1960s.

Funding gap and what the current work buys

Kim and the ODOT presenter said the current published cost estimate is "roughly $2 billion plus or minus" and expected to rise (01:01:18). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) pressed for the total; staff said an updated figure is due at the end of summer. The work now funded is largely asset management, seismic retrofit and one auxiliary lane — not the highway cover, whose start was tied to roughly $380 million in grant funding that was rescinded (01:04:02). ODOT has about $170 million remaining in construction funds and $30 million in right-of-way money, and will seek construction dollars for the next phase in the 2027 legislative session.

Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) asked whether the freeway project would consume the city's transportation lobbying capacity and whether lower-cost alternatives remained. PBOT Director Millicent Williams answered that the city "currently... is not an investor in this project" and that its funding was "Currently, zero investment" (00:54:45). Green asked whether tolling or congestion pricing was back under consideration through the governor's transportation workgroup; Kim said the project team had not been close to those talks, and Green said the committee would "go up the food chain" (01:06:36).

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Portland City Council PM Session 06/04/26

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council voted 7-5 to ban the sale of foie gras and other force-fed poultry products, rejecting first a grandfather clause for the handful of restaurants that already serve it (01:14:33).

Foie gras ban clears after a fight over "liberalism" and bodily autonomy

The council passed the force-fed poultry ordinance introduced by Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) after defeating an amendment from Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) that would have exempted any establishment already serving the product as of June 1, 2026. That grandfather clause failed 5-7 (00:52:28).

Zimmerman argued that a "liberal society" must tolerate practices it dislikes, comparing the ban to Multnomah County's hookah restrictions. Green said the amendment "largely guts it" and pointed to the existing ban on shark fin. Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) invoked personal choice, asking "what shade of liberalism is it that dictates how I can control my body?" (00:34:24). Green replied she was drawing "a false equivalency to bodily autonomy in a very inappropriate way" (00:34:34).

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) told the room, "I hope for the media that's watching this, they see how seriously this is being debated to the point where we are engaging in long philosophical diatribes about liberalism ... over a foie gras ban to just stop monkeys from getting tortured" (00:39:19), and repeatedly interrupted Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) during her remarks. Later, Zimmerman said, "I'm apologizing to Councilor Clark. I don't know why my amendment brought such, I think, very terrible words that were just said to you a few minutes ago. I think that was irresponsible of a few members" (01:09:40).

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) cited New York City's 42-6 vote and Pittsburgh's 7-2 vote in 1923 (00:37:29). Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) said at least 27 countries limit foie gras and King Charles has banned it from royal residences (01:05:19). Smith and Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) opposed the ban; Ryan said it would "tarnish our economic development reputation." Robert Taylor of the City Attorney's Office told the council the ordinance was modeled on California's ban, which survived in the Ninth Circuit, and that Chicago's ban was repealed by a later council rather than struck down in court; he said "I think it should be legally defensible" (01:02:34). Eric Engstrom, director of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, estimated ongoing enforcement cost as "definitely not ... hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and it's ... probably not $100 a year either" (00:59:44).

Housing loan program stripped of unit minimum; Prosper keeps the reins

The council advanced the Moderate Income Revolving Loan Program, which lets Portland draw no-interest state loans and pass grants to housing developers under Senate Bill 1537. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), who carried it from the Housing and Permitting Committee, said the state fund is $50 million statewide, first-come first-served, with 20% reserved for rural areas.

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June 3-4, 2026 Council agenda

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council voted 10-2 to appropriate $2.5 million from the Construction Excise Tax for Black-led homeownership development in District 2, ending a monthslong fight in which supporters said the projects had been repeatedly stripped out and opponents said the money was handed out with no competitive process (01:06:58).

$2.5 million for homeownership development

The ordinance, sponsored by Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) with co-sponsors Eric Zimmerman (District 4), Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Dan Ryan (District 2) and Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4), draws $2.5 million from the Construction Excise Tax Sub-fund for homeownership development in District 2. It passed as amended, with Councilors Angelita Morillo (District 3) and Candace Avalos (District 1) voting no.

Avalos, who chairs the Housing Committee, used her time to explain a vote that had drawn public speculation. Her concern, she said, "was never whether communities of color deserve investments" but "always about how we make these decisions" (00:45:07). She said an amendment adopted the prior week moved the dollars away from a social housing funding source she had opposed, but that "the broader concerns I've raised about the process remain." Morillo made a parallel argument: "if council is going to act as a grant-making body, we need to have all the same information that a grant-giving body would have" (00:50:41), and said she had voted no on projects lacking a pro forma, including Broadway Corridor and Hacienda.

Smith urged passage, saying she had pushed the funding since January before it was "permanently tabled indefinitely." She said Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) "dropped an amendment to take them out. That was wrong, and he apologized for that, and I accepted his apology" (00:55:03), and rejected the framing of the council as a grant-maker: "We are appropriators and policymakers" (00:56:29). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) cited a 29% Black-white homeownership gap, "the highest that the census ever recorded," and said the amendment preserved the city's planned social housing investment. Pirtle-Guiney pushed back on the idea that social housing and these projects had been artificially pitted against each other: "we're not, we're not buying that, folks" (01:01:13). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said he had opposed the Broadway Corridor project in his own district and supported it only once it was funded from the Westside urban-renewal fund rather than rent-assistance dollars (01:03:21).

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Portland City Council Work Session FY2026-27 Adopted Budget 6/3/26

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council Work Session FY2026-27 Adopted Budget 6/3/26, Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

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Portland City Council Housing & Permitting Committee 06/02/26

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The Housing and Permitting Committee voted 5-0 to send Regulatory Improvement Code Amendment Package 11 to the full City Council with a recommendation to pass, after Vice Chair Mitch Green moved to strip out its shelter-expansion provisions and then withdrew the motion (02:59:54). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) presided; Green (District 4) was vice chair.

Shelter caps drive the RECAP debate

The 56-amendment package, introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson through the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, is described by staff as technical code maintenance. Most of the committee's time went to one provision, MP-14, which raises the number of individual shelter units allowed by right in various zones so that outdoor shelters built during the housing emergency can keep operating after it expires in October 2027.

Sandra Wood, the bureau's code development manager, said the amendment drew the most public attention, with many of 36 online comments concerning the Multnomah Safe Rest Village. Lucas Pollock, vice chair of the Planning Commission, told the committee the commission voted unanimously on October 28 to recommend adoption but cut the commercial-zone cap from a staff-proposed 200 units to 100 in response to neighbors, leaving a net increase from the current 60 units (02:06:45).

Green said 100 was still too high. Citing a Portland State University study he circulated to the committee, he said the ideal village size is "somewhere between 25 and 30," with about 60 as an upper bound (02:44:20), and moved to strike MP-14 entirely; Avalos seconded. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) opposed, saying the organization Cultivate Initiatives had pointed him to Austin's Community First Village of several hundred residents as a model and that he did not want to "use the land use system to make operational decisions" (02:51:20).

Staff and the Planning Commission chair, Steph Routh, described the choice as difficult. Routh said 200 "was too much too far" and "Was 100 the correct answer? I'm not entirely sure, honestly" (02:41:03). BPS Director Eric Engstrom said staff were "trying not to use the land use code to dictate their operational choices."

The decisive point was what striking MP-14 would do to existing sites. City planner JP McNeil said that in industrial and employment zones, self-governed villages including Dignity Village, North Portland Road and Clinton Triangle would have to seek a conditional use review when the emergency ends, and could be forced to close if denied (02:47:28). Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) called that "a big red flag" and said she could not support the wholesale change. Green then reversed course: "I'm going to withdraw my amendment actually. I've been moved by the discussion" (02:58:13), saying he worried villages "I care deeply about" could be "kicked out because then they lost a by-right place to be." Avalos, as seconder, agreed to withdraw, and the committee referred the full package unchanged.

No one signed up for oral testimony at the committee; eight pieces of written testimony had arrived by noon.

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Portland City Council Community & Public Safety Committee 06/02/26

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:30:00 GMT

A Portland City Council committee took no final votes Tuesday, holding presentations on gun violence and 911 call reassignment and continuing an ordinance that would make personal use of naturally occurring psychedelics the city's lowest law-enforcement priority.

The Community and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), heard three items. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) served as vice chair. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) and Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) attended from the start; Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) arrived at 10:01.

Ceasefire program and gun violence

Novick read Mayor Keith Wilson's proclamation marking Gun Violence Awareness Month before a panel from the Office of Violence Prevention, Portland Police Bureau, and community organizations described the Ceasefire strategy, launched in July 2023.

Sierra Ellis, the Ceasefire program manager, laid out a strategy focused on a small number of people. Asked by Novick how many Portlanders are at risk of committing or being harmed by gun violence at any point, Ellis said "a few hundred people" (01:09:37). Franz Schaning, Assistant Chief for the Investigations Branch, tied a post-pandemic spike in shootings to 2020 budget cuts and the disbanding of the Gun Violence Reduction Team, with a 2022 peak (00:35:29).

Jason Hubert, coordinator for the Crisis Response Team, said the bureau had a homicide the morning of the meeting and described working alongside Marvin Young, a former adversary. "Back in the day, Marvin and I didn't see eye to eye. I wore this uniform, Marvin wore another uniform," Hubert said (00:40:09), adding, "We don't get a pat on the back, but we do it because we love our community" (00:41:09). Young, executive director of Nurture Outreach Services, said his organization serves 70 individuals — 25 through street outreach and 45 through referrals (00:47:22).

Smith pressed Jahad Hudson of HELP Inc., which runs a 15-youth summer cohort, on service gaps. Hudson said cuts to wraparound supports were limiting success: "things are being cut and some things are not being addressed" (01:05:27).

Shifting welfare-check calls to Portland Street Response

A working group of the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC), Portland Street Response (PSR), the Police Bureau, and the Public Safety Service Area presented a study of welfare-check calls, an effort Novick initiated last year. Nick McDonald, a performance analyst, said the group reviewed about 3,000 such calls over a two-month period.

The city fields about 23,000 welfare checks a year (01:23:24). Staff estimated roughly 14,000 could shift to Portland Street Response and about 8,600 stay with police, over a phased transition of about four years (01:35:28). Calls in private buildings formed the largest category at 9,400 (01:23:24) — a result Novick said reversed his prior assumption that most welfare checks involved people lying on sidewalks (01:50:35). Interim PSR Program Manager April Roa said the 14,000 figure would nearly double PSR's 2025 volume of 15,000 calls, after the program hired and promoted 22 people this fiscal year.

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 05/28/26

Thu, 28 May 2026 16:30:00 GMT

The Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole referred the mayor's Urban Forestry Commission appointments to the full City Council on a 10-0 vote, recommending acceptance (01:38:39). It also referred a slate of Sustainability and Climate Commission appointments, and Chair Sameer Kanal (District 2) previewed months of coming business, including the Moda Center.

Urban Forestry Commission appointments referred

Interim Parks and Recreation Director Sonia Szymanski presented three new members — Paula Byrd, Jeff Donovan and Taiwo Kodre — and three reappointments: Adrian Feldstein, Leah Plack and Melinda McMillan. The commission is an 11-member volunteer body advising on Portland's trees, and Szymanski said the slate, if seated, would fill three vacancies and fully roster it.

Donovan, a natural resource economist and former U.S. Forest Service researcher, told the committee "there is no more cost-effective policy lever available to you than planting and retaining trees." Pressed by Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) on whether removing trees is ever appropriate, Donovan answered "Absolutely," citing trees threatening a house's foundations or planted in the wrong spot. He anchored his case on a study of Friends of Trees planting and longevity, saying every dollar spent returned $1,727 in improved-health benefits (01:01:26).

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) said he supported the new appointees but had "pause" with the reappointments, and pushed all of them on how they would behave on the board: "there are two types of cultures... There's the type who kind of is rubber stamp... And then there's the type who stand firm." He tied it to Title 11 of the tree code, which he said needs fixes, singling out the requirement to get a permit for a tree that has already fallen: "There may be nothing that strikes Portlanders as more asinine than the need to get a permit for a tree removal after it already fell down" (01:23:10). Reappointee McMillan, an architect and landscape architect, said the commissioners "don't agree with each other 80% of the time" and "will never just say yes." Byrd, interim executive director at the Rosewood Initiative, said she was there for the community: "I'm not here for my own personal gain."

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) urged the commission to add members with land-development experience and to coordinate with the Design Review board. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) raised long-term tree-maintenance costs for low-income homeowners and renters, and Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) asked how the commission could help produce economic impact statements. Szymanski said Parks is reviewing the commission's tree-removal appeals role through a Title 11 amendment project, with proposed amendments due for public review next spring and recommendations to council next fall. The motion by Novick, seconded by Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), passed 10-0, with Councilors Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) and Jamie Dunphy (District 1) absent.

Sustainability and Climate Commission appointments referred

Chief Sustainability Officer Vivian Satterfield and Coordinator Elaine Viska-Livingstone presented the mayor's slate for the youth cohort: reappointment of Celeste Ruiz, new youth members Christian Flores, Alma Valls and Shubh Narayan, youth alternate Giovanni Vaz, and at-large alternate Ben Hodgson. Six prospective commissioners spoke in person, by video or online.

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May 27, 2026 Council agenda

Thu, 28 May 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council voted 11-1 to advance $2.5 million for two Black-led homeownership developments in North and Northeast Portland to a second reading, after amending the ordinance to draw the money from a construction excise tax fund instead of a social housing fund (02:30:38).

$2.5 million for Black homeownership

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) introduced the appropriation for Self-Enhancement Inc. and the Williams and Russell Community Development Corporation, describing it as "repairing harm" tied to the displacement of Black Portlanders. Smith said Black homeownership in the Portland area runs about 25 to 28 percent against 57 percent for white residents (01:06:34). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) moved an amendment—co-sponsored with Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) and Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1)—to change the funding source from the revolving loan and social housing acquisition fund to the Construction Excise Tax subfund (01:35:02). Deputy City Administrator Donny Oliveira told Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) the switch would have no material impact on the projects' timing (02:27:41).

The projects would build 49 homes through SEI's Ruby Mack Place in East Vanport and 20 townhomes through the Williams and Russell Knott Street project (02:32:20). Thirteen people signed up to testify. SEI CEO Trent Aldridge said the $1.5 million share would push affordability from 80 percent of area median income down to 70 or 65 percent, and cited a median homeowner net worth of $400,000 versus $10,400 for renters (01:17:48). Multnomah County Commissioner Shannon Singleton said Black households in the area earn an average income just over $44,000, less than half what white households make (01:32:50). A speaker for the Portland Democratic Socialists of America and a real estate broker, along with the Portland Metro Chamber, supported the amendment; most opposition to the original had been about the funding source rather than the projects.

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) recalled "the many point of orders...flying between you and the council president" during the fight, and referenced "shenanigans that held this process hostage" (02:39:35). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) told Smith, "if I'm ever held hostage, I hope the negotiator is Loretta Smith" (02:39:35). The item returns June 3.

Ban on masked law enforcement passes 8-4

The council passed as amended an ordinance requiring identity verification and badge visibility and prohibiting facial coverings for those conducting law enforcement activities, on an 8-4 vote (03:42:48). Kanal, the primary sponsor, said "you have a right to know who's policing you" (03:38:07).

City Attorney Robert Taylor told Councilor Smith that under binding Ninth Circuit precedent the portion regulating federal masking "likely would be unconstitutional," though a severability clause would preserve the rest (03:29:34). Novick said there was "a high likelihood that this will be struck down in court" but that the cause justified the attempt (03:12:37). Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said the ordinance "will not allow us to unmask federal agents" barring a court miracle, and warned against letting "misinformation" set expectations Portland cannot meet (03:22:43). Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) called the measure "very symbolic" and voted no (03:14:53).

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Portland City Council City Life Committee Meeting 05/26/26

Tue, 26 May 2026 21:00:00 GMT

A Portland City Council committee referred an ordinance to strip the permit requirement for sidewalk sandwich boards to the full council on a 5-0 recommendation, after a longer session laying groundwork for a rideshare "take rate" policy that Uber and Lyft declined to appear for. The City Life Committee, chaired by Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), met May 26 and referred four ordinances to the full council; none is final.

Rideshare pay and fare transparency

The committee spent most of its time on a policy discussion, not a vote, about earnings standards for drivers of transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft. Pirtle-Guiney and Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) are developing a "take rate" — a set share of each passenger's fare going to the driver after taxes, tips and fees. Pirtle-Guiney said Lyft currently promises a 70/30 split (00:20:30). Councilors Angelita Morillo (District 3) and Jamie Dunphy (District 1) have joined the effort. Pirtle-Guiney said Uber and Lyft were invited to a panel and 00:29:44.

A drivers union coalition, Fair Rides Oregon, showed fare screenshots: a 28-minute, 17-mile ride cost a passenger $110 while the driver made $14 (00:41:43); another $110 ride paid the driver $46. Representatives said the Portland rate card pays drivers a $0.94 base fare, $0.70 a mile and $0.24 a minute, and that companies self-imposed an 80% pay floor around 2015-2017 (00:40:03). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) pressed on whether the disparities proved intent; a union representative said one low-paying trip was heavily surged with the surge not passed to the driver, and another began in Washington State, which regulates per-mile pay (00:42:31).

James Parrott, senior fellow at the Center for New York City Affairs, disputed an Uber-commissioned analysis. That study, by HRA, found Portland drivers took home $21.82 an hour after expenses; Parrott said his re-examination with Professor Michael Reich of UC Berkeley found the real figure was $12.05 an hour, because Uber understated expenses, omitted waiting time and counted tips as company pay (00:56:05). He said that is 24% below Portland's 2024 minimum wage of $15.95. He cited Gridwise data showing fares rose 9.6% from December 2024 to December 2025 while driver pay per trip rose 3.6%, and said Uber's net operating income climbed 50% in 2025.

Public testimony from drivers

Six people signed up for open comment, and rideshare drivers dominated. One driver of 13 years said Portland pays $0.70 a mile against Seattle's $1.63, San Francisco's $1.40 and New York City's $1.28, and below the federal driving allowance of 72.5 cents (00:12:08). He said Uber made $52 billion globally last year, an 18% increase, and its CEO made $39.4 million while drivers "struggle to make $200 a day" (00:13:28). Samuel Araya of District 3, a driver of more than 10 years, said he was deactivated over a background-check mistake and once received 80% of the fare (00:14:17). Angie Griegs, an eight-year driver, said she started at a set 80% but now sees the companies take "upwards of 80%" (00:49:57). Several people who signed up could not connect to Zoom and were invited to submit written testimony.

A child accompanied one union testifier; Zimmerman said he was "wondering if he could give us his scariest face because we were getting a lot of faces during that" (00:37:43).

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Portland City Council Public Works Committee 05/26/26

Tue, 26 May 2026 16:30:00 GMT

A Public Works Committee voted 5-0 to send an ordinance renaming Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard to Campesinos Boulevard to the full City Council with a recommendation to pass, waiving the city's usual street-renaming process (01:48:31). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) presided over the May 26 meeting; the agenda lists Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) as chair.

Renaming Chavez Boulevard

Smith, who co-sponsored the ordinance with Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), said the change "responds to serious community concerns regarding credible and substantiated revelations of abuse and violence attributed to Cesar Chavez while preserving the city's recognition of La Causa" (01:00:26). The measure waives certain code requirements so the city need not repeat the multi-year process used in the original renaming.

Members of the committee moved the item up on the agenda to accommodate a full room of testifiers. Marta Wembes, co-chair of the La Causa Committee, told the committee the earlier renaming process "was not being celebratory for many of us. It has been painful, hostile, and at times deeply traumatic" (01:03:09). Jose Manuel Romero, a committee co-chair, said the 2007-2010 effort collected over 5,000 petitions and won a 5-0 council vote in 2009, and that of more than 2,350 city streets, none had been named for a Latino before then (01:07:55). Reyna Lopez, president of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), and Anna Gonzalez Munoz of Latino Network also spoke in support.

Two residents opposed the process. Kyle Warner, who owns a home on Northeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard, objected to "waiving 5 of your own ordinances to fast-track this process" and cited a 2009 city poll in which residents opposed renaming 694 to 91 (01:37:11). Jerry Hansen said written testimony showed 97% of respondents wanted the street returned to its historic name, 39th, and called waiving the process "deeply undemocratic" (01:40:38). Koyama Lane said her office heard from more than 25 organizations supporting the renaming (01:45:30).

$235 million in sewer bonds

The committee voted 5-0 to refer an ordinance authorizing sewer revenue bonds producing net proceeds of up to $235 million for sewer system capital work (02:21:13). Deputy City Administrator for Public Works Priya Dhanapal said the Bureau of Environmental Services carries deferred maintenance of about $6.7 billion, the highest among public works bureaus, against a system with an estimated $28 billion asset replacement value. Debt Manager Matt Gierach said the issuance would be paired in October with a refinancing of the Series 2018A bonds, about $143 million outstanding, generating roughly $16 million in interest savings through 2038 (02:13:04).

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) asked about the interest rate; Gierach said the 5.4% figure was cushioned by about 100 basis points and real rates were closer to 4.4 to 4.5% (02:16:03). Asked by Smith about household impact, Public Utilities Director Ting Lu said the combined utility increase runs about $10 a month, with roughly $5 of that on the sewer side (02:19:23).

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Portland City Council Budget Committee Meeting: FY2026-27 Approved Hearing Day 3 Extended 05/20/26

Thu, 21 May 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council sent its roughly $8 billion-plus FY 2026-27 budget to state review on the third day of budget deliberations, after a marathon final session in which councilors fought to a string of 6-6 ties and passed a handful of last-minute restorations, including a $1 million cut to homeless encampment sweeps (00:28:34).

The budget cleared its final votes near 9:15 p.m. — the report as amended passed 11-1, with Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) abstaining because his wife works for Leach Botanical Garden, which received funding (03:16:20). The tax levies, including the city's permanent rate of $4.5707 per $1,000 of assessed value, passed 12-0 (03:18:09). The Prosper Portland budget passed 12-0 (03:19:41). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) noted the vote sends the budget to the Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission: "this is really like the beginning of the budget process" (03:16:00).

Sweeps cut and a clash over homelessness data

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) moved to cut $1 million from the Impact Reduction Program's sweeps and redirect it to sanitation, hygiene and workforce programs. He argued the city consistently exceeds its budgeted sweep counts: in fiscal 2024 the target was 4,000 but the city did 6,738, and in fiscal 2025 it reached 8,303 (00:13:43). Mayor Keith Wilson opposed the cut, saying Portland offers "a safe bed for every person every night" at each removal and that tent camping downtown has dropped "by 75%" (00:18:23). Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) disputed his figures: "he has ample time to give a propaganda spiel with inaccurate data," citing OPB reporting that homelessness has risen (00:21:27). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) put the IRP budget at about $15 million and called sweeping "an output" not an "outcome" (00:26:32). The cut passed 7-3 with two members absent, along with its companion budget note.

An Avalos proposal to set aside $1 million for homelessness system governance and transition planning failed twice on 6-6 ties (01:00:24). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) framed it as accountability before the next budget. Zimmerman called it a "million-dollar layoff" to the Public Environment Management Office and said Multnomah County — not the city — is the homeless services provider. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) pressed Portland Solutions Director Skylar Brackenaff on the funding source and told Avalos, "So you're at the head of that program and you're not sure what that means?" (00:46:24).

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Portland City Council Budget Committee Meeting FY2026-27 Approved Hearing Day 3 05/20/26

Thu, 21 May 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council Budget Committee Meeting FY2026-27 Approved Hearing Day 3 05/20/26, Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

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Portland City Council Prosper Budget Committee Meeting FY2026-27 Approved Hearing Day 2 05/19/26

Wed, 20 May 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council spent a full day amending Mayor Keith Wilson's proposed FY2026-27 budget and adopted a Community Health and Safety Package that funds violence-prevention programs by cutting council security, passing it 8-4 (01:12:37).

The package, brought by Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3), restores Ceasefire and the Office of Violence Prevention (a little over $1 million), adds $500,000 for three positions in the Fire Bureau's CHAT program, and puts roughly $200,000 toward summer lunch and play — paid for by trimming a council security budget the mayor proposed to expand. Morillo argued councilors should not "permanently insulate ourselves with security fit for the president at a cost of $2.5 million per year." Councilors Loretta Smith (District 1), Olivia Clark (District 4), Mitch Green (District 4) and Dan Ryan (District 2) opposed it.

Council security divides the dais

Security manager Manuel Guerra told the council the $2.5 million request covered an $800,000 shortfall from last year plus $500,000 for a new chambers team after a January disruption (00:32:33). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) read each office's usage into the record: "Kanal, 36 times. Murillo, 38 times," down to several members who used it once (00:44:52). Several members recounted threats — Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) described an October house fire preceded by an email saying "I hope your house burns down" (01:00:10). Smith recounted a February 18 incident in which a woman "jumped over this dais and she charged towards me" (00:57:00). Morillo and others countered that the goal was to make security "incidental, not habitual." A dispute over speaking order grew sharp when Smith challenged the presiding officer — "That's what you say" (00:33:32).

Police accountability fund becomes the flashpoint

The longest fights turned on whether to tap the Community Board for Police Accountability's charter-mandated budget. Clark's amendment proposed borrowing $10 million from the roughly $16 million board budget — money she said would sit unspent while a director is hired — to restore fire service, 911 desk staff and police support specialists. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said the plan violated charter sections and held "the voters in contempt," citing the 82% approval of the ballot measure (02:02:10). Avalos called the approach "gross" and told a colleague, "do not district explain me" (02:01:57). Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery described the mechanism as using another fund's balance as collateral against expected underspending. Clark said she was "not zeroing it out" and "not violating the charter" (02:06:29). The amendment failed 6-6 (02:26:11), as did an amendment to trim it (02:24:58). Ryan then raised whether Mayor Wilson could break the tie; the city attorney said council rules allow tiebreaks only on final votes, not amendments (02:26:47).

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May 18-20, 2026 Council agenda

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council took no final budget votes on May 18, instead approving three technical corrections to the proposed FY 2026-27 budget and hearing more than a hundred residents before continuing every budget item to later in the week.

The day was the first of a three-day budget marathon. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) presided, convening the body successively as the City Council, the City Budget Committee, and the Prosper Portland Budget Committee. No adoption votes were scheduled; the day was for testimony and cleanup.

Three technical budget amendments approved

Budget Director Ruth Levine walked the council through three "technical" corrections that City Budget Office staff broke out separately "for transparency." Amendment 1 made appropriation changes; Amendment 2 freed $79,718 in general fund for the council to allocate (00:26:04); Amendment 3 restored $200,000 for Leach Botanical Garden and about $1.07 million in parks funding covered by the parks levy (00:23:06).

The amendments drew more scrutiny than their label suggested. Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) said Amendment 3 "seems very different at the end of one of the worst prepared budgets I've ever seen" (00:28:15) and pressed for an explanation of why so many corrections were needed. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) noted she was listed as a co-sponsor she never agreed to: "I didn't co-sponsor it" (00:26:27). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) drew out that half-year funding in Amendment 3 could leave the Portland Tennis Center to close on December 31 unless the council acts separately (00:24:40).

Amendment 1 passed 10-1, with Kanal voting no over a communications realignment (00:34:04). Amendment 2 passed 11-0 (00:34:49). Dunphy recused himself from Amendment 3 because his spouse works at Leach Botanical Gardens (00:20:07); it passed 10-0 with his abstention (00:36:58). Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) was absent for these votes.

A challenge to the president at the gavel

Minutes after the roll, a speaker raised a "point of parliamentary inquiry" that turned into a confrontation over a housing ordinance intended to fund Williams and Russell, Self-Enhancement Inc., and Oasis of Praise, which the speaker said Dunphy had moved to indefinitely postpone: "you have been not honest with us" (00:11:22). Dunphy answered, "This is not a parliamentary inquiry. This is a separate schedule inquiry" (00:11:39). The exchange closed with dueling rulings: "I find you out of order," from Dunphy, and "You are out of order, Mr. President. You are out of order, sir" (00:12:03). The transcript's speaker labels do not reliably identify who raised the inquiry.

Hours of testimony on the city budget

About 150 people signed up. Union workers facing layoffs under the "core services realignment" dominated, urging the Morillo-Green-Novick 1 amendment to pause it. Elijah Goodrich, a PBOT business systems analyst, said he manages five parking systems handling over $72 million in revenue (00:47:39). Annette Ramirez of the Water Bureau said everyone on her payroll team slated for layoff is a person of color and most are women (02:33:28).

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Portland City Council Work Session FY2026-27 Public Works #2 5/14/26

Thu, 14 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council Work Session FY2026-27 Public Works #2 5/14/26, Thursday, May 14, 2026.

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May 13, 2026 Council agenda

Thu, 14 May 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council issued up to $95 million in FPDR levy borrowing 12-0 and moved two contested measures — a law-enforcement identification code and an Arts Tax overhaul — to second readings, while opening debate on $525 million in water bonds tied to the $2.5 billion Bull Run filtration project.

Water bonds and the Bull Run filtration plant

The council took a first reading on an ordinance authorizing water revenue bonds producing net proceeds of up to $525 million, with total principal not to exceed $530.5 million, to fund the Bull Run Filtration Project (03:57:58). Roughly 18 people testified after the council cut each slot to 90 seconds; 24 had signed up.

Most testifiers opposed the bonds. Liz Levinson of District 2 said a 2017 estimate of about $500 million had grown to $2.5 billion (04:10:00). Rose Podent of Verde said rates are projected to rise about 9.8% a year for a decade, doubling water bills in under 10 years (04:12:05). Katie Farrell of District 4 compared a Denver plant completed in 2024 for $600 million to Portland's $2.56 billion figure (04:24:47). Charles Siko of Fire District 10 cited about 1,000 hazardous-chemical deliveries a year to the site. Two union representatives — Randall Friesen of the Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council and Joe Bond of IBEW Local 48 — supported the bonds, warning delay would raise costs.

Councilor Mitch Green of District 2, the lone no vote when the item cleared the Public Works Committee, disclosed that he had asked the bureaus to analyze a point-of-entry alternative and that the results did not favor his hypothesis: "it's not friendly to my initial findings" (04:35:00). Director of Public Utilities Ting Lu said point-of-entry membrane filtration would cost $3.7 billion to $5.6 billion in capital, point-of-use UV $2.5 billion to $4 billion, against $17 million a year in operating cost for the Bull Run plant; she said UV cannot treat Cryptosporidium in turbid water (04:33:47).

Staff told the council alternatives would cost more and that OHA requires completion within two years. Chief engineer Muriel Geisel-Teufel estimated $100 million to $300 million to deconstruct the site plus $100 million to $350 million in termination fees if the project stopped (05:10:15). About $785 million had been spent as of April. Deputy City Administrator Priya Dhanapal said the answer to whether alternatives are cheaper was "yes, anything other than the pathway that you're taking... is going to be more expensive" (01:26:54 context; stated 05:04:42). Fifteen partner agencies have renewed 30-year contracts. The item moves to second reading; Council President Jamie Dunphy of District 1 could not confirm the date.

Law enforcement identification ordinance

The council advanced an ordinance to prohibit facial coverings and require badge visibility and identity verification by people conducting law enforcement, passing it to second reading as amended after nearly three hours. Councilor Sameer Kanal of District 2, a sponsor with Councilors Angelita Morillo of District 3 and Elana Pirtle-Guiney of District 2, said it complies with state law HB 4138 while adding imposter-investigation, documentation, and a right to seek injunctive relief. Two amendments each passed 8-4, with Councilors Dan Ryan of District 2, Olivia Clark of District 4, Eric Zimmerman of District 2, and Loretta Smith of District 1 opposed (01:40:44, 02:30:07).

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Portland City Council Work Session FY2026-27 Community & Public Safety #2 05/13/26

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland's police chief told the council the mayor's proposed budget would cut the Portland Police Bureau by about 6.4% to $319.6 million, close the North and East Precinct front desks, and eliminate roughly 80% of the unarmed non-emergency response team — reductions the council took no vote on at this informational work session. (00:18:00)

What the police budget would cut

Chief Bob Day walked the council through cuts he said were his recommendations, "with some adjustments made in the process with the Mayor and the City Administrator's office." The largest cut to direct service falls on the Public Safety Support Specialist program, known as PS3s — a loss of about 34 positions, roughly 80% of the program (00:31:00). With four vacancies, Day estimated about 30 layoffs, and said restructuring would make the practical service reduction closer to 60%. PS3s handle cold theft reports, non-injury crashes and lower-priority calls; Day estimated they take about 25,000 calls a year.

The bureau would also eliminate seven desk clerk positions, closing the walk-in desks at the North and East Precincts, which Day said would affect neighborhoods in Districts 1 and 2 (00:52:00). Its external materials and services budget would drop from about $17 million to about $11 million (00:23:00), which Day said would hit training hardest. He set a target of about $3.4 million in technology and fleet savings but said he was "not 100% sure we can find $3.4 million" (00:38:00). Operational overtime would drop by about 20,000 hours. Administrative staffing would lose about 12 positions, and Victim Services would shed two vacant slots with no layoffs.

Day said priority call response now averages 16 to 17 minutes against a decades-old 5-minute goal, and that the bureau started May with 48 officer vacancies, down from 83 a year earlier.

Prevention programs and the gun-violence data

City Administrator Raymond C. Lee described the $620 million service area, and Community Safety director Stephanie Howard presented the Office of Violence Prevention, Ceasefire and Portland Street Response — 77 employees on a $22.5 million budget. She said the proposed budget makes all OVP and Ceasefire funding ongoing, "which has not happened in recent memory, if ever." The cuts eliminate one Ceasefire coordinator, trim a shared engagement and training budget by $162,000, and reduce OVP and Ceasefire grant and contracting capacity by $500,000 each (00:14:00). Two aftercare teams — four currently vacant positions — would be eliminated.

Howard reported a 68% reduction in firearm homicides and a 43% reduction in total shooting incidents compared with the prior three years, "outpacing the national trend by almost double" (00:11:30). Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) asked whether Portland now does better than 2019; Howard said research points to yes, and that cities using violence-intervention strategies saw larger reductions than the roughly 29% national average.

Mayor Keith Wilson, joining by phone, explained the framing. Prevention programs first faced roughly 50% cuts, he said, but Chief Day argued OVP and Ceasefire were core services — "trigger pullers" — so they were elevated to about a 12-13% cut, while PS3s moved from 80% toward a 50% target (02:03:51).

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Portland City Council Work Session FY2026-27 Portland Solutions & Revenue Options 05/12/26

Tue, 12 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland Solutions director Sky Brockner-Knapp presented a $65.6 million proposed budget for the homelessness and livability program — a $18.8 million, 22.3% cut from current service — as councilors questioned shelter consolidation, the use of climate funds for street cleaning, and oversight of shelter operator Urban Alchemy. The May 12 work session took no votes.

A shelter system that shrinks and concentrates

Brockner-Knapp said the program's $65.6 million budget would fund 43 staff across five programs and reflects "about 1/5 reduction from current service level" (00:08:15), driven by one-time federal, state, metro and county money that did not renew. Shelter Services takes the largest hit — a $16.3 million (29.5%) cut (00:11:30). The plan closes several sites (Centennial closed April 30; Widler/BIPOC Village at end of May; Reedway and City Team Grand on timelines to be determined) and phases out all 70 RV parking spaces, which accommodated up to 91 people. Kept funding includes $30.3 million in Portland Housing Bureau money previously routed to Multnomah County (00:13:00).

The consolidation onto the North Portland Road site drew the sharpest concern. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said "275 units is probably way beyond best practice" and "I'm alarmed that we're concentrating 275 pod shelters in one site" (01:01:01); Westerman clarified the 275 is maximum person capacity, and Green replied it was "still a lot of people to be managed by one small team" (01:02:38). Brockner-Knapp said splitting the site is under discussion (01:02:49). Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said "when we build to this side, what we lose is community" (01:08:43). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) pressed on closing City Team Grand while reopening the River District Navigation Center; Brockner-Knapp said the county left River District "mostly cost, frankly" (01:41:24).

No city-funded RV shelter options will remain. Westerman said 170 individuals had used the 70 North Portland RV spots since opening (01:12:29), and Brockner-Knapp estimated more than 1,000 lived-in vehicles remain on city streets (01:12:16).

Climate money for street cleaning

The budget moves $5.9 million in Portland Clean Energy Fund dollars into Portland Solutions — about $5.4 million to the Public Environment Management Office and $500,000 to the Impact Reduction Program (00:27:00) — for sidewalk cleaning, pedestrian lighting and camp waste work already underway. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) rejected the fit: "I don't agree that picking up trash is the same as greening up streets" (01:28:34) and asked "At what point does the definition of climate spending become so broad that virtually any public service could arguably qualify?" (01:28:07).

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-12-ws-1

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Portland City Council Work Session: Budget Committee FY 26-27 Labor, Realignment, Contracting 5/8/26

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland's top budget officials told the City Council their proposed reorganization of internal services would cut a net 69 positions and centralize human resources, technology and procurement, drawing sustained criticism from councilors over transparency and the pace of the process during a May 8 work session that took no vote.

The core services realignment

Deputy City Administrator for City Operations Tracy Warren walked the council through a plan to move human resources, procurement, information technology, communications, engagement and equity functions into centralized "core" teams with "embedded" staff assigned to bureaus. Across those services, staffing would drop from 798 to 729 positions, a net reduction of 69 (00:14:00).

The largest savings come from technology, at $13.1 million — including $7.1 million from non-personnel cuts such as retiring duplicative tools and extending laptop replacement cycles (00:28:49). Human resources would save $4.2 million, dropping from 184 to 159 positions (00:20:22), and procurement $669,900 (00:24:36). Chief Communications Officer Laura Oppenheimer said the communications realignment, implemented in January, saves more than $1.5 million a year (00:32:00). Chief Engagement Officer Amanda Garcia-Snell said engagement was split into phases after March, with about 25 positions deferred to a second phase, and that equity would eliminate 6 mostly vacant positions (00:41:36). Warren said savings to the general fund would be "somewhere between $3 to $4 million" (01:40:40).

Warren opened by acknowledging that employees "would like to have had more time engagement and discussion throughout the process" and that teams worked under "very compressed timelines" (00:08:40).

Councilors challenge the process

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) delivered the sharpest critique, saying the plan advanced "largely in service to finding funding for work the city has never directed before, like the mayor's shelter plan." She said just under $1 million had been spent on a contract with Next Strategies and that she had been told "there has been zero evidence of strategic stakeholder engagement." She said 91 jobs would be lost while 15 employees received promotions and 23 positions were added, and that 50 positions needed to be "trued up." Councilors received detailed budget information two days earlier, she said, with amendments due in five business days. "If we're enacting the Doge version of the city of budget, we will not be able to do Portland, that," she said (01:00:31), later asking the panel: "Do you think that you're going to accurately calculate out your budget amendments with this level of information? Because I don't feel like I can" (01:00:31).

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said, for editorial boards watching, that concern about receiving less information than last year came from councilors who "don't all agree on a lot of things" (01:29:32). He argued equity was being reframed as compliance and that cutting two equity positions in public safety amounted to a 33% reduction. Garcia-Snell confirmed the position serving the Advisory Bodies enhancement program would be eliminated and replaced with a different classification not yet determined.

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Portland City Council Work Session FY2026-27: Economic Development & Sustainability 5/07/26

Thu, 07 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland's economic-development and sustainability bureaus told the City Council on May 7 that the mayor's proposed budget cuts Prosper Portland by 10 positions, trims arts small grants, and routes $26.89 million in Portland Clean Energy Fund interest to the general fund — an informational work session that took no votes.

The session was the second of two covering the Community and Economic Development Service Area. Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira and bureau directors walked through budgets for the deputy administrator's office, spectator venues, arts and culture, Prosper Portland, the Portland Children's Levy, and the Portland Clean Energy Fund. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) presided, with Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4).

Moda Center and the Clean Energy Fund

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) pressed Mayor Keith Wilson on a floated figure of $75 million in Portland Clean Energy Fund money for the Moda Center, asking repeatedly whether the city had identified where it would come from. Wilson said he works with his team to "determine and contemplate areas in which we can find the financing" and added, "PSEF does have a nexus, I believe" (00:55:33). Novick said he took the answer as confirming all fund money is already allocated with no identified source.

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) tied the question to the city's 2024 purchase of the Moda Center for a dollar, saying the council "inherited" the deal and now "we are getting blackmailed by a billionaire who is threatening to remove the Blazers if we don't do everything that he asks" (02:26:54). Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2), the only current member on the 2024 council, argued the city owns the arena and should weigh Clean Energy Fund investment holistically. BPS Director Eric Engstrom and Oliveira said an emissions nexus may exist but no final plans or engineering exist yet.

Engstrom said the fund is about 90% of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability budget, roughly $700 million, including about $425 million set aside for future years. The proposed budget adds 4 positions to the fund's core administrative team plus one for bureau administration; Engstrom put the core team at around 47 people. Novick called that "a very modest number" to manage the program (00:57:23). The $26.89 million in fund interest going to the general fund requires a code change. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) walked through that shift, estimating about $9 million of the interest effectively supports police and $6.64 million supports fire (02:22:05).

Prosper Portland cuts

Executive Director Cornell Wesley said Prosper's proposed budget totals $202 million across all sources, with staffing dropping from 104 to 94 positions through a reduction in force cutting 10 jobs. The deepest cuts hit workforce programs and the Inclusive Business Resource Network. A $532,000 cut to that network would eliminate 2 to 3 partners and remove technical assistance for 175 small business owners of the roughly 600 served each year. The net workforce impact is about $445,000 (01:23:37).

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May 6, 2026 Council agenda

Thu, 07 May 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council advanced but did not finalize an overhaul of Portland's arts tax that would raise the levy from $35 to $50 and exempt 41% of residents, continuing the first reading to May 13 after nearly two dozen people testified (04:56:00). Members also passed a contested rewrite of the chronic nuisance property code, 7-5.

Chronic nuisance code passes 7-5 over dissent from councilors of color

The council passed as amended an ordinance rewriting the Chronic Nuisance Property Code to address human trafficking, gun violence and administrative problems, introduced by Councilor Steve Novick (District 3). The vote was 7-5 (02:56:00), with Councilors Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Dan Ryan (District 2), Novick, Olivia Clark (District 4), Eric Zimmerman (District 4), Loretta Smith (District 1) and Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) in favor, and Councilors Sameer Kanal (District 2), Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Angelita Morillo (District 3), Mitch Green (District 4) and Candace Avalos (District 1) opposed.

Dunphy tied the code to a history of racist enforcement, citing the 2011 closure of a Black-owned bar called Seasonings under a commander he named as Mark Krueger. Morillo said Krueger "instituted a Nazi shrine on Powell Butte, and then he got 2 weeks without pay ... because the police union contract made it impossible for him to be fired" (02:50:00). Dunphy said he would vote yes but warned: "If we have— if we have to fight PPB to get clarity on how it's using, I will be the first vote to constrain and repeal this at the earliest possible instance" (02:20:00). Acting Deputy Chief Brian Hughes told the council he could assure good-faith negotiations with property owners: "Yes, I can assure you that will happen" (02:15:00).

Opponents said the tool would not reduce trafficking. Green noted the pending budget cuts $320,000 from the Victim Services Unit and closes walk-in precincts (02:40:00). Kanal cited a "guilt by association" concern over holding owners responsible for conduct within 199 feet of their door and said the affected motel workforce is disproportionately South Asian American immigrants. Koyama Lane, as the first Asian American woman on the council, cited the Atlanta spa shootings. Zimmerman supported it for neighbors' rights while saying it would not reduce trafficking. Novick read points from Esther Garrett of Safety Compass describing survivor-centered follow-up on police missions. An amendment by Koyama Lane and Novick for annual equity-impact reporting failed.

Arts tax rewrite draws support from arts groups and schools

The arts tax ordinance, sponsored by Dunphy, Koyama Lane and Pirtle-Guiney, would raise the per-resident tax from $35 to $50, exempt filers with adjusted income up to $20,000 (single) or $40,000 (joint) indexed to inflation, and add 2.0 positions to the Revenue Division using $1.15 million from the arts fund. Pirtle-Guiney said 41% of Portlanders would be fully exempt (03:52:00). Revenue Division Director Thomas Lanham said expected filers would drop from more than 532,000 to 318,000, leaving 214,000 residents with no obligation, and that arts organizations absorbed a 44% cut last year. Dunphy said the tax would have delivered "$4 million" more per year to arts organizations had it been indexed from the start (04:15:00).

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Portland City Council Work Session FY 2026-27 Housing, Permitting & Planning 05/06/26

Wed, 06 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland budget officials told the City Council on May 6 that the mayor's proposed FY2026-27 budget would cut 12 tree-permitting positions — six of them filled — and that permit inquiry turnaround has already grown from about two weeks to six or seven weeks since the program moved to Portland Permitting and Development. The session took no votes; it was the first of the Community and Economic Development Service Area budget work sessions, covering permitting, housing and planning, presided over by Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1).

Tree permitting cuts draw the most heat

Eric Kooch, director of Portland Permitting and Development, said the bureau proposes 300.9 positions, down from 337.9 at the current service level, with most of the service reduction landing in tree permitting. Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira later reconciled the tree program numbers: 26 positions moved from Parks last year, 20 now filled, and the proposed budget would leave 14 filled after cutting 12, six of them occupied (01:08:07). Oliveira said inquiry turnaround was about two weeks before the move and is "closer to about 6 to 7 weeks now" (00:45:51).

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) pressed Mayor Keith Wilson on funding priorities, asking why the city could spend $75 million of Portland Clean Energy Fund money on the Moda Center but not save the tree jobs. Wilson called it "a false choice" (00:21:45); Novick answered, "you have made that choice" (00:22:18). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said cutting tree-code compliance staff while moving Clean Energy Fund dollars to a program office was "egregious" and told colleagues he would bring a budget amendment to restore the positions (00:34:34).

Councilors Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) and Eric Zimmerman (District 4) traced the shortfall to the transfer itself. Oliveira and Kooch said only Clean Energy Fund dollars — roughly $3.5 million — came with the program, while general fund and Parks levy money that covered overhead, vehicles and office space stayed at Parks. Zimmerman said Parks and the prior city administration came to him "hat in hand" in August after realizing their staffing numbers were wrong (00:55:04), and said improved customer service was the point of the move: "I'll take 8 weeks with a path toward improving that."

Kooch's mention of possibly amending Title 11 tree code to offset the delays drew objection. Novick said a permitting cut and a rollback of the underlying requirement "should go together"; Green called code changes "a non-starter for me."

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) objected to document errors, noting a slide listed the service-area budget as "$1.235.5 million" when Oliveira confirmed the figure was $1.2 billion. When Oliveira said staffing for a future Code Alignment Project resolution would be worked out with the council president's office, Smith cut in: "you do not get to isolate everybody else and say you're just going to work with the council president's office when we're talking about the budget right now" (00:51:03). She said the service area "has a history of spending money before it is authorized." Oliveira replied, "for the record, this is the Permitting Development Bureau" (00:52:28).

Kooch also outlined a fee proposal — not yet approved — with most programs rising about 5%, accessory short-term rentals up 26% and noise up 41%.

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Portland City Council Housing & Permitting Committee 05/05/26

Tue, 05 May 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The Housing and Permitting Committee voted 5-0 to send an ordinance conveying a 3-acre city lot to Habitat for Humanity for 50 permanently affordable, family-sized ownership homes to the full City Council with a recommendation to pass (00:41:34). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) presided, with Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) as vice chair.

Habitat homeownership project moves forward

The True North project would put 50 homes on a University Park site the Portland Housing Bureau bought from the Water Bureau in 2019, with every unit family-sized and reserved for North-Northeast Preference Policy households at initial sale. Interim Housing Bureau director Michael Bonaccor said 25 homes would be affordable to households at up to 60% of area median income (about $74,460 for a family of four) and 25 at up to 80%, with affordability regulated for 60 years. Steve Messinetti, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Portland Region, said the average Habitat buyer earns under $58,000 a year and that 41 of 42 families from prior city projects remain in their homes.

Green asked how the land transfer figured into the financing. Staff said the Water Bureau and Housing Bureau had agreed to a transfer price of $3.35 million based on a 2017 appraisal, and the parcel was appraised at $2.8 million in December 2025 (00:29:53). Bonaccor described earlier Housing Investment Committee approval of financing of "up to just over $8 million." Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), a co-sponsor, said she is "often very skeptical" of disposing of city property but was "so very excited" about this one. The motion, moved by Pirtle-Guiney and seconded by Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), passed with all five members present voting aye (00:41:34).

Permitting fees to rise 5-9%

The committee voted 5-0 to refer the mayor's Portland Permitting and Development fee ordinance to the full council with a recommendation to pass (01:20:40). Most fees would rise 5 to 9%; building and mechanical, environmental, water review and urban forestry are set at 9%, while the facilities permit program and cannabis licensing see no increase. A short-term rental application would rise 26%, or about $104 over two years, and a typical new single-family home's total fees would climb about $1,000, from roughly $10,700 to $11,700.

The permitting director told the committee about 94% of the bureau's funding comes from fees, and that the bureau has been drawing down reserves as high-value projects slowed while workload held steady. Under the mayor's proposed budget, staffing would fall from 337.9 to 300.9 positions; of the 37 fewer positions, 14 are cuts (six of them filled) and the rest move to other bureaus in the city realignment (01:15:17).

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Portland City Council Work Session FY 2026-27 Community & Public Safety #1 05/05/26

Tue, 05 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland Fire & Rescue would emerge as the least-cut city bureau at a 4% reduction, Mayor Keith Wilson told the council, yet its proposed budget still removes a fire engine from Station 22 in North Portland, cuts three rescue units to half-time in East and Southeast Portland, and reduces the CHAT community-health program by $500,000 — reductions councilors across all four districts said they would work to reverse.

The council held the first of two work sessions on the Public Safety Service Area, taking no vote. Three bureaus — the Bureau of Emergency Communications, the Bureau of Emergency Management, and Portland Fire and Rescue — presented together and answered joint questions. Deputy City Administrator Bob Causie said the service area budget totals $611 million with 2,250 staff, though a later slide and staff put the figure at $620.4 million; a budget manager said the $611 million may be a typo (02:49:57).

The Station 22 engine

Fire Chief Lauren Johnson said removing an engine from Station 22, a double-company house in Council District 2, would drop that station from eight firefighters to four, saving roughly $2.5 million. She told the council the choice "is not a value statement" but "simply data analysis" (01:04:03), noting the next-closest engine, Engine 26, arrives about a minute after Engine 22 (01:06:48). Only eight double-company stations exist, and Johnson walked through why the others — training, hazmat, downtown high-rise, and East Portland stations — were unsuitable to cut.

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said the closure "is unacceptable," pointing to Station 22's role backing up half of North Portland, the CEI Hub area, and Hayden Island. He noted the $2.5 million figure counts overtime savings, not just the apparatus itself, a point City Administrator Lee acknowledged with a nod (01:23:24). Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said the St. Johns peninsula, aging bridges, and proximity to Forest Park made it "one of the hardest areas to see reduced resource in the city" (02:19:10). Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) cited low snowpack raising wildfire risk and said Johnson had not yet spoken with the Scappoose fire chief about the change (03:03:45). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) pressed on overtime accounting, calculating the engine costs roughly "$300 an hour in a 24-hour period" (02:25:56).

Rescue units and CHAT

The budget cuts three 2-person medical rescue units to 12-hour operation in Districts 1 and 3, in the Lents, Mount Tabor, and Rockwood neighborhoods. Johnson said the rescues topped the cut list because, unlike engines and trucks, they cannot also provide fire protection, and that 65% of calls in FY24-25 were medical (00:50:54).

The CHAT community-health program loses $500,000, eliminating a sworn deputy chief and a program strategist. Expiring one-time funding of $2 million is being replaced by a $1.5 million grant. On whether that grant is secured, the record is inconsistent: Johnson told Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) they had not received an update and would follow up on the SAMHSA grant (00:47:17), then told Pirtle-Guiney "We've been awarded the grant" (02:02:20). Councilor Ryan said emergency-room nurses had called CHAT the "ER unit that's on the ground."

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Portland City Council Work Session: Budget Committee FY 26-27 Public Works #1 4/30/26

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland's Parks and Recreation bureau and its transportation bureau laid out FY2026-27 budgets to the council's budget committee, a day after the council approved a new transportation utility fee that Parks leaders said reshaped the whole conversation — the work session took no votes.

Deputy City Administrator for Public Works Priya Dhanapal opened by framing a service area with roughly 3,000 staff and about $4.8 billion in total budget (00:05:04), and said the utility bureaus and the Office of the Deputy City Administrator would come back 00:04:36.

Parks cuts and the levy promise

Interim Parks Director Sonia Szymanski presented about 50 reduction packages that she said avoid closing any parks or community centers. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) pressed on the parks levy voters passed at a $1.40 rate, arguing that rate "[is] not enough to actually maintain things" while the ballot promised to "maintain safe parks, nature, affordable recreation" (00:28:14). She relayed District 3 town-hall feedback: "if you guys don't maintain every single part of parks, We will never trust you to vote for another thing again." Szymanski said the most quantified levy commitment — daily bathroom cleaning and trash pickup — is "the last thing we would cut" (00:30:07).

Mayor Keith Wilson said he did not apply the standard 3% or 10% cut guidance to Parks, instead reducing the general fund about 12% to match the difference between the adopted $1.40 levy rate and the $1.60 current-service-level rate (01:42:14). Finance manager Claudio Campuzano put the general fund reduction at about $7.2 million, or 7.2% of operating expenses (01:40:13).

The package raises community garden plot fees 20%, from $66 to $79, though an access discount still cuts that up to 90% (00:15:23). It cuts splash-pad hours by two hours to save $50,000, closes community centers on federal holidays to save just over $110,000, and phases out the Free Lunch and Play mobile program's last two sites while cutting one of 23 fixed sites — a site Recreation Services Manager Maximo Behrens said has not yet been identified (00:49:38). Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), who said she has seen "the magic of Summer Lunch and Play" firsthand, warned that losing a park site means losing access for children who cannot walk to a second park.

Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said she plans to restore a volunteer position dedicated to East Portland that was cut while another was kept (00:57:00). She "respectfully really disagree[d]" with pushing Parks toward an entrepreneurial model reliant on volunteers and private fundraising, arguing wealthier neighborhoods can backfill while East Portland families cannot (00:56:04). Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) offered the contrasting New York Central Park model, where private funding frees public money for lower-profile parks.

Tennis center transfer draws a point of order

The proposed budget assumes Parks transfers Portland Tennis Center operations to the U.S. Tennis Association Pacific Northwest chapter halfway through the year, discontinuing city tennis programming and eliminating four positions. Campuzano said the center runs on a $1.6 million budget and earns about $900,000 in revenue (01:07:39). Szymanski said "if there is not a deal to be had that satisfies city leadership, then there's not a deal to be had" (01:05:15).

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Portland City Council PM Session 04/29/26

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council passed a new transportation utility fee 9-3 on its second reading, adopting a charge to fund basic street maintenance and safety (00:26:06). The council also advanced amendments to its chronic nuisance property code and continued a proposed foie gras ban after roughly 80 minutes of testimony.

Transportation utility fee adopted

The ordinance, introduced by Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4), Councilor Mitch Green (District 4), Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3), Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), and Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1), passed 9-3 on a non-emergency second reading. Clark, Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4), and Smith voted no. During the roll call, Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) said he was "so proud of this council for taking a— an act that has been vitally needed for the past 40 years" (00:25:42).

In the earlier open-comment period, Talia Giardini opposed the fee online, saying 76% of written testimony opposed it and that if it passes "every single penny should go to maintenance and sidewalks, not Vision Zero" (00:12:20).

Auditor's office contract ratified as layoffs loom

Council ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 189 for the Auditor's Office, 11-0, with Koyama Lane absent (00:36:12). City Auditor Simone Reddy said the three-and-a-half-year contract covers 30 represented employees. Labor relations analyst Sarah Daly said it includes $1.1 million budgeted for cost-of-living adjustments, $145,000 in additional spending from the auditor's budget, and $537,000 in ongoing costs, plus a one-time $3,000 lump payment.

Minden Vuong, an auditor's office employee and AFSCME member leader, told the council the mayor's proposed budget cuts two AFSCME positions in the office and that both members had already received layoff notices (00:33:00). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said a "spirited conversation" on the auditor's office budget was coming and that not discussing it during this item did not mean it was being ignored (00:35:20).

Foie gras ban draws 81 signups, continued

An ordinance to prohibit the sale of force-fed poultry products, introduced by Green, Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), Morillo, and Koyama Lane, drew 81 people signed up to testify. Dunphy limited testimony to 80 minutes and cut speaking time to 90 seconds each (00:56:30). He noted the item was heard in the former Arts and Economy Committee, where it "did not receive support," but was placed on the schedule by release letters from four councilors.

Campaign director Sam Schillinger of Pro Animal Oregon said 58 Portland restaurants and 32 veterinary professionals endorsed the ban, that 84% of 250 Portlanders surveyed support it, and that only seven restaurants and one retailer currently sell foie gras (00:48:00). Supporters described force-feeding as inherently cruel and said the narrow scope was a reason to act now.

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Portland City Council Work Session - Budget Committee for FY 2026-27 04/29/26

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council Work Session - Budget Committee for FY 2026-27 04/29/26, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.

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Portland City Council City Life Committee 04/28/26

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:30:00 GMT

A committee split 3-1 to send Portland's arts-tax overhaul to the full City Council with a recommendation to pass, raising the flat levy from $35 to $50 while cutting about 147,000 low-income residents from the rolls (03:08:36). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) cast the lone no, and Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) had left before the vote.

Arts tax overhaul referred to Council

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), a sponsor with Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) and Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), told the City Life Committee the 2012 voter-approved tax "was always flawed" and is now "at a crisis point," warning it will "stop paying enough to cover teachers" within a few years (01:09:29). Policy director Eben Hofer said the city had 31 K-5 art and music teachers before the tax and 113 now, and proposed retiring the name "arts tax" in favor of "arts education tax." Revenue Division Director Thomas Lanham said the goal is to make it "a normal tax" that matches other Oregon income taxes.

The package raises the flat assessment to $50 — what $35 would be if indexed to inflation since 2012 — and lifts the filing threshold to $20,000 for individuals and $40,000 for joint filers (02:39:21). Lanham said that would cut expected payers by about 147,000 people and end the requirement that residents below the poverty line affirmatively apply for exemption. The plan also draws the fund down to a roughly $5 million target ending balance to bridge lean years, and directs Revenue to report back to council by February 15, 2028. Grants to arts organizations currently range from $5,000 to $175,000, Assistant Director for the Office of Arts and Culture Darian Jones said (02:58:34).

Pirtle-Guiney held up her kindergartner's walrus artwork to argue for arts education and called the measure "a tax break for almost 150,000 Portlanders." Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) backed the referral but pressed on why "our systems so often continue asking those with the least financial flexibility to contribute more," and asked staff about a future tiered rate; Dunphy said tiering is a change he would like to bring back after the first year.

Zimmerman objected that the change is "a 42% increase on the remaining" payers and that too many pieces were left to be figured out later (02:54:10). He asked to separate the code and definitional changes from the rate increase and to let voters weigh in, saying he was not prepared "to raise taxes on right now" residents earning near the minimum wage. In his vote he said, "I'm disappointed that once again our committee is not being used to work through something. Instead, it's just being used as a gate to pass through" (03:08:25). Dunphy said he viewed the bundle as "one bite of the apple." Ayes came from Councilors Angelita Morillo (District 3), Avalos and Pirtle-Guiney.

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Portland City Council Joint City/County Work Session-Homelessness to Housing Continuum 04/28/26

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland councilors and Multnomah County commissioners met in a joint work session on the FY 2026-27 budgets and heard that even with both governments' proposed spending, the region expects a net increase in homelessness over the coming year — no vote was taken.

The session, presided over by Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), brought city councilors, county commissioners, Mayor Keith Wilson and City Administrator Raymond C. Lee III into the same chamber to examine where the two governments overlap, where they leave gaps, and how their budgets fit together. County staff, the mayor, the county chair and bureau directors presented; councilors and commissioners questioned them.

The data

Ryan Deibert, Deputy Director of the Homelessness Response System, said the by-name list of people known to be experiencing homelessness stood at 18,250 as of February (00:04:00). Inflow into homelessness has outpaced outflow by roughly 360 people a month over the last six months (00:02:57). He also said the systems have collectively sheltered or housed more than 23,000 people over the first two years of the Homelessness Response Action Plan.

Presenters said the average cost to place one household in housing is about $13,000 (00:33:17), and that under the proposed executive budgets, inflow would still exceed outflow by a little more than 1,600 people across the fiscal year (00:34:36). Deibert said each additional $5 million in housing placement would increase annual outflow by more than 300 people (00:39:27). Commissioner Brim-Edwards confirmed with Deibert that even adding one-time Medicaid dollars leaves a net increase in overall homelessness (01:27:44).

Two budgets

County Chair Jessica Vega-Peterson described a homeless services budget carrying a $67 million gap, offset in part by a $10 million one-time investment to mitigate shelter closures and improve placement (00:09:55). She said 83% of people housed remain housed two or more years later (00:13:19) and that the county preserved 1,677 round-the-clock shelter beds.

Mayor Wilson said the city will no longer exchange funds with the county for homeless services, redirecting the roughly $31 million historically sent to the county. City shelter services face a 31% cut, dropping to just under $40 million, and city outreach a 37% cut to $2.8 million (00:16:34). Josh Roper of the Portland Housing Bureau outlined $134 million for affordable multifamily development (00:21:42). Skyler Brocker-Knapp, Director of Portland Solutions, said the number of shelter beds to be cut is not yet known and that scenarios will come to a budget work session May 12 (00:25:57).

City and county roles

Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) questioned whether the two governments operate from "different theories of change," saying the city's investments "still appear concentrated in shelter activation, public environment," and warning against "managing the visibility of homelessness rather than reducing homelessness itself" (00:46:12). Mayor Wilson said the city's purview is public safety and that he would be "loath to close" the alternative shelters and Safe Rest Village sites where people are housed around the clock (00:49:15).

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 04/23/26

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Portland councilors spent nearly three hours questioning city budget officials over roughly $21 million in unbudgeted Portland Housing Bureau money that council learned of only on Nov. 20, less than an hour before it passed the fall budget adjustment, then placed the oversight item on file (02:59:01).

The first oversight hearing under the new charter

The Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole, chaired by Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2), held what he called the council's first oversight hearing under Portland's new charter. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4), who sponsored the authorizing resolution, said oversight is "not about gotchas" and works best when it is "boring and it's uneventful" (00:17:13). Kanal said he would strictly enforce decorum and confine questions to the resolution's scope. City Administrator Raymond Lee, City Attorney Robert Taylor, Mayor Keith Wilson, and several bureau officials attended.

The subject: a roughly $12 million underrun in business license tax collections that then-City Administrator Jordan flagged to council on Aug. 8, and, around the same time, roughly $12 million in previously unbudgeted Rental Services Office funds that the then-Housing Bureau director told Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira about. That money never entered the fall budget adjustment.

When council was told, and who held the information

Oliveira told Green he first heard of the funds verbally in "late July, early August" and got a formal Aug. 27 memo stating the money "will need to be approved by council in the fall bump" (00:21:33). He said timing and the director's vacation kept it out of the adjustment, and that the mayor chose to inform council on Nov. 20 because "the invite came from his calendar" (00:28:24). Oliveira said the figure sat near $11.75 million until, days before the Nov. 20 briefing, an additional $9 million in reserve surfaced, pushing the total to about $20.7 million.

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) laid out roughly a dozen executive actions taken over three to four months while council stayed uninformed, and pressed on the final week: after a communications manager warned on Nov. 13 that records were about to be released to OPB, the mayor directed Portland Solutions to draft new spending recommendations over a weekend. Asked whether council would ever have been told absent the records release, Oliveira said, "Oh yeah, council would have been informed, absolutely" (00:51:14).

Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) drew the sharpest factual dispute onto the record: the City Budget Office had recommended putting the funds in the fall adjustment. CBO Director Ruth Levine confirmed, "yes, that's accurate. I did recommend that" (00:39:34), and said council was not told her recommendation was overridden. Chief Financial Officer Jonas Bieri later confirmed the override "was ultimately my call," noting Jordan was out and had delegated city administrator authority to him (01:57:00). Bieri said his confidence in the numbers was "zero" in October and that he did not see something reliable until Oct. 5 (02:04:39).

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) established through Oliveira and Lee that the former Housing Bureau director was aware of accumulating unbudgeted funds "as early as January of 2025" (00:52:47).

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Portland City Council Budget Committee/Mayor's Message & Public Hearing 04/21/26

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Mayor Keith Wilson delivered a proposed $8.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-27 that closes a $171 million general fund gap through service cuts and one-time revenue, and the City Budget Committee received it and took nearly three hours of public testimony dominated by city workers fighting proposed layoffs.

The budget message and its numbers

Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery opened by calling this budget "the most difficult task I've ever experienced" in 25 years of public-sector work (00:12:07). He put the total budget at $8.5 billion, down just under 1% from the current year, with the general fund discretionary pot falling about 8% to $743 million (00:13:37).

The precise size of the hole shifted over the meeting. Biery cited a gap of "just over $160 million" (00:14:26); Budget Director Ruth Levine later distinguished a $163 million current-service-level gap from the $171 million the city actually had to balance to (02:59:30). Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2), pressing on the discrepancy, drew out that the total is $171 million against a $742.5 million discretionary fund — "we're looking at 23% plus of our general fund being cut" (02:59:47). Levine said only about $60 million of that was closed through service reductions; the rest came from roughly $44 million in contingencies and reserves, about $27 million in Portland Clean Energy Fund interest, $30.5 million no longer sent to Multnomah County for homeless services, and about $10 million in fees (03:00:11).

Mayor Wilson said his budget keeps every fire station open, funds every park and community center, and keeps every police officer and investigator on the job (00:24:04). He read a long list of reductions: shelter services cut 31% to $39.9 million, city outreach cut 37% to $2.8 million, and Portland Police reductions including a $4.5 million (80%) cut to the Public Safety Support Specialist program, a $5.9 million cut to external materials, and a $1.6 million (50%) cut to precinct administrative staffing. Portland Street Response loses two aftercare teams ($659,000), and tree permitting is cut $2.9 million.

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) told the mayor that "the deepest cuts" fell on the shelter program, "your own baby" (03:01:48), noting concerns raised last year that shelters stood up with one-time money would force later cuts elsewhere.

Testimony: workers against consultants and layoffs

Thirty-four people signed up (00:31:20), and the room was overwhelmingly AFSCME and city-professional-union members opposing about 145 proposed "core services realignment" cuts. Rob Martineau, president of AFSCME Local 189, told the council "Portland elected you to be its 12 consultants" and argued the city should not be "a great place to be a consultant" (00:33:37). Chris Gustafson of the City of Portland Professional Workers Union said the budget jeopardizes "145 families" (00:47:05). Jackie Tate, president of AFSCME Local 88, said Portland's management-to-worker ratio is "literally twice the state average" (01:00:34).

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April 15-16, 2026 Council agenda

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The City Council passed the FY 2025-26 Technical Adjustment Ordinance 8-3 on April 15 (01:42:51) after rejecting three attempts to redirect its housing dollars, including a bid to restore $2.5 million for two Black-led homeownership developers that failed 6-5.

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) presided. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) was absent for the evening's votes, arriving after the meeting reconvened.

The budget fight over housing money

The technical adjustment ordinance, introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson through the City Budget Office, drew nearly two hours of debate over how to spend housing funds. Dunphy warned that the ordinance had to pass that night, so any amendment would require an emergency clause and nine votes.

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) moved to prioritize rent assistance for people who receive an eviction notice or have a pending court date, saying it would reach people who "self-evict" on a 10-day notice. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said the change "takes a flexible prevention-focused tool and turns it into a crisis-only system" and voted no. The amendment failed 4-7 (00:53:43). Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) noted the roughly 30,000 severely rent-burdened households in Portland paying more than half their income on rent could not all be helped with the available money.

Under questioning from Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1), Deputy City Administrator Donny Oliveira confirmed the rent-assistance money "won't be done by July 1st, 2026" (00:49:48), with Smith saying she had been told it might not reach the street until September.

Smith then pressed to restore $1.5 million for Self Enhancement, Inc. and $1 million for Williams and Russell, two homeownership developers she said were the only Black-led community organizations in the package and had been removed in the Housing Committee the prior week. She said the removal "reeks of institutional racism, anti-Blackness" (00:57:19). After moving and withdrawing several versions of the amendment, she settled on drawing the $2.5 million from the revolving loan and social housing acquisition fund. Avalos opposed council acting as "a grant-giving body" without reviewing pro formas and gap financing. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said the $18 million fund could grow to $70 million over 30 years through revolving loans (01:40:15). Novick said "I screwed up" in stripping named projects and backed restoring them. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said the original December proposal named Home Forward for $9 million and set aside North Northeast Preference Policy funds, calling objections to naming organizations "suspect." The amendment failed 6-5 (01:41:57).

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 04/15/26

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The Finance and Governance Committee voted 10-2 to send a proposed transportation utility fee — a $12-per-door monthly charge on households — to the full City Council with a recommendation it pass, after amending it three times (02:39:32).

The committee, meeting April 15 as a Committee of the Whole, spent most of its session on the fee, which its sponsors say is needed to arrest the decline of city streets. Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4), the lead sponsor, called transportation funding an "urgent problem" and said the city "cannot effectively serve the public who expects to have paved streets working streetlights and safe crossings."

The transportation utility fee

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) told residents the stakes plainly, saying the city needs $45 to $50 million extra per year simply to keep its most important streets from deteriorating, and that the fee plus a street damage restoration fee "may raise about $70 million each year." Without the investment, he said, "it is not an exaggeration to say that the city will die," warning that major streets are "on a path" to "revert to gravel" (01:22:12). He attributed the backlog to decades of inaction by past city leaders.

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) reframed the charge as a utility rate rather than an avoidable fee, saying the transportation network "is a utility that delivers services to our community" (02:27:07).

The two dissenters raised distinct objections. Vice Chair Dan Ryan (District 2), who presided, said he would be "a voice for the hardworking class people of Portland that are really in pain right now" and preferred sending the measure to voters (02:32:18). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) said the charge "does very much feel like a tax to me," questioning whether it should require a public vote (02:21:03). PBOT's Mark Lear said City Attorney Ken McGare had advised the city was "on pretty firm ground" (02:22:12). Zimmerman also pressed on the flat per-door rate — a five-person and a one-person home pay the same — and Lear explained the model follows 31 other cities using trip-generation estimates.

Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) cast a reluctant yes, saying constituents bring their bills to her meetings and tell her, "if these bills keep going up... I will be homeless" (02:12:12). No public testimony was taken on the ordinance at this meeting.

Three amendments

The committee adopted a Koyama Lane/Zimmerman amendment 11-1 directing that half of the remaining 25% of fee revenue "shall" go to Vision Zero and to the Sidewalk Improvement and Paving Program, and adding bike-lane sweeping (01:33:16). Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) cited 39 traffic deaths in Portland last year — 44% in District 2, 28% in District 1, 18% in District 3, 10% in District 4 — saying "those aren't just numbers... those are members of our community" (01:29:26).

Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) cast the lone no, opposing the amendment's section H because it "fully allocate[s] 100% of these funds to pre-identified buckets" and would tie the council's hands as the gas tax sunsets in 2028 (01:17:16). PBOT Director Millicent Williams told the committee the allocation "does not keep us from serving well" (01:29:26).

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Portland City Council City Life Committee 04/14/26

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The City Life Committee, in its first meeting, voted 5-0 to send two Mayor Keith Wilson ordinances to the full City Council with recommendations to pass — one amending Portland's Comcast franchise and one approving $7.7 million in Portland Children's Levy grant decisions — after spending most of the session hearing 15 invited panelists lay out the state of the city's economy and communities.

Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), who presided, opened the newly formed committee by describing a framework of three themes — the future of Portland's economy, community resilience, and the experience of residents and visitors — and said she will set aside 15 minutes for public communication at the start of every future meeting (00:07:00). Today was an exception, with no open-comment period. Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) is vice chair; Councilors Dan Ryan (District 2), Angelita Morillo (District 3) and Candace Avalos (District 1) round out the committee.

Panelists describe job losses and cost pressures

Andrew Hone, President and CEO of the Portland Metro Chamber, told the committee the metro area has lost nearly 23,000 jobs over the past 12 months and that Multnomah County alone lost 10,000 jobs in a single year (00:15:26). He described a "donut economy" with growth concentrated on the region's edges. Dr. Mary King, Emerita Professor of Economics at Portland State University, disputed the sharpest reading of the Multnomah–Clark County contrast, saying young families have left every metro county and that "our total taxes are not higher. The only tax that is higher is the marginal tax level on incomes" (00:45:22). Stephen Green of Better Portland argued that a dollar spent with a locally owned business keeps about 68 cents in the community versus about 33 cents for a national firm (00:26:00), and noted Portland's last disparity study was in 2009.

On the resilience panel, Chief Sustainability Officer Vivian Satterfield said the city must cut emissions 24% in the next four years to meet its 2030 goal and reminded the committee that 70 Multnomah County residents died in the 2021 heat dome (01:11:00). Tracy Scott, co-chair of the Portland Clean Energy Fund and a director at Energy Trust of Oregon, said the fund's Cooling Portland program has put cooling into more than 20,000 homes (01:05:00). Jeremy Van Keuren, Community Preparedness Manager at the Bureau of Emergency Management, told the committee that the city's procurement system is not built for small partners, citing invoices from last September that remain unpaid and a $1 million insurance requirement for a single event (01:19:42).

The third panel focused on residents. Courtney Varano of For All Families Oregon said infant care in Portland averages nearly $20,000 a year — about 50% more than in-state public college tuition — while the childcare workforce, 95% women, earns an average of roughly $35,000 (01:24:00). Lori Wimmer of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council said Portland State University may lay off 200 of its 1,100 faculty and professional academics (01:47:45). Avalos, in closing comments, noted that climate work no longer has a dedicated committee home and said she did not want climate justice "to get lost or buried" (01:56:23).

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Portland City Council Public Works Committee 04/14/26

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:30:00 GMT

The Public Works Committee voted 3-1 to send the City Council water revenue bonds of up to $525 million to help finance the Bull Run filtration plant, with Councilor Mitch Green the lone no (02:05:11).

Water bonds advance over one dissent as costs climb

The bonds would produce up to $525 million in net proceeds for water system capital work and possibly refinance older bonds for about $4 million in savings (00:54:01). Public Utilities Director Ting Lu walked the committee through the filtration project's rising budget: a roughly $500 million conceptual estimate in 2017, about $1.5 billion by 2021, about $2.1 billion at the 2024 guaranteed-maximum-price contract, and $2.6 billion this year (00:37:35). Deputy City Administrator for Public Works Priya Dhanapal said "a good majority" of the latest $450 million increase came from external factors — a land-use appeal, a five-month construction pause and a 16-month delay (01:28:00).

Debt manager Matt Giurach said water debt service would grow from $55.6 million in fiscal 2026 to $168 million and that meeting the bonds' legal tests would require "sustained significant water rate increases" — a base case of 9.8% annually through fiscal 2031, then about 6% (01:14:22). Green did the arithmetic aloud: at 9.8% a year, "we are basically committing to doubling the water bill in under 8 years," from an average of $72 to about $133 a month (01:11:13).

Green, of District 4, cast the no vote. He argued the city had not tested whether a distributed point-of-use and point-of-entry filtration system could meet federal rules for far less — "$200 million" at entry level versus billions for the plant (01:55:25). Council President Clark, of District 4, pressed him repeatedly on whether he meant to stop the project. When she asked whether every household would have to buy its own filtration, Green said, "Oh, I say we buy it for them," adding, "you may not like my approach, but I'm just telling you how I'm voting today" (01:59:11). Ting Lu answered that a centralized plant offers "long-term resilience" against wildfire ash, storms and earthquakes and flexibility for future contaminants, while ultraviolet treatment is "just light bulb" aimed at one pathogen (02:02:14).

Clark, presiding as chair, said she wanted an outside audit of the Water Bureau but agreed to wait until the city hires an owner's representative to oversee the project. City Administrator Raymond C. Lee called an owner's rep "a best management practice" and said every change order already crosses his desk for signature (01:02:26). Councilor Loretta Smith, of District 1, questioned contingencies and affordability, noting the average family of four in her district earns $60,000 (01:36:23), then supported the referral after staff warned that delay could force use of a second federal loan carrying a 4.49% rate versus 1.89% on the first (01:44:26). Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane, of District 3, asked about grants and UV treatment and said she planned to support the bonds (02:03:08). Councilor Sameer Kanal, of District 2, joined online during the meeting but dropped offline before the vote and was recorded absent.

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April 8, 2026 Council agenda

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council voted 8-4 to send its FY 2025-26 budget adjustment to a second reading, adopting a housing package that steers $4.3 million to the general fund while rejecting a competing plan to allocate a larger share of roughly $137 million in unbudgeted Portland Housing Bureau money (04:10:02).

A four-hour fight over housing money

The Technical Adjustment Ordinance became the day's marathon. Budget Director Ruth Levine and Chief Financial Officer Jonas Beery told the council it did not have to allocate the housing money at all — the true-up of fund balances could stand, and the rest could wait for the 2026-27 budget (01:12:10). At issue was money the Portland Housing Bureau had not budgeted: what Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) pressed staff to quantify as roughly $137 million, comprising the $106 million previously discussed plus about $30 million more (01:02:53).

Smith moved a comprehensive $40 million package (Smith 1) funding rent assistance, eviction defense, homeownership projects and named developers. "We got $137 million. Everybody up here can get everything that they want," she said, urging colleagues to combine amendments (02:16:55). It failed 5-7 (03:01:12). A friendly amendment from Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) to target rent assistance more narrowly failed on a 6-6 tie (03:00:24).

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) resisted naming specific developers, saying some organizations "were approached by counselors" and "said, 'We don't need those dollars, but we're not going to say no.'" She argued for metrics and a revolving loan fund for permanence: "We should not be doing that without really vetting these dollars" (02:25:37). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) opposed grant-based approaches outside a tax-increment district, saying a revolving loan could carry a project like Hacienda's for "$8,700 a year" in interest-only payments (03:22:35).

Smith's second amendment, a lengthy set of social-housing definitions and standards she read into the record, drew a sharp response from Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), the Housing Committee chair, who said the body had passed a Social Housing Study resolution 12-0 and staff were still crafting the language. "It is deeply inappropriate and disturbing to me that we are doing this," Avalos said (03:14:20). It failed 3-8 (03:17:41).

Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) brought four amendments. Her Hacienda Community Development Corporation gap-financing amendment — $3.5 million toward a stalled project with $17 million of public money already committed and more than 50 family units — passed 7-3 (03:25:03). Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) backed it as an "extraordinary circumstance" (02:46:28). Her $3 million for deeply affordable supportive housing (PG1) failed 4-7 (03:28:49); PG4, on homeownership within a social-housing fund, failed 4-8 (03:32:50); and PG3, restoring named projects including Self Enhancement Inc., Williams and Russell, and Urban Plaza, failed 5-7 (03:46:52).

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Portland City Council Budget Work Session Forecast Update & Service Area Follow Up 04/08/26

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland's five-year general fund forecast remains balanced only because the city assumes current appropriation levels rather than the higher cost of maintaining current services, City Economist Peter Holzman told a council budget work session, where councilors spent 90 minutes telling Mayor Keith Wilson which cuts they will and will not accept. The session took no votes.

The forecast: a deficit traced to federal tax law

Holzman said current-year revenues are running $17.1 million below the April 2025 forecast (00:16:28). He tied nearly all of it to federal tax law: House Resolution 1, which he called the Big Beautiful Bill, passed in July after the forecast that set the budget. The state's Legislative Revenue Office estimated a $362 million hit to state revenues; Holzman said that translated to about $21.4 million for Portland's business license tax (00:15:07). "Had HR 1 not become law after the April 2025 forecast, there would be no current year deficit," he said (00:16:28).

The five-year outlook is balanced under city policy, but Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery cautioned that the forecast rests on current appropriation levels, not current service levels, which run higher — meaning a gap is likely next year despite the balance appearing at zero. Balancing the plan requires $50.1 million in reductions: $35.6 million ongoing and $15.1 million one-time (00:20:03). The business license tax was revised up to $217 million in March from $212 million, a net improvement of $2.5 million driven by a state partial disconnect from the federal changes (00:29:06). Holzman said no forecaster carries a recession in the baseline, including him.

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) asked whether the forecast includes business license tax revenue from the pending Trail Blazers transaction. Holzman and Budget Director Ruth Levine said it does not. Biery declined to give a figure, citing taxpayer confidentiality law and the city attorney's advice (00:25:35). Green cited a press figure of "$4.28 billion" for the transaction (00:26:35); Biery said only that a large payment is expected once any transaction is audited and received.

Transient lodging tax was cut $1 million to stay flat, Holzman said, after projected growth in occupancy and room rates failed to appear. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) said convention bookings are in "a very deep valley," looking better two to three years out; Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) called convention data "a trailing indicator." Green shared his screen with an S&P Global Platts jet fuel index, warning that rising fuel prices and cut flights could drag on lodging revenue.

Green interrupts to defend the Housing Bureau

Early in the presentation, Green stopped Holzman to address something said earlier in chambers. "There was a characterization of another bureau As engaging in malfeasance because one of my colleagues did not like the answers that they were getting," he said, adding that Housing Bureau staff "devote their hearts and souls into this work" (00:10:59). "We never just wholesale critique a bureau as being corrupt or engaging in malfeasance, or in previous situations, like maybe you're doing a bad job as the city economist. I'm just going to rebuke that. If I hear it again, I'm going to rebuke it again," he said (00:11:44).

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Portland City Council Housing & Permitting Committee 04/07/26

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 21:00:00 GMT

A Portland City Council committee voted 5-0 to send a Portland Housing Bureau supplemental budget to the full council, after amendments that redirected $8.6 million to the city general fund and folded several named housing projects into a $21 million revolving loan fund. (03:34:04)

The Housing and Permitting Committee, chaired by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), met for the first time and handled two housing-finance ordinances.

Housing Bureau supplemental budget

The package, introduced by Councilors Angelita Morillo (District 3), Mitch Green (District 4), Avalos, and Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), allocates roughly $56 million the bureau identified as appropriable now, drawn from rental-services funds, transient lodging tax, construction excise tax and River District tax increment financing.

Morillo told the committee Multnomah County is "losing about 300 people a month who are becoming unhoused" and cited a 25% increase in homelessness between January 2025 and January 2026, with at least 2,000 area households at risk of losing federal rental subsidies (00:52:41). She argued for permanent assets: "$10 Million for direct acquisition of social housing" (00:52:41).

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), appearing online, moved the meeting's most consequential change. His Novick 3 amendment sent the full $8.6 million in transient lodging tax to the general fund — split across two fiscal years — and collapsed the social housing, notice-of-funding and named-project buckets into a single $21 million revolving loan fund for construction, preservation and social-housing acquisition. Novick said the general fund covers public safety and parks and called the shift his "found money layoff avoidance proposal." Green backed it, citing a "$160 million budget deficit" and possible fire-station and parks cuts. The amendment passed 4-1 (02:50:09), with Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) opposed because it deleted gap funding for specific ready-to-build projects.

Green then trimmed the Broadway Corridor allocation from $5.6 million to $4.8 million, moving $800,000 into the loan fund. He said he had asked to see the Melvin Mark developer's pro forma and was refused, adding that "$800,000 on $140 million is not the reason why this thing won't get done." That passed 4-1 (02:55:24).

Novick's proposals to reallocate the $9 million in rent assistance failed: Novick 1A fell 2-3 (03:02:05), and 1B died for lack of a second. Avalos said the often-cited figure that 16% of people facing eviction are evicted misses those who leave before a judgment. His eviction-defense amendment, drawn from the Oregon Law Center, passed 5-0 (03:06:07).

Pirtle-Guiney's amendment rewriting the debt buydown section — renamed "Non-market Affordable Housing Portfolio Stabilization" — passed 5-0 (03:15:23). Her bid for $3.5 million for Hacienda's Monarca project, a half-built, abandoned development that Hacienda's Diana Nunez-Caceres said could deliver 57 units at 60% AMI in eight to ten months, failed 1-4 (03:31:07); Green and Novick said the loan fund could serve it through a competitive process.

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Portland City Council Community & Public Safety Committee 04/07/26

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:30:00 GMT

A committee reviewing an ordinance to bar concealed-handgun-license holders from carrying loaded guns in city meeting buildings held the measure without a vote so councilors could draft amendments, with the item set to return in June (02:17:02).

Guns in city meeting buildings

The Community and Public Safety Committee took up an ordinance from Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) that would remove the affirmative defense letting concealed-handgun-license holders carry loaded firearms in buildings where the council and its advisory bodies meet, implementing state Senate Bill 243. Multnomah County adopted the same restriction in November. Policy advisor Evan Jundorf-Hoffer said the change would apply chiefly to City Hall, the Portland Building, the 1900 Building, and any city-owned space during an official meeting, and that the cost would be minimal, essentially signage, after a check with the City Budget Office (00:38:33).

Dunphy said he had applied for his own concealed handgun license earlier this year after tense interactions with the public, then concluded "that was the wrong direction," arguing "nobody involved in those conversations should be armed to kill" (00:29:15). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) backed the measure, saying she was afraid in chambers on February 18 knowing someone present could be armed (00:47:30).

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) opposed the ordinance, reading aloud the requirements to obtain a concealed carry permit and arguing that permit holders, who pass background checks and fingerprinting, are not the threat. He noted staff had reported only three documented cases in five years of a permitted concealed weapon brought to city facilities. "I don't think this will actually do one thing to make anybody safer," he said, and asked colleagues not to pass it that day (02:07:37). Chair Steve Novick (District 3) cited the Violence Policy Center's count of more than 2,500 non-self-defense deaths involving concealed-carry killers since 2007, while acknowledging that was a small fraction of permit holders (01:25:05).

The sharpest exchange came over how Dunphy got his own license. He said he completed the process in "less than 30 minutes," doing an online questionnaire while watching a movie and never attending a gun-safety course or handling a firearm (01:07:37). Zimmerman replied, "Then that sounds like a Multnomah County problem of not following the law" (01:08:30). Dunphy later summarized his view: "75% of people don't need a law in order to do what's right, and 10% of people will never do what's right regardless of the law. So we govern for the 15%" (01:15:01).

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said she would support the measure with amendments, recalling the 2022 Normandale Park shooting, where an armed protester at a vigil stopped a gunman. She said a person intent on violence would not obey the law, but that the restriction made sense for City Hall.

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Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 04/02/26

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Portland's new Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole voted 10-1 to send a street-damage restoration fee — amended to recover 100% of the cost utilities impose on city pavement — to the full City Council with a do-pass recommendation, while continuing the larger transportation utility fee to April 15. (03:35:00)

Two transportation fees, one referred and one held

The committee took up two measures from the former Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, both sponsored by Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4). Clark said the city's streets "touch every Portland resident" and warned that failing to act would cost "up to 10 times more" to replace roads later. Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Millicent Williams told the committee the bureau faces a budget gap of at least $25 million without new revenue, has absorbed $42 million in program reductions since 2019, and would need more than $6 billion to bring a nearly $22 billion system up to fair condition.

The transportation utility fee would charge $12 a month for a single-family home, $8.40 per multifamily unit, and 4.3% of the utility bill for commercial properties (00:46:02). PBOT reported that of more than 600 people who weighed in, 76% supported the fee, with the $12 scenario most popular. The committee did not vote on the ordinance itself; it continued the measure to April 15.

It did adopt one change. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4), seconded by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), moved to add "or new rate design proposals" to a directive letting PBOT bring rate changes through the annual budget, which passed 8-2 (02:47:25), with Councilors Dan Ryan (District 2) and Loretta Smith (District 1) opposed. Green said, "no one wants to be the city councilor that votes yes on a new fee ... but that's the job, and I'm prepared to do it," and stated "my intention is to pass a TUF" (00:25:12). He separately described, but did not move, a land-area-based fee concept of $3 flat plus a charge scaled to zoned square footage.

The street damage restoration fee would charge utilities for pavement they cut into, set at 75% cost recovery, or $10.38 per square foot (00:50:00). Williams and chief engineer Alex Maharno explained that trenching cuts a road's useful life by more than 60%, and that the fee would be waived where utilities coordinate their digs. Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) moved to raise recovery to 100%, which passed 12-0 (03:04:25); Green, seconding, said a stronger signal means "if we do it right, then we won't collect this fee at all." The committee then referred the resolution to the full council 10-1 (03:35:00), with Ryan the lone no.

Where councilors pushed back

Ryan cast his no votes on grounds of process and readiness, saying of the referral, "I would have needed more time to get to a yes, so for today I'm a no" (03:34:26). He earlier pressed PBOT on operational efficiency and on which streets belong to the city, county, or state, arguing residents "are feeling like they're being ... invoiced from all 3 sources."

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April 1-2, 2026 Council agenda

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council raised the business license tax exemption toward $100,000 for the city's smallest businesses, passing an amended ordinance to second reading with the amendment adopted 11-3 (02:42:50).

Business license tax exemption raised for small businesses

The ordinance, co-sponsored by Mayor Keith Wilson and Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4), lifts the business license tax gross receipts exemption from $50,000 to $75,000 for tax years beginning January 1, 2026, then to $100,000 the following year. Zimmerman said the threshold had not changed since 2007 and that the increase brings the city into alignment with Multnomah County (01:50:34). Chief Financial Officer Jonas Beery said the change is a roughly $1.2 million ongoing general fund reduction at the first step, rising to about $2.4 to $2.5 million once fully phased in (02:22:51). Tax Division Manager Tim Mercer explained the exemption is a yes/no threshold based on gross receipts, while the tax itself is on profits, with a $100 minimum (02:24:18).

Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) supported the measure but noted the reduction came "with no specific offset yet identified" and that the per-business benefit is "around $200 to $500 a year" (02:08:00). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) disputed testimony that Portland has the nation's highest tax rates, citing a District of Columbia benchmarking study that ranked the city 13th on tax burden for lower-income earners (02:19:59). Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), presiding as Pirtle-Guiney chaired the session, was not the presiding officer; Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) presided and said she had owned a coffee shop and introduced the policy three times as a councilor (02:14:12).

Four people testified in support. Jose Cienfuegos of the Revitalize Portland Coalition said, "We have the highest effective tax rate in the country, period" (01:56:29) — a claim Green answered on the record. Andrew Hone of the Portland Metro Chamber said Portland has been in a localized recession since 2023 and ranks "80 out of 81 on real estate investability nationally" (01:57:37). Nate McCoy of NAMAC Oregon said about 65% of businesses receiving relief are small proprietors. Kira Pressler of Better Portland said her first business paycheck was for 72 cents. A running "hair" joke tied to 2007 ran through the discussion; Green, describing his support, said, "I am a socialist on city council after all, but that's a joke."

Council procedure overhaul stalls over amendment deadline

The council could not finish a first reading of changes to its own organization and procedure code, continuing the item to April 16 by unanimous consent (03:33:40). Pirtle-Guiney, a co-sponsor with Dunphy, described the package: three defined committee actions, a three-month deadline for committees to schedule referred items, a 180-day inactivity standard for stalled legislation, and a requirement that amendments to items before full council be filed 24 hours in advance (02:46:46).

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Portland City Council Spring TAO Work Session 04/01/26

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland's budget office told the City Council the current year's general fund gap has grown to $21.9 million and laid out how a Spring Technical Adjustment Ordinance would close it — a work session that drew sustained objections from several councilors over forecasting, process, and cuts that were authorized but never made.

The council took no vote. The ordinance gets its first reading Wednesday, April 8 (00:14:28).

The gap and how staff propose to close it

Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery said a $17.1 million revenue shortfall for the current fiscal year was confirmed in the interim forecast published March 24, driven mainly by utility license fee revenue that came in lower after a milder-than-expected winter cut energy use; business license taxes came in as expected. Adding overspending and a revenue timing adjustment, Budget Director Ruth Levine put the total gap to solve at $21.9 million (00:16:04).

The proposed fixes include drawing $2.5 million of a $3 million unrestricted contingency, using $3.3 million in remaining compensation set-aside, $2.3 million in technology-reserve excess, $2 million from the Bancroft Bond Fund, $1.4 million in police asset-forfeiture money for event overtime, and $4.25 million from the Housing Investment Fund's short-term rental account (00:19:17). The roughly $7 million discretionary in the Portland Harbor Reserve is not being drawn. Levine said the projected $3.6 million overspend is driven "exclusively" by public safety bureaus, while other bureaus are projected to underspend by a combined $4 million.

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) established the city is not deficit-spending now; the overspend is projected only if the budget is left unchanged. Levine confirmed a placeholder 10% "enterprise efficiency" reduction was assumed but realized only for communications, leaving the rest as a current-year liability, and that vacancy savings kept the shortfall from reaching about $25 million (00:25:07).

Councilors press on cuts that were authorized but not made

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) asked why, when the council authorized reductions of 9.5% the first year and 10.5% the second, the response to falling short was a request for more appropriation rather than operational action. He said he was "not suggesting the course of action I'm asking about" — that is, layoffs. City Administrator Raymond C. Lee said some cuts were not made because of carryover effects into next year and would require council direction. Mayor Keith Wilson said he and Mike Jordan set the targets in a "dynamic situation" and that City Operations found continuing cuts "would start to degrade service" (01:00:00). Green said the situation was foreseeable: "That's exactly what I said in this seat in the fall, and I told you so" (01:05:09).

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Portland City Council Work Session FY 26-27 Budget Discussion 3/19/26

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland's Public Works bureaus told the City Council on March 19 that they manage $77 billion in assets against a $14.2 billion deferred-maintenance backlog, and that closing FY2026-27 budget gaps will require either raising rates and fees or cutting services Portlanders use daily. The council took no votes at the work session, the fourth in a series ahead of the mayor's proposed budget.

The scale and the gaps

Deputy City Administrator Priya Dhanapal, presenting for the Public Works Service Area, said the four bureaus run a budget of about $4.7 billion — roughly half the city's total — with about 31,000 full-time staff (00:10:28). She returned repeatedly to the $14.2 billion deferred-maintenance figure (00:12:20), telling the council that deferred work "does not go away. It compounds." To make the point about the pace of replacement, staff walked through the water system's 22,050 miles of pipe against about 5 miles replaced each year — a roughly 400-year cycle for pipes built to last 50 to 100 (00:15:15).

Dhanapal said the bureaus face gaps of about $7 million each for the combined water and sewer utilities and for Parks, and about $25 million for the Portland Bureau of Transportation over its five-year plan, driven by state funding losses and declining parking revenue (00:24:49).

Water rates and the 40-year bond

The Water Bureau offered three scenarios: Scenario 1 holds current service at a 9.8% rate increase; Scenario 2 stays near 8.1% using a 40-year bond for the Bull Run Filtration Project plus $1 million in cuts; Scenario 3 cuts deeper for about a 7% increase (00:28:01). Staff said extending the filtration bond from 30 to 40 years would raise total borrowing costs by about $900 million (00:29:57). The difference between Scenarios 1 and 2 for a typical single-family household is about $1.82 per month in FY26-27 (00:38:01).

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said he opposed Scenario 3 and would back Scenario 2, arguing a 100-year asset should be financed over time. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) went the other way: "I'm not comfortable with any of those scenarios," she said, asking staff to model a 30-year bond with Scenario 2's cuts (01:57:56). Water Bureau staff answered that a 30-year term would land near Scenario 1's rates, dropping only from 9.8% to 9.4% in year one — and disclosed that the 9.8% figure itself already draws on rate stabilization funds (02:02:53).

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) asked the city's chief financial officer to settle the question. CFO Jonas Biery called extending debt "literally kicking the can" and said: "If you're asking me as CFO what my recommendation is with all those trade-offs considered, it is not extending beyond the 30-year timeframe." (02:18:14) Green later returned to argue that a $2 change on an average bill was unlikely to alter behavior and that dense growth would lower the city's cost per unit of infrastructure (02:28:28).

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-03-19-ws-1

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Portland City Council PM Session 03/18/26

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council let its rewrite of the chronic nuisance property code slide to a future meeting after a motion to send the measure back to committee failed 4-6 (03:02:31) and the clock ran out on debate.

Chronic nuisance code stalls after long fight

The council spent more than two hours on an ordinance from Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), who chairs the Community and Public Safety Committee, to rewrite Portland's chronic nuisance property code around human trafficking and gun violence. The measure would loosen the trigger for declaring a property a nuisance — current code requires three documented instances in 30 days, which Novick said law enforcement called "too restrictive" (01:05:15) — and would raise the minimum civil penalty from $100 to $1,000 per day (01:03:10). A package of amendments from Novick and Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) would move the threshold to three instances in 90 days, remove loitering to solicit prostitution as a nuisance activity, and tighten how notice reaches property owners.

Deputy District Attorney J.R. Ujifusa of Multnomah County told the council the average age of entry for trafficking victims is 13 to 15 (01:09:46) and cited a Portland State University study identifying over 400 local victims. Two survivors testified in support. Robin Miller, who said she was "bought and sold on 82nd Avenue," said motels "are hubs of exploitation" (01:39:18). State Representative Tran, whose district includes McDaniel High School, called the ordinance "a surgical tool" (01:43:50) and noted the Oregon Senate had unanimously passed House Bill 4157. Motel owner Kanan Patel said she was told after reporting a drug dealer near her Sandy Boulevard property, "so we are gonna shoot your child" (01:47:29).

Opponents warned of displacement. Emiko Yama, a survivor and advocate, said Seattle recently designated a business a chronic nuisance based partly on a police report generated when someone there called 911, "a textbook example of unintended consequences" (01:54:26). A consensual sex worker who goes by Theo urged the council to work with BIPOC-led sex worker organizations on decriminalization.

Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) pressed for metrics on whether the designation reduces trafficking or moves it. Novick said "if there's fewer places for exploitation to occur," that reduces trafficking (02:22:32). When he described McDaniel students walking through "a gauntlet of sex trafficking," Avalos told him, "please do not lecture me about the impact. I am aware" (02:26:40). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said "one of the most dangerous things a person with... decision-making authority can do, is to recognize a real problem and say just we have to do something" (02:35:19) and argued the ordinance would target hotel and motel owners rather than traffickers. He asked why the council's budget guidance to move overtime money to the Police Bureau's Human Trafficking Unit had not been followed.

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Portland City Council Work Session-Joint City/County Homelessness to Housing Continuum 2/17/26

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Portland and Multnomah County officials met in a joint work session on March 17 to sort out overlapping homelessness roles as both governments head into budgets facing deep cuts, with the county proposing to close roughly 775 shelter units — a reduction of about $30 million — on top of about 230 units already closing this fiscal year (01:04:19). The session took no votes; council does not act at work sessions.

Shelter closures and the budget squeeze

Anna Plum, interim director of the county Homeless Services Department, said the adopted budget already closes 230 shelter units in two programs, and the requested budget closes about 775 more, primarily in the adult system. She said the "over 1,000 beds" figure circulating publicly is additive across periods and includes closures already planned. The savings from the requested closures total about $30 million (01:06:10).

Jillian Schoene, director of the Homelessness Response System, said the county announced it needs to take $68 million in cuts, with about half tied to the city's current intention to keep money it normally sends across the river (01:06:31). She described a shared "fiscal cliff" as one-time federal ARPA and Metro Supportive Housing Services dollars run out, and said the two governments spend about $150 million on shelter combined (01:19:06).

The city's interlocal agreement sends $31.5 million to the county, funding 756 shelter units and 218 transitional housing units, Chair Jessica Vega Peterson said (01:00:52).

Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) pressed on closures affecting Beacon Village in Montavilla and said constituents cannot reconcile the cuts with "hundreds of millions of dollars going to the Moda Center" (01:04:19). Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards noted that Sunstone, a city and county provider, announced closing June 30, and asked whether residents would exit "to the street," calling for a "person-level transition plan" (01:29:31).

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) questioned why the county was abandoning a shelter-building goal set two years earlier: "Why is the county choosing to cut so many shelter beds in this upcoming budget?" (00:56:55). Plum, who led that subcommittee, said the community sheltering strategy was set "in a very, very different funding scenario" and the current recommendation is about balancing shelter against housing placement.

Who does what

Schoene laid out a division of labor when Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) asked her to say plainly what the city should focus on. Schoene recommended the city lead on housing development and economic development, and that all 24/7 shelter "go back to the county," while keeping "200 to 300" overnight-only beds online during a transition for public space management (01:21:31). She said 84% of people placed in permanent supportive housing remain two years later (00:45:42).

Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), who chairs the housing committee, said councilors agree the city's first priority is "bricks and sticks" — housing production — and that many colleagues want to move the city out of operating shelters (00:08:08). She argued the strongest driver of homelessness is structural: "the strongest predictor is whether people can afford housing" (01:40:00).

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Portland City Council AM Session 03/11/26

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council adopted a resolution declaring that Portland will defend transgender and LGBTQIA2S+ residents and won't use city resources to help other states prosecute people for healthcare that is legal in Oregon, passing 12-0 (01:58:02).

The resolution moved alongside an ordinance amending the Civil Rights Code, which passed 11-0 with Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) absent (01:45:15). Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said the ordinance eliminates outdated code and ensures transgender Portlanders "can use public restrooms without fear of criminalization," and expands protections in housing, employment, and healthcare. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2), calling in remotely, said he would have preferred the original broader language and voiced discomfort that language on throuples and poly families was added "at the last second," but supported both measures. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) recalled the state's 2004 loss on same-sex marriage; Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) noted the city was now "having to say" it would not help another state prosecute a resident.

Campaign finance code advances with two amendments

An ordinance from Auditor Simone Rede to keep Portland's voter-approved campaign finance rules enforceable passed to a second reading as amended, set for March 18 at 6:00 p.m. Rede described the measure as "a technical fix" to a section voters approved in 2018 that a circuit court found invalid in 2025, aiming to enforce rules in the November 2026 election. A Morillo amendment limiting the auditor's discretion to extend the sufficiency-review deadline passed 9-3 (01:20:20), with Smith, Ryan, and Zimmerman opposed. A Kanal amendment requiring notice to the subject of a complaint within two days and public posting of extensions every 14 days passed 11-1 (01:25:34), with Smith opposed.

Zimmerman warned a fixed 14-day timeline could force the auditor to open an investigation days before an election, raising a "Comey" concern. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) responded that a set timeline "removes the political decision aspect," since the alternative gives the auditor discretion that "could become a political decision." Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) noted 87% of Portland voters approved the reforms and urged touching the law "as little as possible." Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) noted the body spent 25 minutes on an amendment "adding 9 words and removing 9 words" (01:18:23).

PCEF plan passes after equity-language dispute

An amendment to the Portland Clean Energy Fund Climate Investment Plan passed 9-3 (03:01:35), with Councilors Sameer Kanal (District 2), Morillo, and Mitch Green (District 4) opposed. The dispute centered on language struck from pages 23-24 of the plan covering the Portland Housing Bureau's equity-in-contracting and workforce-diversity programs. Program manager Sam Barrasso said numeric contracting goals were pulled back in response to the mayor's executive order, with no hard timeline for replacement. Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira said the struck text was taken verbatim from a housing bureau webpage that was unpublished in October, and committed to replacement language in about 30 days.

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Portland City Council Work Session - Service Area Budget Overviews 03/11/26

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:00:00 GMT

City budget staff told the council that the current model for funding Portland Solutions — which faces a combined shelter and cleanup gap topping $65 million next year — "is simply not sustainable," and laid out a citywide reorganization that would cut roughly 98 positions to save about $23.7 million.

The March 11 work session, the second of two on public works, the City Administrator's office, and city operations, took no votes. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) presided. City Administrator Raymond C. Lee opened by warning the council that programs run by Portland Solutions have been kept alive largely with one-time money.

The Portland Solutions funding gap

Lee said "it's simply not sustainable to continue funding Portland Solutions and their programming in our current model" (00:29:38). The bureau faces a $35.3 million gap for alternative shelters, a $19.8 million gap for emergency overnight shelter, a $4.2 million gap for the Street Service Coordination Center, and a $5.8 million shortfall to keep clean-up programming going (00:25:12) as one-time state, county and federal money ends.

Skyler Bruckner-Knapp, director of Portland Solutions, told the council that fundraising had become central to the job: "I feel like a huge part of my job is being a fundraiser, which is not what I signed up for" (00:54:34). She asked for one more budget cycle before major decisions, saying it takes three to four months just to decommission a single alternative shelter site.

Bruckner-Knapp said overnight shelters run at 60 to 70 percent capacity while alternative shelters run over 100 percent, and named three alternative-shelter contractors: Cultivate Initiatives, Sunstone Way, and Urban Alchemy (00:52:38). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said complaints he has heard center on wraparound services "not seeing the wraparound services from Urban Alchemy as promised" (00:54:00); Bruckner-Knapp said she was "really proud of the care coordination" and offered data and a site tour. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) asked to compare placement results across the three providers. Bruckner-Knapp said the city received $15 million from Metro's supportive-housing tax for overnight shelters this fiscal year and $10 million in county general fund (00:40:44).

Whether cutting revenue collectors costs the city money

Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) cautioned against being "pennywise and pound foolish" by cutting staff who bring in money (00:33:44). Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery agreed the trade-off in the reduction scenarios is "net negative" and said his office has "nothing that we provide that isn't bare-bones essential services" (00:46:11). Dunphy cited that "for every million dollars the IRS spends on tax collectors, they collect $10 million" (00:45:30) and asked whether adding collection staff would net more revenue; Biery said returns diminish at the top end and promised analysis. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) said staff should focus on the business license tax rather than the $35 arts tax.

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Portland City Council Work Session-Council Priorities Setting Session 3/07/26

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Portland's 12 councilors spent a Saturday work session setting collective strategic priorities — safety, housing and homelessness, economy, core services, and infrastructure — with no votes taken, though the day surfaced sharp disagreements over policing, equity, and how the city talks about business.

The session, run by outside consultants and convened by Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), was billed as the first step toward a city strategic plan. The facilitators drew a distinction between a "strategic vision," which they said elected officials set, and a "strategic plan," which City Administrator Raymond C. Lee and staff build. Sameer Kanal (District 2) pushed back that the exercise felt "very staff-driven," saying the council had been "dealing with rubber stamp expectations for a year"; a facilitator answered the goal was "true alignment, not rubber stamping" (01:18:20).

A clash over "late-stage capitalism" and business

The day's first flashpoint came when the top-voted "hope for Portland" read: a city that "embodies the opposite of the worst stereotype of late-stage American capitalism." Dan Ryan (District 2) asked how it would "all pencil out," saying long-established small businesses were leaving and "We're leading the pack in terms of the exits" (01:48:25). Jamie Dunphy, who wrote the entry, said Portland leans into "our identity as a small business town." Candace Avalos (District 1) pressed Ryan: "you said that small businesses was what you cared about, and you named not small businesses. So could you tell me what you mean?" (01:50:27). Ryan later said his questions came "from curiosity."

Angelita Morillo (District 3) asked colleagues to treat terms "with curiosity," noting "we only have 4 socialists on City Council right now" (01:57:15). Sameer Kanal pointed out that Nike, Columbia Sportswear and Adidas all began small or with a small local presence.

Defining safety, and a pointed exchange over policing

Members spent extended time defining "community safety" versus "public safety." Jamie Dunphy called public safety "interventionist" and community safety "far broader." Mitch Green (District 4) framed public safety as "almost paternalistic" and community safety as more "democratic." Steve Novick (District 3) said he saw no substantive difference, calling it "generational word choice." The group settled on the single word "safety" as the priority label.

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Portland City Council Work Session FY Expenditure Forecast & Spring TAO 03/05/26

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:00:00 GMT

City finance staff told the council Portland faces an $18 million general fund shortfall for the current fiscal year and proposed filling it without cutting staff or services, drawing objections from several members to using reserves and to pulling money from council office budgets. The March 5 work session took no vote; ordinances are set for April 8 and 15.

The gap and the good news

Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery opened by saying that "while a deficit is never great news, there actually is a little bit of good news" (00:07:46). The $18 million current-year gap sits at the low end of the $15 to $25 million range staff had earlier communicated (00:08:17). A January 7 email from City Administrator Raymond Lee had flagged a possible gap of up to $26 million. Biery said staff "believe there are viable solutions that avoid any reductions to staff or service levels in this fiscal year" (00:08:17).

Budget Director Ruth Levine said the December 2025 forecast identified a $13.6 million current-year deficit, and revenues are now tracking about $3.5 million below that forecast, driven by lower Utility License Fee revenue (00:14:37). Business license tax collections remain roughly on track. Levine also disclosed that a planned health fund interfund loan has grown to $15 million from the $10 million previously discussed, though repayment costs are already built into assumed benefit increases (00:38:32).

Two buckets of fixes

Staff split proposed solutions into two groups. The first, which drew broad support, would use $2 million of the $3 million unrestricted contingency, pull $0.8 million in council operations underspending, reallocate leftover compensation set-aside, return technology reserve overcharges, take $2 million from the Bancroft Bond Sinking Fund, and pull about $1.4 million from the Police Bureau's asset forfeiture fund. Together those total $11.4 million and take the gap down to $6.6 million remaining (00:28:23).

The second bucket, described as more discretionary, included a $4 million transfer from a short-term rental housing fund, a $2.2 million council-office underspending option, a draw from the Portland Harbor cleanup reserve, and about $1.8 million in targeted bureau reductions, roughly $500,000 of it graffiti abatement (00:33:26). Biery acknowledged the $4 million housing figure "was right in the middle" of a $3 million and $5 million option; Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) called it "very scientific" (01:18:07). Biery later corrected himself on which housing subfund is most flexible — the 2% short-term rental pot of about $8.6 million, not the 0-to-60 fund shown on the slide. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) responded, "Damn, you just cost the general fund $3.5 million" (01:27:18).

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Portland City Council Work Session-Unbudgeted Housing Funds 3/05/26

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council spent a three-hour work session on March 5 trying to pin down how much of roughly $106 million in unbudgeted housing money it can actually spend, and left without allocating any of it — the meeting took no vote.

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) opened the session and handed facilitation to Candace Avalos (District 1), who chairs the Housing and Homelessness Committee. Interim Portland Housing Bureau director Michael Bonacore walked members through six fund tables and a central caution: the headline figure is misleading. "I think the public, I think, does not yet fully understand that there is not $106 million to spend," he said, telling council that $21 million in unspent Rental Services Office money "should have been put out into the community" and that most of the rest is committed to projects or planned solicitations. He said no funds had been found missing or misspent, and that the bureau had been 00:12:00. Over five years the bureau produced 00:48:55, and Bonacore warned that bond and tax-increment funding will decline sharply in coming years.

A disputed $137 million

Angelita Morillo (District 3, she/her) opened questioning with a number that shadowed the rest of the morning. The City Budget Office, she said, had sent out beginning fund balances showing 00:28:57 — well above the $106 million under discussion. Jonas Biery, whose office includes the city controller, said he was "honestly struggling to track those numbers," cited accrual differences and a gap fiscal year, and said he would report the reconciled figure and its reasons in the 00:31:10. Morillo said her office first raised the issue at the 00:32:13. When Biery tried to answer, she cut in: 00:32:15 Biery said staff were 00:32:40 amid media misinformation. Morillo pressed that 00:38:05 The reconciled figure was not established at the meeting.

"Hidden from us"

Loretta Smith (District 1, she/her) pursued whether the money had been disclosed to the city's outside auditors and in its credit rating; Biery said the historical audit and rating reflected the full amounts. Smith drew a sharper conclusion about the budget council voted on: 01:04:31 and later, of the non-disclosure, 01:07:40 Asked directly whether more money existed above the $106 million, Bonacore said, 01:08:46 Smith's own proposal, "Smith 1," totals $41 million, putting $20.7 million into rent assistance and returning about 01:40:18.

What council can actually move

Mitch Green (District 3, he/him) narrowed the field: about $55.9 million is at council's discretion — $20.7 million fully, another $30.4 million conditionally tied to future solicitations, and 00:53:36 City Attorney's Office attorney Adrian Delgado said the 00:40:44, drawn from the transient lodging tax, could return entirely to the general fund, while the restricted 0-60-night fee could not. Dan Ryan (District 2, he/him) established the bureau needs about 01:28:42, with roughly $31 million passing through to Multnomah County.

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Portland City Council AM Session 03/04/26

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council voted 9-3 to accept a Supporting Portland's Storefronts report establishing a Storefront Support Program, (04:06:26) capping a meeting that ran nearly two hours past its calendar and left half the agenda — including a package defending transgender and LGBTQIA2S+ residents — unheard.

Storefront program report accepted over methodology objections

The report, sponsored by Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2), grew from a proposal he first brought forward a year earlier and had passed the full council unanimously as a budget note and resolution. Ryan named a stakeholder group of business owners and said, "It is SOS time for our city when it comes to storefronts. Save our storefronts."

The report drew objections over how it was built. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) questioned whether East Portland and BIPOC-owned businesses were proportionally represented, criticized the report's reliance on roughly 2,500 informal "door knocker" conversations, and asked why Portland Solutions led the work rather than Prosper Portland. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said, "I'm supportive of the program... I'm not supportive of the report," describing it as "vibes-based" and as relying on "approval... of a budget request we have not even seen." Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said the report "can't just be vibes-based." Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) defended it: "I never expected to get a scientific PSU-based... research study. I think that the Portland vibe is exactly what we're talking about." (04:00:26)

Victor Sanders of Portland Solutions and Anne Hill, director of PMO, told the council the program would proceed regardless of the vote. When Sanders said, "council gave me 90 days to complete this work," Kanal replied, "That's actually not the case though... I don't think that this should have ever gone to Portland Solutions at all. Please don't put that on us." (03:55:00) Four people testified; Bianca Youngers of Bing's Bar said, "I'm begging you to not take away funding from the police. In fact, I think that we need to add to it." John Blumenauer of The Joinery said "the single most important outcome is an improved sense of safety."

$150,000 for refugee legal services passes after amendment fails

The council reallocated $150,000 from the Legal Priorities Reserve Fund to SOAR Immigration Legal Services for preventative legal work, on a 12-0 vote of the underlying ordinance introduced by Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2). (02:54:06) The funds are expected to serve about 75 individuals plus family members at roughly $2,000 per person.

Councilor Avalos moved to raise the total to $300,000, splitting SOAR's share to $100,000 and adding $100,000 for deportation-defense and rapid-response work by the Clear Clinic and Innovation Law Lab. She said the Clear Clinic "has seen a 600% increase in workload while staffing levels have remained the same" and called deportation defense "the difference between life and death." The amendment failed 5-7. (02:44:22)

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Portland City Council Work Session-Public Safety and Community & Economic Development 3/03/26

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Portland's public safety bureaus face a $35 million current-service-level budget gap heading into FY2026-27, and even before any cuts a 10 percent reduction would force what the service area's leader called "nuclear options," council members were told at a March 3 budget work session. The session, the first of the budget season, took no votes; it covered the Community and Economic Development and Public Safety service areas.

Public safety: an $648 million service area, mostly people

Deputy City Administrator Bob Causey said the Public Safety Service Area's current service level runs about $648 million, 01:52:39. Bureaus submitted 32 reduction scenarios and preserved sworn staffing and core emergency response as priorities. Budget manager Ginger Damron said personnel costs rose 26 percent over five years, while staffing improved — 01:58:33.

Nathan Leamy, who manages the service area's budget, said much of the programming has been held together with expiring one-time dollars, producing a 02:10:06. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) objected to how that gap appeared on the slides as a "miscellaneous fund allocation," saying "if we were to contemplate a reduction in that, it's going to look like we're cutting the public safety area." He asked staff to relabel it "required gap funding." Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) pressed the same distinction, arguing programs funded year after year with one-time money should not be counted as a structural deficit: "budget season is narrative season. It's only a little bit number season."

On outcomes, Leamy reported 01:54:49 and 911 calls answered within 20 seconds 67 percent of the time this year. Zimmerman challenged the fire metric showing a 02:34:39: "in any school, that's a failing grade. Not that our service is failing, but we have room to improve." Fire Chief Lauren Johnson clarified the four minutes is travel time within the national 5:20 standard.

Causey said a 10 percent cut "most likely would be 02:52:39," while smaller cuts would hit items like overnight security at the emergency communications building or a police retire-rehire program. Pressed by Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) on why proposed cuts fell on police training and non-response programs, Causey said those are creative incremental options rather than direct patrol cuts.

Chief Bob Day and Johnson described a deteriorating fleet. Johnson said fire has kept only enough trucks staffed that losing one to a breakdown leaves no reserve. Day said the police 02:48:13 against a $30 million fleet value, with major purchases relying on asset forfeiture. Leamy said apparatus bought under a general obligation bond 15 years ago is aging out and that a new bond request was submitted two weeks earlier.

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Portland City Council AM Session 02/25/26

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's council restored a $15 million Portland Clean Energy Fund allocation to affordable housing on a 9-1 vote (03:49:48), rejecting a councilor's push to redirect the money to transportation. The February 25 morning session also advanced a rewrite of the city's civil-rights code protecting diverse families and spent an extended stretch on procedural fights over absent colleagues and last week's protest arrests.

Clean energy fund money stays with housing

The dispute centered on $15 million the Portland Clean Energy Fund committee recommended shifting from a targeted electric-vehicle financing program to clean energy work in regulated multifamily affordable housing. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) moved to restore that recommendation, citing Portland-specific emissions data: "buildings make up 53% of Portland's greenhouse gas emissions, while transportation emissions are 40%" (02:34:31). Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) countered that the city spends only 17% of fund money on transportation despite its 40% share of emissions, and proposed keeping the money for transit — including retaining streetcar service and a James Beard Public Market delivery project. He argued that if the council "has no right to weigh in on a decision like that, then we are just a rubber stamp" (03:17:35).

The relationship between the council and the fund's community committee ran through the debate. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said moving $15 million "is not a technical amendment" and objected that community groups had been told funds were being taken away that were never formally allocated. Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) said "there is a culture of things get through that are the friends of PCEF members or staff," calling it "a problem" (03:38:52). Four public witnesses backed Avalos, all connected to affordable housing or the fund coalition; Brian Hoop of Housing Oregon said the money would support an estimated 580 housing units and noted homeless services took "a 74% budget cut in the 2025 session" (02:54:29). Avalos 1 passed 9-1, with Novick the lone no (03:49:48); Novick then withdrew his competing amendments.

Civil-rights protections for diverse families

The council took up an ordinance amending the civil-rights code to define family and relationship structures and a companion resolution defending transgender and LGBTQIA2S+ rights. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) moved to postpone both a week so co-sponsor Dan Ryan (District 2), traveling on city business, could take part. Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) resisted, saying "I strongly believe all families deserve civil rights, nondiscrimination protections, and that can't wait" (01:10:22). After the question was divided, the council postponed the resolution 9-1 (01:34:06) but the motion to postpone the ordinance failed on a 5-5 tie (01:35:13).

City Attorney Robert Taylor told the council the code's broad definition already covered the relationships at issue, but a specific enumerated list "would be more defensible," with "some legal risk with either approach" that he called "minimal" (01:39:27). An amendment adding an enumerated list of protected family and relationship structures passed 10-0 (02:09:39); the ordinance moves to second reading March 4.

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Portland City Council Work Session-Current Service Level Overview 2/25/26

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Portland's budget team told the City Council on Feb. 25 that keeping every current city service running next year would cost $912.6 million against $743 million in forecasted general fund revenue, a gap the council spent the afternoon learning how to read.

The number that grew to $170 million

Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery and Budget Director Ruth Levine opened the first work session of the fiscal 2026-27 budget cycle by walking the council through a new "current service level" analysis, or CSL — an estimate of what it would cost to keep doing everything the city does now, funded programs and one-time-funded programs alike.

The shift changed the headline deficit. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) pressed the point: the gap grew "from $60-something million to $160-something million" not because anything worsened, but because "we switched from looking at a current expenditure level to a current service level" (00:36:04). Levine agreed: "this is not an increase in the deficit, we're just measuring different things" (00:36:32).

Levine broke the CSL general fund total of $912.6 million into pieces: a $54.4 million forecast revenue gap, $11.5 million in expenses above standard inflation, and roughly $105 million in programs currently paid for with one-time money — including $53.6 million for sheltering, which she pulled onto its own line because it uses no general fund dollars. The mayor's guidance directed three scenarios: current service level, a 3% reduction and a 10% reduction, with rate-charging bureaus preparing a 5% option instead (00:16:13).

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) rejected the framing. She called the approach "craziness" and "disingenuous," saying it implied "we have unlimited general funds to pull from" and demanded the forecasted revenue anchor the discussion. Biery gave that figure — $743 million (00:41:00) — and said CSL is "a data point of what would be required if we didn't change anything," not a target. Smith told the team, "I really want you guys to do your job" (00:42:33).

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) defended the staff: "This is not a budget. This isn't a set of choices that's been made for us... it's really unfair to say that Jonas and Ruth haven't been doing their jobs. You're doing exactly what we asked you to do" (00:46:29). Biery replied, "You're welcome to come sit in my chair anytime you'd like" (00:47:35). Smith answered Green: "that is your perception, but my perception is different" (00:49:23).

Smith returned repeatedly to money she said the council cannot see — general fund dollars parked in restricted accounts and roughly $600 million in grant funds under the city administrator's purview. Biery said those grant dollars are or will be in the budget because "we have to have those numbers appropriated in order to spend them," and that his team is assembling fund-level reporting to share (01:37:07).

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) confirmed CSL is meant to run parallel to the current allocation level, not replace it as a guidance baseline, and objected to Levine's "multi-year" timeline for reining in internal materials and services costs: "I think it's got to be months," citing a $25,000 quote to move desks a short distance (01:16:30).

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Portland City Council PM Session 02/18/26

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council put off action on roughly $20.7 million in unspent housing funds Wednesday, voting 8-4 to indefinitely postpone all three items in a Housing Bureau package after Council President Jamie Dunphy said he had not yet been briefed on the money. (01:54:28)

Housing funds postponed after fight over process

The package covered a resolution setting priorities for the roughly $20.7 million in unspent Rental Services Office funds and two supplemental budgets for the Portland Housing Bureau. Dunphy (District 1) moved to postpone all three indefinitely, saying he was "not even receiving my own briefing from the Portland Housing Bureau on what these funds are until tomorrow" (01:24:00) and was "not clear that the amendments on the table right now actually pass code." He said he had held a work session for Thursday, March 5.

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1), a sponsor, fought the motion. She argued the council had been briefed and had a February memo laying out the uses, said "justice delayed is justice denied," and told colleagues, "This feels like institutional racism" (01:41:50), describing the repeated delays as a structural pattern affecting Black and brown residents. She said "The District 1 people are abandoning the people that they actually say they want to help" and told the presiding officer, "You don't need this job. You need something else, because this job is about helping people."

Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said she was "struggling with postponing this item" because close to two dozen people had signed up to testify. Councilors backing the delay pointed to the shifting numbers: Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said the conversation had grown from about $21 million to roughly $100 million in newly identified funds across Housing Bureau accounts, and Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said, "I don't know where this extra $20 million of appropriations came from ... in Councilor Smith's package" (01:33:00). Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) proposed hearing testimony first and then postponing. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) said only, "I agree."

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) cited council rule 3.02.040, that councilors "confine themselves to the question under debate and refrain from personal criticism" (01:48:30). Smith raised a point of order asking whether testimony could be heard after a postponement vote (01:50:31). City Attorney Robert Taylor said the maker could withdraw the motion to allow testimony first, then re-offer it. Dunphy declined: "I am not going to withdraw my motion at this time" (01:50:53). Smith asked to divide the question, and the council took three separate roll calls, each postponing an item 8-4 (01:55:22). No public testimony on the items was heard. The items are procedurally dead, but Dunphy said he would bring a new ordinance to a later meeting after the work session.

Alaska Airlines hangar clears Enterprise Zone step

The council voted 12-0 to authorize a minor boundary change to the Portland Enterprise Zone, a step tied to a proposed Alaska Airlines hangar project at Portland International Airport (01:22:26). The item had been delayed a week at Pirtle-Guiney's request to allow talks on labor standards.

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Portland City Council AM Session 02/11/26

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The City Council voted to remove Bob Weinstein as an alternate to the new Community Board for Police Accountability over his refusal to sign a confidentiality agreement, while a parallel move to remove board member Schuyler Halsey over social-media posts failed and left him seated for the board's first meeting that evening (03:11:19).

Community police oversight board loses an alternate before its first meeting

The council took up an administration report (01:43:41) recommending removals from the Community Board for Police Accountability for ineligibility and cause. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) first added a technical amendment noting a further alternate had resigned, approved 11-0 (01:48:38) with Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) absent. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) then moved to split the report into three votes so the council could weigh two named individuals separately from routine resignations.

The debate centered on how the city screened for bias. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said one flagged Halsey post was an "all capybaras are beautiful" trans-rights meme, not an anti-police statement, and read a June 9, 2020 post laying out a definition of "defund the police" as substantive rather than disqualifying. Kanal said the review was limited to Facebook and flagged material beyond the stated criteria, noting "Episcopal" and "church" appeared in Halsey's word cloud. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) argued a repost or follow "does not equal an endorsement" and that a police-union endorsement demonstrates greater bias than a social-media post.

Others resisted. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) cited a Halsey repost comparing undercover police to "Nazi secret police" and said it could be used in a disciplinary arbitration. Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) said the board is "supposed to be a neutral body" and she was "not convinced that reposting is neutral." Dunphy said he entered the hearing "honestly offended" at Halsey's proposed removal and believes reposts are not endorsements, but worried the public record could be used by the Portland Police Association in future arbitration.

The vote to remove Halsey failed; the council clerk announced the division "has failed" (03:09:02), keeping him on the board. The roll on that vote is garbled in the record and individual councilor votes cannot be cleanly attributed.

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Portland City Council AM Session 02/04/2026

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council voted 8-4 to adopt a resolution directing the City Administrator to release public records on roughly $21 million in unspent Portland Housing Bureau funds and to hold a Council oversight hearing by March 6 (03:36:13). The three-hour debate exposed a sharp split over whether the new council should use its charter investigatory power directly or hand the work to an outside auditor.

Council split over the housing fund oversight hearing

The resolution, brought by Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) with Councilors Angelita Morillo (District 3) and Candace Avalos (District 1), directs the City Administrator to turn over relevant records by February 20, has Council Operations collate them for review by February 27, and leaves the Council President to schedule a hearing by March 6. Green anchored it on the discovery, reported to council and the public November 20, of about $21 million in unspent, unbudgeted Housing Bureau money — a sum he noted rivaled the roughly $12 million business-license-tax shortfall council was told about on August 8, before it passed a fall budget adjustment without knowing about the housing money. Two days before the meeting, council learned of a newer tranche of about $15 million; testifiers and councilors referenced roughly $40 million total. Green said he confined his questions to the August-November period and wanted to avoid a "kangaroo court" (01:12:36).

Morillo said "accountability is not a punishment" and invoked charter Section 2-109 (03:16:18). Avalos framed it as testing whether the new government works "the way Portlanders were promised." Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) called it precedent-setting and said he opposed calling frontline staff to testify.

The dissenters pushed back on both substance and method. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) called the resolution "entirely backward-looking," said the funds went unspent because "the relevant people didn't know they were there," and warned the "who knew what and when" question would force naming individuals — a Watergate-style inquiry he did not want. When Kanal earlier described concerns about naming individuals as a straw man, Novick answered, "That is not a straw man argument" (03:03:13). Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) said "This is punitive in my opinion" and urged an independent audit instead, asking colleagues to "focus on principles, not personalities" (02:25:44). Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) said the material had largely been reviewed in an executive session and the effort "feels a little punitive." Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) said a "feeding frenzy" he saw in that executive session left him opposed, and warned the process could lead to employee disciplinary investigations.

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Portland City Council AM Session 01/28/26

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council advanced a compromise slate of housing priorities for roughly $20.7 million in unused renter funds on an 8-4 vote but left the underlying resolution unfinished, continuing it to a later meeting. (04:00:23)

$20.7 million in renter fees splits the council

The longest fight of the day was over Item 9, a resolution setting priorities for about $20.7 million in unspent Rental Services Office money. The three District 1 sponsors — Candace Avalos, Council President Jamie Dunphy and Loretta Smith — replaced their earlier proposal with a new package (Avalos/Smith/Dunphy 3) that Avalos called "a good faith effort" to respond to a week of testimony and colleague concerns.

The revised package kept $9 million for rent assistance and reallocated $9 million in emergency housing voucher money: $5.6 million to the Broadway Corridor affordable housing project — reverting to rent assistance if matching funds are not secured by December 31 — plus $1 million to the Williams and Russell project, $1.5 million to an SEI project, $500,000 added to down payment assistance, and $400,000 added for eviction defense and a right-to-counsel pilot. Portfolio stabilization dropped to $750,000.

Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) challenged the Broadway Corridor allocation, saying the Housing Bureau had already committed some $42 million to it, and told colleagues who backed the shift, "Put your name on it, councilors. Own it publicly" (03:00:37). Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) objected to spreading money over three years: "I cannot support a slow trickle over 3 years," she said, calling the approach "ridiculous" (03:17:37). Steve Novick (District 3) framed the divide differently, saying the split between rent assistance and building housing was "not one of values, but really one of levels of optimism" (03:18:00).

Eric Zimmerman (District 4) defended the $5.6 million for Broadway Corridor, where he said Block 6 units are 100% regulated. Mitch Green (District 4) supported the new package but pushed a competing idea — using one-time money to buy down mortgage debt on existing affordable units, which he said could cut rents "by 18%" over the life of a regulatory agreement (03:03:53). Dan Ryan (District 2) complained the item got "two minutes—count them—two minutes" in committee before a vote (03:35:56).

A motion to call the question on the sponsors' amendment failed 6-6 (03:25:54). The amendment itself then passed 8-4 (04:00:23), with Pirtle-Guiney, Ryan, Novick and Olivia Clark (District 4) opposed. A competing amendment revived by Zimmerman from the sponsors' abandoned earlier draft failed 6-6 (04:01:43). Green's rent-buydown amendment was moved but not voted before Dunphy adjourned at the 1:30 deadline; the resolution was continued.

City attorney advice shaped the debate: Adrienne Delgado told the council the rental registration fee is a restricted fee that cannot flow to the general fund without becoming an improper tax, and that expanded uses require an ordinance with findings. City Administrator Raymond Lee's office said it was not withdrawing its recommendation to send some money to the general fund. Interim Housing Bureau director Michael Bonocore explained the multi-year spending timeline, tied to procurement and to interventions that cross fiscal years.

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Portland City Council Work Session-Office of Independent Review 1/28/26

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Portland's outside police-oversight expert told a City Council work session that its 9th report reviewed 10 officer-involved shootings and in-custody incidents from 2019 to 2022, and the Police Bureau accepted six of its seven recommendations while rejecting a call to require supervisor approval before officers ram a fleeing vehicle.

The report came from OIR Group, the outside expert the Independent Police Review has retained since 2010 under city code to review completed investigations of deadly-force incidents and in-custody deaths. Deputy Director of Independent Police Review Kelsey Lloyd said it was the eighth such report before this one, and OIR's Michael Gianacco said the firm has reviewed 75 critical incidents across nine reports, an engagement that began with the in-custody death of James Chassie (00:12:20). Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) opened the session and handed it to Community and Public Safety co-chairs Sameer Kanal (District 2) and Steve Novick (District 3).

Of the 10 incidents, OIR's Julie Ruhlin said 2 were fatal shootings, 3 were shootings that hit a person, 4 were shootings where an officer fired but missed, and one was a car standoff that ended when the person took his own life (00:26:00). At least four involved people in mental health crisis or with suicidal intent.

The recommendations and the bureau's response

OIR made seven recommendations touching the review process, investigations, training, and timing. Gianacco said the Police Review Board and chief make formal in-policy determinations on the shooting itself and on post-incident scene management, but not on pre-shooting conduct — the decisions that "drive the train" toward force. Chief of Police Bob Day said "we agree with this recommendation" and would fold pre-shooting review into the bureau's satisfactory-performance directive (01:00:00).

The one disagreement was over PIT maneuvers — using a patrol vehicle to strike and disable a fleeing car. OIR recommended requiring officers to consult a supervisor first, citing a past Portland case in which a van flipped. Day called it "the singular recommendation that we have some disagreement on" (01:00:00), saying he wanted officers to own their decisions rather than push them up, and noting PIT maneuvers are a Category 3 use of force reviewed after the fact. He said PPB has adopted all but seven of roughly 230 OIR recommendations over the years.

On tracking internal recommendations — a repeat OIR finding — Day said "We have failed in this area, and there really is no excuse for that" (01:04:00). Professional Standards Division Commander Jeff Bell described a SharePoint workflow, tested that week, and a written directive under development to assign and report on every recommendation (01:29:00).

OIR also flagged that two cases were withheld from review because they were in litigation, a break from more than a decade of practice; Day agreed to resume reviewing such cases, with OIR sharing a draft with the city attorney for factual accuracy (00:44:33). The bureau agreed to three other items: retiring a parked-vehicle "box-in" tactic, requiring investigators to confront officers with evidence that conflicts with their accounts, and improving how dispatch information reaches officers.

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Portland City Council PM Session 01/21/26

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council took no vote on a plan for roughly $20.7 million in unspent renter-services money, continuing the "Slow the Inflow" resolution to January 28 after dozens of residents condemned a last-minute amendment that cut rent assistance from $18 million to $8.5 million. (03:20:18)

Renter money fight dominates the meeting

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) told the room he had already pushed the final vote to next week because more than 70 people had signed up and there was not time to hear them all. The resolution, sponsored by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), Dunphy, and Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1), passed the Housing and Homelessness Committee on December 9 directing the roughly $20.7 million toward rent assistance, eviction prevention, and homelessness prevention.

Avalos, who chairs that committee, said the package before council "is not the package me or the co-sponsors originally brought forward." She said Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) "created a counterproposal through a separate ordinance process with a completely different set of funding priorities for the same dollars" run through his Finance Committee (02:05:00). Two Avalos-Dunphy-Smith amendments were moved: one striking a revolving-loan-fund clause after the Housing Bureau said no new dollars were coming, and one replacing the allocations with what Avalos called a compromise package. Dunphy said the competing ordinances "creates a hostile working environment" and "an opportunity where we are using procedural power in order to try and control narrative" (02:00:26).

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) previewed a further amendment: delete four rent-and-financial-assistance line items, raise eviction defense from $1.2 million to $1.56 million administered by the Portland Housing Bureau rather than the Commons Law Center, and return $4.14 million to the general fund to reduce the city's deficit (02:14:39). Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) asked why $9 million in emergency housing vouchers had vanished; Avalos said "people that were negotiating did not want that money to go towards that purpose. So it was removed entirely" (02:15:10).

What testifiers said

About 31 of the 72 signed-up residents spoke. Nearly all backed the original resolution and objected to the cuts. Molly Hogan of Welcome Home Coalition said the original put $18 million toward rent assistance and questioned roughly $5.6 million routed to the Broadway Corridor Project for 230 units, saying developers Home Forward and Urban League "did not ask for" the money and the project is fully funded (02:19:15). Christina Dirks of Home Forward said the removed voucher funding serves about 420 families, 390 in Portland, with over 850 people including more than 400 children, and 95% of household heads older adults or people with disabilities (02:23:00).

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January 14, 2026 Council Agenda

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The council adopted a City Council Governance Handbook 9-0, capping a session that also cleared two lawsuit settlements and a FY2026-27 budget calendar reshaped to guarantee district listening sessions. (02:03:56)

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) presided. Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1), Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4), and Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) left before adjournment, leaving nine members for the final votes.

Governance handbook adopted

The council adopted a resolution from Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) creating a Portland City Council Governance Handbook, a single document collecting existing policies, procedures, and practices. Koyama Lane said she came "straight from a 3rd grade classroom" and "wish I had had a handbook when I started" (01:27:00), describing it as a living document to be owned by Council Operations. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) offered three amendments and Dunphy one enumerating council powers with code references; the four passed as a package 9-0 with three absent (02:02:34), and the amended resolution passed the same way (02:03:56).

Morillo questioned the phrase "legal sufficiency" in one amendment, asking that it be defined for the public. City Attorney Robert Taylor said approving something "as to form" means it meets minimum requirements but "does not mean it is free from risk" (01:52:05). Four people testified. Terry Harris supported the handbook but said it must be "crystal clear" about what is binding versus guidance and that governance work is "about half done" (01:34:43).

The item drew a personal exchange over an article in the Mercury. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2), saying he had been "receiving unnecessary, not fair hate today," said the paper contacted him "an hour before the deadline" with "zero context," and that "when there's lies that are coming out at you, you now and then have to have the courage to just defend yourself" (01:53:55). Morillo told him, "I just think you should take this up with a reporter instead of with all of us" (01:56:33); Ryan said he'd "had to hear 3 times today in testimony about it." Before leaving, Morillo said the "racist comments that me and some of our colleagues endured this week are not equivalent to anyone else's hurt feelings about anything else" (02:00:48).

Budget calendar amended to add district listening sessions

The council adopted the FY2026-27 budget calendar 12-0 (01:24:33) after adding a line committing to budget community listening sessions by district. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) moved the amendment, which passed 11-1, Zimmerman opposed (01:23:32). Kanal proposed five sessions — one per district plus one for city employees — arguing it was "disrespectful" to force employees to "come beg for their jobs in public" (00:57:10).

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Portland City Council AM Session 1/07/26

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council deadlocked 6-6 through nine rounds of voting on January 7 and could not choose a Council President, splitting evenly between incumbent Elana Pirtle-Guiney and Councilor Sameer Kanal before recessing the election to the next day (06:41:38).

An election that would not resolve

The council spent nearly the entire session on what is normally a first-meeting formality. After approving the election procedure by a 12-0 vote (00:33:18), Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) nominated Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) and Councilor Jamie Dunphy (District 1) nominated Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2). Every roll call came back the same: six for Pirtle-Guiney (Smith, Dan Ryan of District 2, Steve Novick of District 3, Olivia Clark of District 4, Eric Zimmerman of District 4, and Pirtle-Guiney) and six for Kanal (Candace Avalos of District 1, Dunphy, Kanal, Tiffany Koyama Lane of District 3, Angelita Morillo of District 3, and Mitch Green of District 3).

Kanal's backers framed the vote as a case for rotating leadership. Dunphy called it "a deeply held philosophical belief on my part that in the interest of this body, rotating this president year to year is the best option for how we share power" (02:06:04), adding that his vote "is not a critique of her performance, but a statement about process, norms, and the kind of institution that we are trying to build." Kanal said that if elected he would step back from most of his legislative work to focus on governance (00:46:07) and would leave the Progressive Caucus (01:27:17).

Pirtle-Guiney's supporters argued for continuity through a hard year. Clark said the council needs "a very calm, steady hand on the wheel" (03:04:26). Smith said "there's nothing that you all can say that will change my mind, so don't try" (04:57:12). Pirtle-Guiney committed to no third term, saying she has "absolutely no intention of running for a 3rd term" (02:57:56).

The caucus fight

Novick made the sharpest objection to Kanal's candidacy, saying he was "deeply uncomfortable with the idea of electing a member of the Peacock Group to the presidency" (00:57:20) and describing the Progressive Caucus as "a private club" (00:58:00). He pointed to "that August 6th meeting that's under investigation by the Ethics Commission" (00:59:11). Novick also said his own progressive record — voting to establish the small-donor program and sponsoring a CEO pay-ratio tax — meant "it does actually kind of hurt me that there's a progressive caucus that doesn't include me" (05:07:05).

Morillo answered that the caucus is "primarily made of people of color" who "have never had access to local government or politics before" (01:02:50), and later noted there are "only 6 councilors endorsed by the Portland Business Alliance" (04:21:30). She said progressive members have repeatedly worked across the council, citing her own housing work with Zimmerman.

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Portland City Council PM Session 12/17/25

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The council adopted the Homelessness Response System Action Plan and its key performance indicators on a 9-3 vote, over objections that the plan sets goals with no numbers attached (01:48:01). Councilors Jamie Dunphy of District 1, Sameer Kanal of District 2, and Dan Ryan of District 2 voted no.

Homelessness metrics plan adopted with three dissents

The plan and its 12 performance indicators, carried by Mayor Keith Wilson and Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney of District 2, came out of the city-county Steering and Oversight Committee. Councilor Eric Zimmerman of District 2, who sits on that committee, said the product is "so much better than it was" and urged adoption (01:43:04). Wilson called it a "living document" that still lacked focus on the full continuum (00:44:01).

The dissenters focused on missing targets. Dunphy said the plan "is attempting to do many things, and it does none of them particularly well" (00:46:56) and would not approve goals with no metrics attached. He cited a point-in-time count showing 94% of Multnomah County's surveyed unsheltered people were in Portland (00:47:32). Ryan said he wanted indicators tied to sobriety and workforce outcomes: "I cannot support this until we have those kind of metrics" (01:08:04). Kanal said the structure asked councilors to outsource a legislative task to unelected committee members while voters would hold the council accountable.

A staff member identified in the record as Jillian said only minor changes had been made since a November work session — a new workgroup action item, an appendix on state involvement, and one clarifying sentence from the county board (00:52:02). She said specific numeric goals would be set in a later phase after the fiscal year 2026-27 budget, with the clock starting July 1, 2026, because the funding outlook was too uncertain. She cited a possible loss of $36 million in federal money for permanent supportive housing, which she said represented 1,200 Portlanders who could lose their housing (01:01:36). Ryan Deibert, Deputy Director at the Homelessness Response System, said his team would build tools estimating how budget choices move each indicator (01:33:23). Councilor Steve Novick of District 3 supported the plan but floated added indicators tracking affordable-housing vacancy rates and cross-city comparisons; Councilor Mitch Green of District 2 urged a cost-efficiency measure, noting "we can't double our resources."

Legislative agenda adopted; a housing bill splits the council

The council adopted its 2026 state and federal legislative agendas 12-0 (02:57:39). Pirtle-Guiney said the federal agenda newly prioritizes pushing back against federal overreach.

The sharpest debate was over a state inclusionary-zoning bill, LC-5. State Senator Khanh Pham of District 23 testified that the bill "does not mandate the City of Portland to do anything that it is not already doing" and asked councilors to say whether the city should be "the sole entity actively opposing this widely supported initiative" (01:57:20). Government Relations director Sam Chase gave four city concerns: an unfunded mandate, legal liabilities, removal of the council's funding decision to the state, and a chilling effect on a statewide inclusionary-housing program (02:09:15).

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Portland City Council AM Session 12/10/25

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council confirmed Raymond C. Lee III as the city's first permanent city administrator on an 11-0 vote, then approved his employment offer and a severance package that drew objections from one councilor as "not a good look." (02:27:56)

Lee, presented by Mayor Keith Wilson, comes to Portland from Greeley, Colorado, where the mayor said he managed 1,600 employees and a $515 million budget serving 116,000 residents, with prior roles in Dallas and Amarillo, Texas (00:36:05). Council President Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) presided over the meeting; Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) was absent for all votes.

City administrator confirmed

Much of the two-hour hearing turned on how information flows between city staff and the 12-member council. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) said some staff still believe they cannot talk to councilors, and pressed Lee on whether every routine question must be copied to all councilors (00:51:14). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) tied his vote to the city charter's requirement that the administrator keep council "fully advised at all times" of the city's finances, pointing to a summer episode in which a change in fund balances reached staff months before council was told. "What I don't want to do is confirm a city administrator who wants to hold information back 'cause they're worried about embarrassing the city," Green said (01:03:16).

Lee described his first 90 days as a "listening tour" and repeatedly stressed transparency, dashboards and a strategic plan. He committed to living in Portland (01:46:41). Councilor Jamie Dunphy (District 1) warned of the city's history of elevating people of color into top jobs "without any of the supports" and then "throwing things at that person." Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4), who said he would have supported any of the three finalists, and Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) both noted that no deputy city administrators or bureau directors attended the confirmation (01:52:34). No one signed up to testify; Pirtle-Guiney acknowledged feedback that outreach had been insufficient.

The severance fight

Council then took up Lee's employment offer. Ron Zito, interim director of the Bureau of Human Resources, explained the city's severance policy—12 months' salary the first year, six months for later years, paid only on a termination without cause. Smith objected that legacy bureau directors received 12 months in every year and that the administrator should get the same. "It does not look good for someone to come in and get less of a severance who is the city administrator," she said (02:35:31). Wilson said the policy shifted to the 12-6-6 structure in January and that "it was a competitive negotiation and a competitive offer" (02:33:51).

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Portland City Council AM Session 12/03/25

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The Portland City Council adopted its annual investment policy 10-1, but only after adding an amendment, passed 8-3, directing a 2026 push toward a human-rights screen on city investments.

The amendment, moved by Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2), does not change this year's policy or any current holdings. It urges the administration to work with council offices on options for an "ethical investment policy," including a human-rights screen and a goal that the city not invest in companies enabling war, genocide, slavery, torture, or crimes against humanity. It passed with Councilors Eric Zimmerman (District 4), Dan Ryan (District 2), and Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) opposed (06:31:14). The full resolution then passed with only Zimmerman opposed (06:52:44).

Dozens of residents testified over hours, urging divestment from Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia and Walmart. Testifiers said the city holds about $68 million in Amazon corporate bonds — its largest single holding — and roughly $15 million in Nvidia, citing the companies' ties to the war in Gaza and to immigration enforcement surveillance. Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery told council the city carries a AAA Moody's rating and that limiting investments produces "some amount, some non-zero amount of reduced revenue" (05:47:10), and that the city would not put a subjective moral judgment "on a city staffer." Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) repeatedly stressed her vote was "not about a country or about a particular company" (06:24:22). Pirtle-Guiney declared a potential conflict of interest because her spouse works at a company the city invests in, and was advised she could vote (04:42:37).

Detention facility impact fee

Council gave final passage, 9-2, to an ordinance creating a Detention Facility Impact Fee Code, sponsored by Councilors Angelita Morillo (District 3) and Mitch Green (District 4) (02:07:31). The fee would recover public costs tied to detention facilities through an annual charge and a nuisance component. Councilor Kanal reported that police overtime at the ICE facility on McAdam fell from about $800,000 in June to $1.384 million over the five months from July 1 to December 1 — a 65.4% reduction — after a budget note limiting protest overtime (01:43:00).

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) and Councilor Dan Ryan voted no. Novick said he could not endorse the principle that a facility generating protests should have those policing costs billed to the landowner, drawing an analogy to an abortion clinic. That triggered the meeting's sharpest exchange. After Morillo apologized for suggesting his absence from the first reading showed indifference, Novick said, "I do not accept your apology because you knew that I was out of town on an annual trip that I do... your suggestion that I didn't think this was important enough to show up is insulting" (02:05:30). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) voted yes but said, "I think it's good to have some dissent here" (02:06:58).

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Portland City Council PM Session 11/19/25

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's council advanced a first-of-its-kind fee and nuisance ordinance targeting property owners who lease land for immigration detention, adopting a technical amendment 9-0 but holding the ordinance itself for a vote at its next meeting after roughly 30 residents demanded the city instead revoke the permit for the South McAdam Avenue facility. (03:10:23)

Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) presided; the mayor did not vote on any item.

Detention facility fee draws hours of opposition

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3), with co-sponsor Councilor Mitch Green (District 4), brought a two-part ordinance: an annual impact fee on property owners who lease land for detention, plus standalone nuisance provisions that would apply now. Morillo's policy advisor Susie Doister described it as a "Pigouvian" measure meant to make operators bear the costs they impose on neighbors. The fee amount would be set later through administrative rulemaking; no fee schedule exists yet. Green said the structure was delegated to rulemaking to withstand legal challenge, citing federal benefit-cost guidance and the roughly $100,000 Grays Landing had already incurred (02:38:48).

More than 36 people signed up and about 30 testified. The overwhelming majority opposed the fee as inadequate and called for the city to revoke the facility's permit. Holly Brown, of Portland Contra las Deportaciones, called it a "performative stunt" and said 560 people were arrested by ICE in Portland in the past month (01:11:03). Blair Glennon, a registered nurse at Legacy Emanuel, said ICE brings injured detainees to hospitals and that staff are told they cannot contact patients' families until after discharge or provide legal resources. Cami Saunders said the Cottonwood School was gassed so heavily it moved into another building owned by the facility's landlord, Stuart Lindquist. Several testifiers noted the fee, by Morillo's own account, would not apply to the McAdam facility unless its lease is renewed or renegotiated. Sam Diaz of 1000 Friends of Oregon and Beth Chvilicek of Unite Oregon supported the ordinance as a tool while the enforcement process proceeds.

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) pressed City Administrator Michael Jordan and the city attorney on where the money would go. Jordan said an earlier draft's dedicated fund was dropped for a general-fund account to reduce administrative cost and legal exposure, and that administrative rules would govern collection and disbursement. Kanal noted roughly $800,000 in police overtime at the facility in June alone and asked how the city would ensure funds reach harmed residents rather than being consumed by police overtime (02:56:40). Green said the ordinance's intent is to recover the full public cost and prioritize external stakeholders. Morillo said her priority is "the people who are first impacted." On a question from Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2), Jordan said behavioral health and deflection facilities would not be captured under the Title 33 definition of a detention facility.

Jordan told the council the permit revocation decision currently rests with the administration, not the council, and that the property owner's deadline to provide information had been extended to December 1 (02:36:33). Morillo said councilors cannot state a position on the permit because it is a land use decision they may later vote on.

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Portland City Council AM Session 10/29/25

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council authorized revenue bonds of up to $41 million to build out a leased fleet maintenance facility, passing the ordinance to a second reading on November 5 over a councilor's objection that the city would be sinking the money into property it does not own.

$41 million for a fleet garage the city won't own

The council advanced an ordinance to issue revenue bonds of up to $41 million to replace the century-old Kirby Garage with a build-out at the leased Cutter facility, moving it to a second reading on November 5 (01:31:48). Council Policy Analyst Christopher Hare said total principal would not exceed $43.9 million after issuance costs. Debt manager Matt Giurach put annual debt service at about $3.3 million for 20 years, and Aaron Beck of Business Operations said the cost would flow through vehicle rates so that "any bureau with a vehicle will be paying for the Cutter Garage" (00:45:11).

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) pressed the deepest objection, calling it "a big lift" to invest that much "into a piece of property we don't own" and asking whether leaving property costs out "was a tactic to keep the bond low" (00:59:26). The bureau said the city holds a right of first refusal and a purchase option on the Melitus Company site. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) defended the lease as "option value," comparing it to power-purchase agreements from his energy career. The Cutter figure includes about $7 million in ongoing annual costs; the bureau attributed roughly $4 million above debt service to the new lease and a major-maintenance reserve set at 3% of replacement value.

Councilors Olivia Clark (District 4), Dan Ryan (District 2) and Jamie Dunphy (District 1) thanked garage staff and Maddie Sauter. Dunphy described conditions in which "at least one mechanic has to lay on their back in a puddle at the bottom of the slope" (00:51:13). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) asked whether an RFP was issued; the bureau said leasing bypasses procurement and the lease had gone to the prior council and was signed by July 1 of last year.

Bull Run filtration report accepted as bills are set to rise

The council voted 10-0 to accept the Bull Run Treatment Projects 2025 annual report (02:12:13). Interim Water Bureau director Keisha Light said the project will add about $40 to a single-family combined water and sewer bill over five years (01:44:48) and that missing the compliance deadline to deliver filtration by the end of September 2027 could let the EPA take over the system, force daily boil-water notices and hurt the bond rating.

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Portland City Council AM Session 10/22/25

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council voted 11-1 on Wednesday to pay $300,000 to settle a lawsuit by a man who spent more than four years in prison believing he had killed an overdose victim who had in fact survived (01:19:51).

$300,000 police settlement over a wrongful belief

The settlement in the Adam Gregg case came to council as an emergency ordinance introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson. Mike Porter, a city attorney, told the council that Gregg pled guilty to heroin distribution in 2015 and served over four years after the district attorney and defense both proceeded on the belief that a person had died from the drugs. The victim survived; a responding officer performed CPR, and his original report described the victim as alive before, Porter said, the report "was modified to indicate the victim had died." With the prosecutors dismissed under immunity, the city was the sole remaining defendant, and Porter said a jury could assign it full responsibility worth millions.

Three Portland Cop Watch members testified, calling the episode corruption, naming the two officers involved, and noting the Police Bureau paid more than $5.7 million in claims over the year (00:43:20). A related plaintiff, Mr. Cook, received a $45,001 judgment.

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) cast the lone no. He pressed Porter that the city employs no prosecutors and did not prosecute the case, that the presumptive sentence for the charge was 80 months regardless of whether the buyer lived, and said, "I think we should go to trial. I think Portlanders expect us to go to trial" (01:04:50). Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) voted yes "reluctantly," calling the matter "a breach of trust" rather than corruption (00:57:30). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1), Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3), Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) and Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) all grounded their yes votes in due process and equal protection; Kanal said he read the record as a mistake, not intentional wrongdoing. Deputy City Administrator staff said officer Thurman has been on leave with the investigation on hold, and officer Hutchison had a sustained finding for misinformation in a report.

Disparity studies held over amid a drafting scramble

A resolution by Councilor Smith to launch two studies of disparities in city contracting and workforce participation drew broad support but stalled procedurally. Smith argued the studies are needed to comply with Mayor Wilson's executive order EO 2025-01 and told colleagues the last city disparity study was completed in 2009. Haley Blonsky, a senior project manager, said a study authorized in 2022 was never funded. The cost was cited as roughly $450,000, shared with Prosper Portland while TriMet and the county pursue studies under the same contract, though Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery said the technical-adjustment ordinance as filed shows $400,000 — a discrepancy to be resolved before that budget vote (01:45:32).

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Portland City Council PM Session 10/15/25

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council voted 12-0 to enact an emergency ordinance codifying the city's sanctuary protections into binding law and, in a separate 12-0 vote, adopted a resolution creating a "Protect Portland Initiative" against federal immigration and military deployment (05:16:39, 04:57:56).

Sanctuary status written into city code

The ordinance, sponsored by Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) with Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Angelita Morillo (District 3), Candace Avalos (District 1) and Steve Novick (District 3), converts pieces of Portland's 2017 sanctuary resolution into city code. Kanal said the 2017 resolution "is not legally binding" and that the ordinance mirrors the 2021 state Sanctuary Promise Act while adding employee trainings, protocols for staff or community members detained by federal agents, and signage marking private, warrant-required spaces inside city buildings.

Council attached an emergency clause on a 12-0 vote (05:13:18), letting the ordinance take effect immediately. Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) proposed pulling the codification of Freedom of Information Act request reporting, saying she had concerns about directing bureaus beyond their charter duties. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) offered a friendly amendment restoring the FOIA language into an annual reporting requirement, which passed 12-0 (05:08:45). Two further amendments — changing "residents" to "residents and visitors" and adding "leased spaces" to the signage rules — also passed unanimously. Jonas Biery, chief financial officer and acting City Administrator, told council the incremental budget impact of the new trainings "should be minimal" (04:49:34).

Hours of testimony, most in support

Roughly 80 people signed up to testify across the evening's three items, with more than 40 speaking on the sanctuary measures. Invited panelists included Mercedes Elizalde of Latino Network, which she said serves nearly 11,000 community members; Frank So of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, whose SOAR legal program receives "an average of 100 calls per day" for immigration help (02:29:00); and Jessica Maravilla of the ACLU of Oregon. Bob Cozzie, Deputy City Administrator for Public Safety, read a statement from Police Chief Bob Day affirming that Portland Police Bureau members will not be deputized by federal or military entities without city authorization.

Angela Bonilla of the Portland Association of Teachers said there had been "at least 4 reports" of Portland Public Schools parents taken after dropping children at school. Several speakers described being detained or injured at the ICE facility at 4310 S Macadam and urged council to revoke its permit. Multiple testifiers cited an estimate of 108,000 Oregonians at risk of deportation. Two speakers opposed the measures: Darren McCormick said "No one has been kidnapped by ICE" and urged a narrow exception for people convicted of crimes (03:00:40), and Karen Shirai asked for a no vote. After McCormick spoke, presiding officer and Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) reminded the room that "everybody remain respectful of other people who are testifying" (03:02:41).

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Portland City Council AM Session 10/08/25

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council adopted a resolution 12-0 directing the city administrator to build a storefront support program and deliver a plan by January 31, 2026, after more than a dozen small-business owners described repeated break-ins, assaults and unreported crime. (03:48:53)

Storefront support program

The resolution, brought by Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2), directs staff to map vacant storefronts, collect data on why businesses close or leave, and coordinate responses across the Portland Management Office, police, the Bureau of Transportation, Portland Solutions and Prosper Portland. Ryan told the council the city has "a revenue problem," saying the city economist reported the business license tax coming in more than $12 million below last year's forecast (01:26:47).

Roughly a dozen owners testified, all in support. John Blumenauer of The Joinery said foot traffic fell 84% from 2020 to 2024 — 65,000 fewer visits — and that the business lost over 35% of its jobs (02:07:51). Justin Youngers of Binks Bar on Alberta said security now costs about $10,000 a month (02:17:42). Bianca Youngers described a 45-person brawl and stabbing at the bar and said, "we need help or we are going to die" (02:22:50). Stephen Cook of Vinyl Resting Place said he had replaced nine windows and had a gun pulled on him twice (02:02:41). Brian Owendoff cited downtown retail vacancy rising from 2.9% in 2019 to 8% today (02:23:10).

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) questioned whether the resolution duplicated work already done by the Portland Management Office and Prosper Portland's new Office of Small Business, calling it "a plan to create a plan." Ryan pushed back: "It is a plan. It's a strategic plan" (01:33:31). Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) pressed whether the coordination the resolution ordered would cost money; City Administrator Michael Jordan said developing the plan "will take city resources to do" (01:40:04). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said city support and incentives tend to "stay west of 82nd" and pushed for East Portland businesses to be included.

The council adopted several amendments. A scope amendment from Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) requiring a definition of "storefront business" passed 11-1, with Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) opposed (03:09:26). Ryan's amendment adding a storefront representative from each district passed 11-1 (03:23:14). The council split over a "whereas" clause stating businesses were struggling under a tax burden, citing an 82% increase over four years. Novick objected to the language when "we're not planning to cut somebody's taxes"; his amendment adding a caveat, revised by Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) to strike the word "local," failed 5-7 (03:21:17). Kanal then moved to strike the tax clause entirely, which passed 9-2 (03:34:13).

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Portland City Council AM Session 10/01/25

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council adopted a framework for a permanent Public Street Plaza Program on a 7-0 vote (03:57:48), directing the transportation bureau to build out and fund plazas citywide — though councilors noted not one exists in District 1.

Public Street Plaza Program

The resolution (Item 17) directs the Portland Bureau of Transportation to create a permanent plaza program, adopt administrative rules, refine fees, and report back within five years. Vice Chair Angelita Morillo (District 3), presiding for absent Chair Olivia Clark (District 4), recommended the package. Two operators testified to the plazas' effect: Alex Morell of Dream Big City said the Dream Plaza at 9th and Taylor was activated the same day the permit issued for about $25,000 and now draws 200 to 800 people daily (03:10:01). Thomas Gatley of the Kernside Business Association estimated about 4,000 visitors over the summer at the Ankeny/28th plaza and "several hundred thousand dollars of sales" on roughly $20,000 of city investment (03:13:11).

Several councilors flagged that no pilot plaza sits in District 1. Jamie Dunphy (District 1) called it "a glaring hole in this map." Candace Avalos (District 1) said she was "disappointed." Art Pierce, PBOT Deputy Director for Planning Projects and Programs, said East Portland has so far used play streets and park settings and that PBOT has issued a new call for plaza proposals. Sameer Kanal (District 2) warned that relying on existing community capacity risks bias: "otherwise what's going to end up happening is we're going to put plazas where white folks live" (03:44:00). Mitch Green (District 4) said the $150-per-year vending-cart fee was "too low." The lighting exception and fee-schedule ordinances (Items 18–19) move to a second reading October 8.

Police settlement and a fight over process

Council passed a $150,000 settlement of the Rossio and McDonald bodily-injury lawsuit against the Portland Police Bureau 11-0 (01:45:27). The case stemmed from an August 29, 2023 pursuit in which officers used a PIT maneuver on the wrong vehicle. Mark Porras of Portland Copwatch, the lone public testifier, said officers held the plaintiffs about 20 minutes after determining they were not suspects and noted that four months later, in December 2023, Chief Day loosened restrictions on car chases (01:44:40).

Eric Zimmerman (District 4) said policy and discipline questions belong in the Public Safety Committee, not a settlement vote, and warned against turning settlements into "a public comment forum." Candace Avalos and Loretta Smith (District 1) disagreed, saying the forum should "daylight" issues to stop settlements from draining the budget. Kanal said the officer-discipline question concerned the officer who lost track of the car, cited "$20 million on one bureau," and charged that some colleagues want the settlement trend data pushed "as far into the back room as possible... And that is unacceptable" (01:35:38). He said he has repeatedly offered to fund an extra committee meeting from his office budget; Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) noted he had been approved an additional committee date.

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Portland City Council Regular Session 09/24/25

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's council voted 12-0 to authorize a prepaid lease of about $705,000 for an in-district office serving two of the three District 1 councilors, after the third councilor pulled the item to challenge the city's construction and internal-service costs.

District 1 office lease exposes cost dispute and a rift among the district's councilors

The council approved an emergency ordinance letting the city sign a lease for office space at 305 NE 102nd Avenue for Councilors Candace Avalos (District 1) and Jamie Dunphy (District 1). The measure passed 12-0 (01:40:04), clearing the nine votes an emergency ordinance requires. The space runs about 2,900 square feet, with rent near $6,522.75 a month and an all-in run rate of roughly $90,000 a year, prepaid through June 30, 2029, according to Maddie Sautter, director of the Bureau of Fleet and Facilities.

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) pulled the item from the consent agenda to question the numbers. She said she declined a joint office because she "didn't want to have a hostile environment" and had been told she "didn't have the same values as, uh, Councilor Avalos by her directly" (01:04:13). Smith also refused a build-out at the Nick Fish Building quoted at $1.2 million on an 18-month-to-two-year timeline. Avalos explained that the three District 1 councilors had toured spaces together; Smith took a small, already-built-out former Office of Civic Life office at the Nick Fish Building, while Avalos and Dunphy pursued the Multnomah Plaza site.

The $705,000 was pooled: $235,000 from Avalos, $255,000 from Dunphy, $150,000 from Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), and $75,000 from Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2). Smith and Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) retracted their contributions. Koyama Lane said she gave from her budget because 16% of District 1 residents live below the poverty line and she wanted to "put my money where my mouth is." Dunphy called it "an incredibly awkward conversation" and said he was "not accustomed to the level of scrutiny that my office budget is being put under" (01:13:08), while arguing the $1.2 million Nick Fish quote was not justifiable given East Portland's lack of city-owned space.

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said physical office budgets should become a council operations expense rather than a per-councilor cost, and cited a $25,000 quote to move desks 30 feet within a pod (01:22:13). Sautter said city construction costs more than the private sector partly because of added requirements and because the city debt-finances aging facilities through internal-service rates. During the discussion, Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) interrupted Avalos: "I'm going to interrupt you. There's somebody talking in chambers and it is coming right into me. I cannot focus on what the councilor is saying" (01:36:53). Kanal cast his vote with a caveat: "Well, I don't think this is an emergency, but aye" (01:39:55). The office is expected to open around January.

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Portland City Council Regular Session 09/17/25

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council adopted a resolution reaffirming its Vision Zero commitment and creating a cross-bureau task force to end traffic deaths, passing it 12-0 after adding two amendments (03:40:14). The meeting opened with a disruption that forced the council to clear the chamber.

Vision Zero resolution passes with two amendments

The resolution, sponsored by Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) with five co-sponsors, recommits the city to the pledge it first made in 2015 and directs deputy city administrators to convene a task force spanning public works, public safety, and community and economic development, with quarterly reports to council. Koyama Lane said "every Portlander deserves to make it home safely at the end of the day" (01:20:13).

Both amendments passed 12-0. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) added a clause requiring "meaningful community engagement" and informing communities of the new plan (02:52:35); Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) pressed on what "meaningful" meant, prompting a rewrite. Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) added a clause directing the task force to examine the overrepresentation of traffic deaths among people experiencing homelessness (03:03:01). Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) supported that but warned the data must not be "utilized against our houseless neighbors," noting the only long-term fix is housing (03:01:26).

About 18 people testified. Rob Galanakis of District 3 cited $6.5 billion in costs from the 500-plus lives lost since Vision Zero was adopted and named cities that cut deaths — Stockholm, Oslo, Barcelona at one-fifteenth Portland's fatality rate, and Hoboken, with no traffic death in seven years (01:35:00). Kate Connolly, Connor Lennon, and Glen Fielding of AARP each described being struck; Fielding said AARP has about 80,000 Portland members (01:45:17). Michelle Dewberry of Families for Safe Streets said her son Seamus was one of 26 people killed in 2010 and that 58 people died in Portland traffic last year, noting Seattle, with 100,000 more residents, had 20 fewer deaths in 2023 (02:07:45). Eric Escueta of the Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association cited that 69% of fatal crashes involve impaired drivers, and Vicki Payne argued infrastructure alone won't change driver behavior, citing that over 70% of fatalities involve speeding or intoxication and unhoused people entering traffic (02:13:21). Andrea Hamburg of the Multnomah County Health Department said traffic injury is the third leading cause of death in the county.

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Portland City Council Regular Session 09/03/25

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The Portland City Council passed to second reading a package suspending street-tree and building-upgrade requirements for many renovation projects until 2029, aimed at cutting permitting costs, and confirmed two Revenue Division Appeals Board members 12-0 only after a prolonged dispute over how the council uses its consent agenda. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) presided.

Code changes to speed permits

An ordinance sponsored by Mayor Keith Wilson, Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3), and Council President Jamie Dunphy — the agenda lists Dunphy as a sponsor, though Pirtle-Guiney presided — moved to a second reading after roughly an hour of discussion. It suspends street-tree planting requirements for additions and alterations and nonconforming upgrade requirements until January 1, 2029, suspends seismic evaluation reports for certain older buildings, and applies a partial waiver of street frontage improvements.

Council Policy Analyst Claire Adamsick said the Homelessness and Housing Committee, chaired by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), recommended passage. Avalos called it "the low-hanging fruit" in a broader code reform effort. Dunphy gave a homeowner example: adding a $25,000 basement bathroom can trigger about $2,500 in street-tree costs (00:50:31). Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) corrected the timeline, saying the work "started years ago" through a 2021 Permit Improvement Task Force, not last November.

Councilors pressed staff on what the city gives up. Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira said the change speeds internal processes and has "no bearing" on how the city plants and maintains its canopy, and that the main material impact is roughly 15 ADA ramp projects a year (00:44:52). Brian Landom of Urban Forestry said the city expects "a few hundred fewer trees" planted each year through development requirements but plants "several thousand street trees" through a separate program (00:48:57). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) warned against fixed thresholds untethered to inflation, saying a $25,000 figure "meant" something different in 1997 than in 2025. Three members of the public testified, all in support — Wade Lang of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Oregon, Kelly Ross of the NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association, who cited a letter signed by 10 business organizations, and architect Michelle Schultz of GBD Architects. Committee and council members said they received no opposing testimony beyond one late written comment on street frontage.

Consent-agenda fight over board appointments

The council confirmed the reappointment of Revenue Division Appeals Board chair Adam Abplanalp and the appointment of Craig Freeman, both certified public accountants, by a vote of 12-0 (01:51:49). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) had pulled the item from consent, as he does with advisory-board appointments, saying he wants the full council to engage with who gets appointed because "5 does not make 7."

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Portland City Council Special Meeting 08/13/25

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 02:00:00 GMT

I'll work through this systematically, building the ledger first from the transcript.

Now the digest:

Portland's City Council sent an ordinance returning to weekly Wednesday meetings to a second reading on September 3, after amending it to hold one evening meeting a month rather than two. The ordinance, sponsored by Councilors Sameer Kanal (District 2), Candace Avalos (District 1) and Jamie Dunphy (District 1), would put council back on a regular weekly schedule for the first time since the new government's meetings became irregular. No final vote was taken at the August 13 session; the council continued its second, contentious item — a new committee structure — to a recessed meeting the next day.

The meeting schedule

The council took the ordinance up amendment by amendment. A package from Kanal, folding in feedback from an earlier work session and stripping four sections of enacting language, passed 12-0 (00:50:35). Kanal said it reflected "everything that was discussed that was a consensus position or near consensus" (00:39:31).

The sharper fight was over evening meetings. Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) moved to hold meetings each Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. with a single evening meeting on the third Wednesday, citing "the increased costs and the toll evening meetings have on our support staff" (00:44:31). Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said a day running from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. amounts to "about a 16-hour day for staff" once prep and wrap-up are counted (00:53:24). Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) offered a friendly amendment making the third Wednesday an evening meeting in place of that morning's session; Smith accepted it.

Kanal, Avalos and Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) pushed back. Kanal argued the council had already budgeted for two evening meetings a month in June and that the real question was whether the second slot went to the full council or a committee (01:05:12). Morillo said evening meetings draw different residents than daytime ones, which tend to bring "people who are either wealthy, retired, or... lobbyists for organizations" (01:16:11). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) backed Smith, framing fewer night meetings as concrete support for staff: "we can either talk about supporting the employees who support us, or we can take action to support the employees who support us" (01:02:05). The Smith amendment passed 7-5 (01:27:47). Because the ordinance carries no emergency clause, Pirtle-Guiney said it would not take effect until 30 days after passage — likely October 3.

A 6-6 tie on the agenda deadline

Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) moved to cut the time the presiding officer has to schedule a committee-cleared item to the full agenda from 90 days to 45. She argued that with meetings doubling, "we may no longer need the full 90 days" (01:28:08).

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Portland City Council Regular AM Session 08/06/25

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's council adopted a resolution 11-1 directing the city administrator to fold the city's scattered housing plans into a single unified housing strategy, with Councilor Dan Ryan the lone no vote. (02:18:12)

Unified housing strategy

The resolution, sponsored by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) and Council President-designate co-sponsor Councilor Jamie Dunphy (District 1), directs the city administrator to align existing housing, shelter and homelessness plans and deliver a draft to the Homelessness and Housing Committee by December 1, 2025. Avalos said Portland needs 120,000 homes by 2045, that "over half of renters are rent burdened, with 1 in 4 severely so," and cited "nearly 15,000 people experiencing" homelessness in 2025 and "the lowest level of multifamily housing construction since 2011" (01:32:00). Dunphy described the aim as getting "our house in order" (01:34:43).

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) pressed the sponsors, saying "I'm still really lost at what this is" and warning against being "hostile" to private development (01:56:07). Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) answered that "this is the council that just waived" system development charges and rejected the characterization (02:10:22). Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira told council the existing housing production strategy "wasn't comprehensive" and that the city lacked a "North Star" (02:05:08). Sarah Ratcliffe of Habitat for Humanity Portland Region testified that the city's strategies "have largely left out homeownership," noting two-thirds of Habitat's buyers earn 35% to 60% of area median income (01:45:16).

Asset management strategy

Council adopted a resolution from Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) 12-0 directing a citywide asset management strategy, with a report due no later than September 30, 2026 and a paired general obligation bond strategy (02:43:19). Clark said the city owns about $80 billion in assets against a maintenance backlog of "over $1 billion a year" and has had no common methodology across bureaus; she put $30,000 of her council budget toward an RFP to design the process (02:21:09). Michael Jordan, the former City Administrator, said asset management maturity is uneven, with the Water Bureau "near self-actualization" while others are "searching in the wilderness." Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) put on the record his intent that sustainability and climate-resilience language be treated as required rather than optional.

Police retire-rehire extension

Council voted 12-0 to authorize a letter of agreement letting the police chief offer five sworn members a fourth year in the retire-rehire program (01:13:08). Chief Bob Day said the program has existed since 2016, with 105 requests and 91 accepted, and that 19 members are currently in it; the five at issue are four in investigations and one Central Precinct sergeant (00:57:04). Mark Porras of Portland Cop Watch called "retire, rehire" misleading, describing it as "double dipping" and saying the five bring "more than half a million dollars per year in pension" above their salaries (00:59:07).

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Portland City Council Special Meeting 07/16/25

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland City Council voted 11-0 to refer a five-year parks levy to the November 4 ballot at $1.40 per $1,000 of assessed value — up from the current 80 cents — to keep Portland Parks and Recreation operating and begin chipping at a maintenance backlog (02:46:14). Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) was absent.

The levy

The measure sets aside $1.37 of the rate for parks and recreation operations and 3 cents for capital maintenance projects, co-sponsors Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) and Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) told the council. Without a new levy, the Parks bureau faces 50% cuts (00:08:47). Acting Parks Director Sonya Szymanski said the rate needed to sustain current service had dropped from $1.60 to $1.37 after budget changes, which cut about 20 central-support positions and reduced urban forestry, and that the levy would not affect the Portland Children's Levy.

Novick said the 3 cents would fund small-scale work such as fixing bathroom roofs and that the resolution recommits the council to a 2015 policy directing half of any excess general fund balance and half of one-time resources toward major maintenance (00:11:49). The $600 million deferred capital maintenance backlog was cited repeatedly; the Portland Parks Alliance said the city budget office recommends $60 million a year just to maintain parks assets, while the city has been appropriating about $5 million, and the 3 cents adds roughly $2.1 million a year (01:21:22).

Amendments

The council adopted four amendments unanimously and rejected two.

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) won an 11-0 change to have the city seek to clarify its authority to spend system development charges on capital assets that near failure, striking "authorize" for "clarify authority for" (01:35:46). Green said the City Attorney "does not support this interpretation" of state law, adding "I'm not convinced." Novick negotiated a wording shift from "major maintenance projects" to "capacity-improving projects."

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) won approval to require Parks leadership to submit performance indicators for a levy dashboard by December 31, 2025 (01:45:14). His draft called for exactly 10; Morillo moved to drop the number and Ryan agreed. Novick, before the change, asked Ryan whether "you and I are of a certain age and share cultural references, are you sure you wouldn't want to go to 11?" (01:40:35). Novick's own amendment added "maintenance" wherever the text said "capital," set a target to adopt a long-range financial plan by the end of fiscal year 2027-28, and required annual reporting on the share of parks operations funded by the levy.

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Portland City Council Special Session 06/25/25

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The council voted 12-0 to reverse its own earlier decision on the Portland Children's Levy, repealing a one-year funding extension and the remand of grant recommendations and approving the original Allocation Committee awards for July 2025 through June 2028. (01:53:44)

Council reverses course on Children's Levy grants

The item was not on the printed agenda. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) moved to suspend the rules to add it, seconded by Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2), and the suspension passed 12-0 (00:12:47). The ordinance repealed a one-year extension of current grants, rescinded a June 4 remand, and approved the Allocation Committee's recommendations. Novick said restoring the recommendations would rebuild trust with volunteer advisory bodies, arguing the June 4 vote's effects were "obvious consequences. They were intended consequences." (00:39:36)

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) opposed the reversal at the outset, repeatedly citing a 12-0 vote weeks earlier to extend current grantees and arguing resources could be found after July 1 so "everyone can win." Levy director Lisa Pellegrino, answering Smith on the record, said no letter promising money had gone out — the office sent "a recap of the allocation committee meeting" stating "the city council must approve these allocations." Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) raised concerns that some funded organizations did not meet a criterion of serving at least 51% Black or brown participants.

Roughly 13 people testified, nearly all urging approval of the committee's awards. Deon Salazar of the Community Advisory Council cited 90 diverse reviewers and said the portfolio funded a first-ever Pacific Islander program and first-ever trans-focused program, with one metric rising "from 7 to 19 organizations." (00:45:04) Aisha Carter of Bradley Angle said 36 organizations stood to lose Levy dollars. Sarah Hobbs told the council to "put your darn egos on the back burner and ultimately put the children first." (00:59:23)

A compromise amendment from Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), moved by Morillo and seconded by Councilor Mitch Green (District 4), failed on a 6-6 split (01:24:12). Novick called it "a gut and stuff" and asked for "an up or down vote in my ordinance." (01:18:54) When Morillo said Novick had "apologized for your Uber vote 10,000 times" (01:19:33), Novick answered, "And I haven't heard either of you apologize for anything, Councilor Morillo." (01:19:49) The presiding officer asked colleagues to "keep it civil." A later friendly amendment from Koyama Lane, directing the Levy to report on how it addressed or plans to address equity concerns, was accepted, and the ordinance passed 12-0.

Noise enforcement consolidated

The council passed Ordinance 192081 by 12-0, repealing two Title 14 noise provisions and moving all noise enforcement to Title 18. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), participating remotely, said the change ends reliance on a "plainly audible" nuisance standard that police had increasingly used as noise-office staff were cut. His policy advisor Evan Hoffer described a history of "jurisdiction shopping" and said the work began by asking why Black-owned music businesses were closing.

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Portland City Council PM Session 06/18/25

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 02:00:00 GMT

I'll work through this systematically, building the ledger first from the transcript.

Portland's City Council adopted an $8 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 on an 11-0 vote, with Councilor Jamie Dunphy (District 1) abstaining on his city attorney's advice over a conflict of interest tied to a garden grant (01:48:00).

The budget and a conflict-of-interest abstention

The budget passed as amended after roughly two weeks for councilors to develop changes, a timeline several members criticized. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said the rushed schedule left staff "at their wit's end" and that the budget arrived "pretty much brought to us in the form that the mayor presented." Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) said an earlier proposed budget next year would mean "fewer mistakes, less confusion, and fewer hard feelings."

Dunphy announced he would abstain from the final vote after the city attorney called him to say his wife's employment at Leach Botanical Gardens — the subject of a Leach Garden Amendment that had passed 10 to 2 — was "an actual conflict of interest rather than a potential" one. Dunphy said his wife's position "is not contingent on the outcome of this amendment," and told colleagues that "2 of my colleagues have taken the opportunity to openly question my integrity from this dais, but neither have said a word to me directly."

The debate turned pointed over how the council operates. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) asked what he called the "Peacock Caucus" to name its "North Star" and whether Portland is "the testing site to eliminate capitalism in favor of socialism." Morillo answered that "I don't know why people don't seem to comprehend what a majority is on a city council," and suggested colleagues frustrated with the outcome try "coordinating better." Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said his North Star is bottom-up economic development, noting "half of this city are renters, and half of those renters are rent burdened," and that people leaving Multnomah County have a median income "about $56,000 a year" (02:10:00). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said East Portland residents have "10 years less life expectancy and $30,000 less in average income than any other part in the city." Morillo said unhoused people are "getting swept more under this administration than they ever were under Mayor Wheeler's administration."

Related budget ordinances passed the same night: accepting state revenue sharing funds 12-0 (01:47:36) after Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) changed his vote to aye, and levying taxes 12-0.

Police accountability board seated

The council confirmed the first members of the Community Board for Police Accountability by an 11-1 vote, with Ryan the lone no. Kanal, who moved the item to the top of the agenda to respect volunteers' time, called it "a vote about your stewardship and a vote for the people," noting voters approved the measure "1,688 days ago" as "the greatest number of votes cast... in support of any ballot measure in the history of the city." Ryan said "I don't think we landed this right," citing imbalance "by district, by demographics."

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Portland City Council Special Session 06/10/25

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council spent June 10 rebalancing its 2025-26 budget toward parks, arts, and housing, voting 8-4 to move about $2.1 million in parks levy money out of tree regulation into parks maintenance and 7-5 to shift the entire tree regulation program to a different bureau, then passing a 7-5 package of small cuts to fund social services — with the full budget vote pushed to June 11.

The council took up the annual budget (Ordinance 192070) as the centerpiece of a two-day session that opened with technical steps. Budget Director Ruth Levine walked members through state shared revenue items — the budget anticipates $21 million from state cigarette, liquor, and cannabis taxes, split between fire prevention and police patrol (00:15:30) — which were continued to June 18. A tax levy ordinance and a $50 million interfund loan from the Parks system development charge fund to the Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Fund both passed to second reading. Jonas Biery, deputy city administrator for budget and finance, said the loan bridges a cash-flow gap because FPDR collects its levy in November but pays claims starting in August (00:23:26).

The fight over urban forestry and parks

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) brought two reworked amendments. The first moved roughly $2.1 million in parks levy funds from the tree regulation program to parks maintenance, arguing levy dollars should not pay for code enforcement (03:07:01). During debate, staff discovered that an unvoted change already sat in the adopted "change memo" moving that same levy money out of tree regulation. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said, "I'm really concerned with what I just heard" (03:34:01), and Biery replied, "I don't know how that number was changed, and I would welcome someone who does know how that number has changed to come join me" (03:34:01). The figure attributed to tree regulation shifted across the record — $1,582,931, $2.1 million, and a number the Council President said she was shown of "something like $4,000." The amendment passed 8-4, with Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Angelita Morillo (District 3), Steve Novick (District 3), and Candace Avalos (District 1) opposed (04:11:46).

Zimmerman's second amendment moved the tree regulation program and staff to Portland Permitting and Development, with no funding cut in the move itself, to take effect no later than October 1 after a friendly amendment from Novick (04:02:43). Zimmerman said the Parks Bureau's conduct through budget season "has been a series of months of gaslighting" (03:20:04). Deputy City Administrator Sonia Szymanski cautioned the move "more creates an anomaly than resolves one," since bureaus generally administer their own code (04:03:37), while Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira called integration "certainly doable" with more time (03:56:12). Koyama Lane asked colleagues "to not refer to our city staff by name and instead by title" (03:47:13). It passed 7-5 (04:13:40).

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Portland City Council AM Session 06/04/25

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The Portland City Council voted 7-5 to send the Portland Children's Levy's three-year grant recommendations back to the levy for reconsideration, then passed an emergency ordinance extending current grants for one year at reduced funding to prevent a July 1 lapse.

Children's Levy grants sent back over process concerns

The council remanded the levy's funding package for July 2025 through June 2028 after more than two hours of debate over how applications were scored and whether longstanding organizations serving Black and other BIPOC communities were shortchanged. Angelita Morillo (District 3) moved the remand, Loretta Smith (District 1) seconded, and it passed 7-5 (02:33:22), with Dan Ryan (District 2), Steve Novick (District 3), Olivia Clark (District 4), Eric Zimmerman (District 4), and Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) opposed.

Smith argued the scoring failed to account for pandemic-era drops in the number of people organizations served and had pushed out established grantees like REAP and Self-Enhancement Inc. in favor of newer applicants. Sahon McKelvey, Director of Advocacy and Engagement at Self-Enhancement Inc., told the council that 13 African American agencies applied for mentoring dollars and six were funded, and objected that "white agencies are being awarded to provide mentorship for Black kids when Black agencies are not being awarded to do that" (01:12:48). Mitch Green (District 4) said "it's going to be hard for me to vote to accept a package that says that Black-led organizations cannot be the mentors for Black" children (01:43:40).

Ryan, who opposed the remand, defended the process as thorough and data-driven, citing a 21% drop in revenue between when the request for proposals went out and when decisions were made (01:01:00). He said only one council office accepted an offered briefing, and pointed to Sunshine Division at 75%, Oregon Food Bank at 72%, and Meals on Wheels' Meals for Kids at 83% service to the BIPOC community. Levy director Lisa Pellegrino said every application was scored, that revenues were down about 21%, and that a full redo could take roughly a year. Clark called the remand "really micromanagement" (02:31:05). Before voting, Zimmerman noted the remand "will stop funding on June 30th" (02:31:22).

To avoid that stoppage, Zimmerman moved a new emergency ordinance from the floor to extend current grants for up to one year, with reductions of up to 25% delegated to the director to reflect lower revenue. Pellegrino said "current funding minus 21% for everybody" should work. The council suspended its rules to add the item and passed it, with the clerk announcing 11 ayes, 1 absent (04:01:29). McKelvey testified in support: "I don't think this is the ideal situation, but I think this is where we are" (03:59:25).

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Portland City Council Special Session 04/23/25

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The council let its $80 million curb-ramp-and-street-improvement bond ordinance advance to a final vote on May 7 after rejecting a move to cut off debate on a 4-8 vote, then adopted Councilor Loretta Smith's youth-employment resolution 11-0 but ran out of time to vote on her companion sidewalk program. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) presided over the special meeting, which was capped at two hours and closed at noon.

$80 million bond for curb ramps and streets

The ordinance, introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson, would authorize revenue bonds of not more than $80 million to finance curb ramp and street work, with the principal estimated at up to $81.2 million (00:09:12). No one signed up to testify, and questioning ran long. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) asked why potholes remain after crews rebuild ramps; PBOT Director Millicent Williams said ramp work and paving draw on separate funds and that paving typically follows ramp construction by 8 to 12 months.

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) pressed on the budget. Jonas Biery, deputy city administrator for budget and finance and chief financial officer, said the financing helps the city balance its budget "but not out of necessity," filling a project gap of about $10 million in fiscal 2025-26 and $16 million the following year and producing roughly $12 million in cash-flow savings, split evenly between the general fund and the transportation fund (00:24:27). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) confirmed with Biery that the $6 million in general-fund savings was already built into the city's deficit math (00:50:20).

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) objected to rebuilding what he called the "Taj Mahal of ramps" on 4th Avenue while streets in his district have none. PBOT staff said most ramp upgrades are triggered by federal law when a street is paved, with only 100 to 200 discretionary "strategic" ramps a year. Williams said ramp costs now range from $20,000 to $60,000, up from $5,500 to $10,000 early in the program (00:46:33). She told Smith the city must build 1,500 ramps a year under a settlement, leaving 9,000 ramps over six years (01:04:01), and confirmed a second borrowing request is likely within 24 months.

Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4), who said she had pushed her mother in a wheelchair and valued the ramps, moved to approve the ordinance and then to close debate. Council Clerk Keelan McClymont noted the non-emergency ordinance would pass to second reading regardless. The motion to close debate failed 4-8 (01:03:08), with several councilors saying they wanted to hear from colleagues still in the queue. Pirtle-Guiney later closed the discussion; the ordinance moves to a final vote May 7.

Youth employment and pre-apprenticeship funding

Smith's resolution directing funding for a workforce pre-apprenticeship program and a SummerWorks youth employment initiative was adopted 11-0 as amended (02:07:02). She first moved an amendment keeping SummerWorks within the Bureau of Human Resources rather than staffing it from her own office, seconded by Zimmerman; it passed 11-0 with Ryan absent (01:51:21).

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Portland City Council Regular PM Meeting 04/16/25

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council passed its FY 2024-25 budget technical adjustment 10-2 on April 16 after two proposed amendments deadlocked 6-6 and died because Mayor Keith Wilson was absent and, the city attorney advised, could not have broken the tie anyway. The long night ended near 11 p.m. with the council suspending the rest of its agenda by unanimous consent.

Two tie votes and an absent mayor

The evening's procedural drama centered on the technical adjustment ordinance, the successor to the old "spring bump." Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) moved to carry $737,427 for Portland Fire and Rescue firefighter training and $100,000 for a police contact survey into the next fiscal year rather than return the money to the general fund. Interim Fire Chief AJ Jackson said the training pipeline runs "9.5 to 10 months," and Kanal argued locking in the money now would give the bureau certainty.

Finance chair Eric Zimmerman (District 4) pushed back, asking whether the 10 firefighters would be laid off if the amendment failed. Chief Jackson said no. Zimmerman called the move "an end run on something that does not seem clear." City Budget Office Director Ruth Levine confirmed the items were bureau-requested but were not put forward by the mayor or city administrator, and that the carryover "is not required."

The amendment tied 6-6 and failed (02:30:11). Because Wilson was, in Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney's words (02:30:51), "not in the building and not reachable," City Attorney Robert Taylor advised that the charter's mayoral tiebreak applies only to "final passage," not procedural motions (02:31:14). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) disputed the reading. Pirtle-Guiney referred the ambiguity to the Governance Committee.

The process fight was heated. Smith called the item "a real sneaky kind of way to do things," and Pirtle-Guiney told her that using committee routing "as an excuse to not do your homework... feels highly disingenuous, and I think that that needs to be called out" (02:47:04). The unamended ordinance — drawing $3.5 million from a police overtime set-aside into the Police Bureau and netting a $3.46 million increase to the general fund — passed 10-2, with Kanal and Angelita Morillo (District 3) opposed (02:47:21).

Employee health benefits raised, at a cost to workers

The council amended and passed two employee health-benefit ordinances after Michelle Taylor, the city's benefit manager, conceded the LMBC ordinance's language wrongly stated the Labor Management Benefits Committee had recommended the 8% package: "Frankly, it was poor word choice" (03:39:47).

For the general employee plan, renewals were projected at 13.4%. Smith moved to adopt the 10% package instead of the executive's 8%, which drew support from every union testifier. Novick asked whether the parks workers most likely to face layoffs supported it; LMBC labor co-chair Rachel Whiteside said both parks units voted for 10% and against 8%. The amendment passed 12-0, and the ordinance passed 11-1 (04:19:27).

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Portland City Council Regular AM Meeting 04/02/25

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The council adopted a resolution 12-0 directing the city administrator to study social housing and other alternative housing-finance and ownership models, with a report due May 31, 2026, after adding three amendments including one naming the Albina Vision Trust project area as a possible pilot zone.

Social housing study adopted

Resolution 37703, sponsored by Councilors Mitch Green (District 4), Candace Avalos (District 1), Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) and Sameer Kanal (District 2), directs the Portland Housing Bureau to study social housing, municipal, nonprofit and cooperative ownership, and financing models, and to return with recommendations. Green said "Portland is in a housing crisis that demands bold solutions and frankly system change" (01:11:23). Helmi Hissrich, Director of the Portland Housing Bureau, said the report is due May 31, 2026, with quarterly report-backs, and that a federal pro-housing grant — not yet appropriated, for fiscal year 2025-26 — is the primary funding source (01:15:25). Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) questioned the resolution's "no fiscal impact" finding, noting labor is the city's largest expense.

Twenty people testified. Molly Hogan of the Welcome Home Coalition cited Vienna, Austria and the city's 2016 housing bond; Winta Johannes of the Albina Vision Trust said the group has brought over $600 million of public and private capital to the city (01:42:30); Sarah Radcliffe of Habitat for Humanity described community land trusts serving households from $35,000 to 80% of area median income. Rev. Heather Riggs said she would "prefer that we skip the study" and act now.

The council adopted three amendments, each 12-0. One from Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) added identification of impediments such as zoning code, permitting process and financing gaps. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) added language naming the Albina Vision Trust project area and neighborhoods within the North and Northeast Preference Policy area as possible pilot zones, plus context on housing disparities.

That amendment drew the meeting's sharpest exchange. Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) supported the whereas clauses but objected to naming one organization in the operative language: "why we'd only look at pilot zones with one organization when we have a lot of partners" (02:13:05). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) responded at length, describing grandparents displaced from Albina "moved because they were Black" (02:22:34), and said "when we start talking about risk management and giving money away to... Black men who have been harmed by our organization, there's some issues with it... we need to check ourselves" (02:15:04). Green moved to call the question. Zimmerman voted aye: "when your longest colleague makes a spirited and important point, you change your mind" (02:26:01). Smith added a further whereas with 2020 Census figures: average Black household income about $3,000 a month, Latino $4,500, Native American nearly $5,000, white $6,400. The full resolution then passed 12-0 (02:39:34).

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Portland City Council Regular Meeting 03/19/25

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council adopted a resolution 11-1 directing Mayor Keith Wilson to investigate whether Zenith Energy violated its franchise agreement with the city and urging the auditor to examine the facts behind the company's land-use approvals, after a multi-hour fight over the document's supporting material and a dispute over public testimony (04:46:24).

The Zenith resolution

The resolution, introduced by Councilors Mitch Green (District 4), Angelita Morillo (District 3), Jamie Dunphy (District 1) and Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), demands the mayor investigate the Zenith franchise agreement, orders city bureaus to disclose prior communications with the company, and demands the mayor pause administrative actions related to Zenith pending the investigation. Green said the charter grants the mayor "both the authority and the duty" to investigate franchise agreements and that Zenith "appears to have violated its franchise agreement" (02:54:47). Morillo thanked years of advocacy from groups including 350 PDX, Mosquito Fleet and Columbia River Keeper.

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) cast the lone no vote, objecting to the resolution's "whereas" clauses. He said he would "enthusiastically" support a resolution simply directing an investigation of the franchise agreement but could not endorse language he read as accusing city employees of lying. Novick noted the city originally denied Zenith's land-use compatibility statement and that staffer Donnie Oliveira had proposed putting Zenith's conditions into the franchise agreement to make them enforceable (03:42:32). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) said the document "reads to me like a witch hunt" (03:38:00) and objected to its repeated use of "demand," saying it "puts me in a subservient position to the city administrator." Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) described a "trust deficit" and voted aye reluctantly.

Zimmerman brought two amendments to strip whereas clauses and attachments, both of which failed 4-8, with Novick, Clark, Zimmerman and Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) in the minority (04:30:51). Morillo defended keeping the citations, arguing they preserve context and rest on investigative reporting obtained through records requests. A narrower Morillo amendment removing only one attachment passed 9-3 (04:32:04). A Dunphy amendment citing city code and striking a call for "independent review to ensure impartiality" passed unanimously; Dunphy said hiring an outside investigator amid a budget crunch was not the best use of limited dollars (03:19:34).

Mayor Wilson, asked directly by Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) whether he would investigate given that he is not statutorily bound to, said "yes, I will" and "I will follow the will of this vote" (03:55:32).

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Portland City Council Regular Meeting 03/05/25

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's City Council paid $938,328 on an 11-1 vote to settle a civil-rights lawsuit by nine journalists and legal observers over Portland Police Bureau conduct during the 2020 protests, with Councilor Loretta Smith the lone no. (02:54:00)

Settlement over 2020 protest policing

A senior deputy city attorney told the council the case began in June 2020 and, after amendments, involved nine journalists or legal observers plus Index Newspapers LLC, owner of the Portland Mercury, all challenging the police response to protests after the murder of George Floyd. A federal court dismissed the forward-looking claims as moot in March 2023, citing intervening state law and a revised Portland Police Bureau directive. What remained were damages and attorney's fees for the nine individuals, settled for $938,327.64 (02:13:38). The city also agreed to make no material deletions to Directive 63510, Section 11.2, through December 31, 2028.

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) used the item to press four transparency requests, including keeping settlements off the consent agenda and putting payout totals on the record. A senior claims analyst reported the police bureau paid $12,977.41 to plaintiffs and claimants over the past year, and $4,525,367.29 over five years, with $6,487,107.57 in legal costs across that span (02:39:37). Chief Craig Dobson said the bureau changed policy, added body-worn cameras, adopted National Tactical Officers Association standards, and increased crowd-control training.

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) said, "I just wish we could have a fraction of the accountability we have for police oversight for the houseless system." Six people testified. Kelly Simon, legal director of the ACLU of Oregon, and Athul Acharya, executive director of Public Accountability, which represents the plaintiffs, urged approval. Mark Porras of Portland Copwatch cited a 2020-protest payout total "over $4 million" (02:23:33). Jared Essig opposed the payment, urging the council to "pay out $9,000 at most" (02:29:33). Smith, who cast the sole no vote after asking whether video evidence drove the decision, received the answer that it was "not solely" the basis.

Budget calendar adopted 12-0 amid demands for detail

The council unanimously adopted the FY 2025-26 budget calendar and passed the accompanying schedule ordinance, both 12-0 (01:19:54). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4), who brought the items from the Finance Committee, said the committee added budget work sessions because "we are all only 7 weeks into a new role."

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Portland City Council Meeting PM Session 02/19/25

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The Portland City Council confirmed Robert Day as Chief of Police on a 12-0 vote, and separately voted 12-0 to accept the Portland Police Bureau's annual report on its work with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force after testimony calling that work a civil-liberties risk.

Robert Day confirmed as police chief

The council adopted Mayor Keith Wilson's nomination of Robert Day as Chief of Police by a 12-0 vote (03:53:32) after questioning that ran more than an hour and a half. Day described a 37-year career beginning in 1988 and recounted how policing changed over that time, including that officers once wrote a person's immigration status on jail custody reports (01:58:38).

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) asked what keeps him up at night; Day said the risk of squandering what he called Portland's resurgence (02:22:13). Asked about hiring Black officers, Day said African Americans make up roughly 5 to 6% of recent hires and that a recent academy class of 10 included six people of color (02:26:12). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) pressed on investigators versus patrol; Day said the bureau has 18 sergeant vacancies and 88 detectives, down from about 135 in earlier years (02:48:50). Kanal also questioned Day's decision not to impose additional discipline on a sergeant after the Police Review Board recommended termination over alleged dishonesty; Day said he did not believe the evidence met the directive's standard and stood by the decision (03:01:22).

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) asked about staffing during inauguration and election weeks. Day said the bureau budgeted about $2.5 million and spent roughly $1.5 to $1.6 million (03:24:38). Kanal, in his vote, noted the November overtime exceeded the entire annual budget of the city's primary crime-prevention program (03:47:00).

Most testimony favored Day, including Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson, honorary Guatemalan consul Marta Guembas Herrera, and pastor J.W. Matt Hennessey. Charlie Michelle Wesley, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, dissented, urging the council and Day to confront white supremacy and telling members, "You're not hearing our stories" (02:19:13). Councilor Clark moved to call the question and Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) seconded, but after the clerk noted no one else wished to speak, Ryan withdrew the motion and the council proceeded to vote (03:44:33).

Terrorism task force report accepted amid civil-liberties objections

The council voted 12-0 to accept the Police Bureau's 2025 report on its cooperation with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (01:55:22). Sergeant Mark Friedman said that in 2024 the FBI's Special Agent in Charge requested Portland's help three times on three cases, and the chief approved all three; the task force referred no cases to Portland, and Portland referred one case involving two adult white males trespassing near police aircraft. Friedman said no requests had come since January 20, 2025 (00:56:20).

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Portland City Council Regular AM Meeting 02/05/25

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The City Council appointed Michael Jordan as City Administrator through January 2, 2026, on an 11-1 vote, over objections tied to the administration's approval of a Zenith Energy land-use permit. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) cast the only no.

Jordan confirmed as City Administrator amid Zenith anger

Mayor Keith Wilson brought forward the appointment and asked the council to add an end date, saying he plans to launch a nationwide search for a permanent administrator by summer. The council first adopted that amendment 12-0, setting Jordan's term to end January 2, 2026 (01:33:55), moved by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) and seconded by Kanal. It then adopted the resolution as amended, 11-1 (03:03:22).

Jordan, who called the appointment process "Thunderdome-esque," told the council the city faces "as severe a budget challenge as I've seen in 40 years" and that Portland "will have to be a more efficient, more streamlined, and quite frankly smaller organization than we are today" (01:46:01). He said he would propose changes to the city's structure, including the number of deputy city administrators (DCAs), and that a restructuring scope of work is prepared.

Roughly a dozen people testified against confirming Jordan, most over the administration's February 3 approval of a land use compatibility statement (LUCS) for Zenith Energy, granted days after two councilors signaled a resolution to delay it pending an investigation. Candace Jimenez (District 4 speaker), chair of the Portland Harbor Community Coalition and a tribal citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, said the decision "deepens the mistrust in city government." Linda Liu cited census data that "more than 20,000 people moved away from Portland since 2020." Jordan Lewis said he "spoke to over 1,000 voters" and "don't remember a single voter approving of Zenith." Fred Neal, co-chair of the Government Transition Advisory Committee, urged a nationwide, community-informed search. Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson submitted video testimony supporting reappointment. Business owner Karen Chire also spoke in support.

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) pushed back on Jordan's framing of the Zenith permit as routine, saying "nothing about how the city has engaged with Zenith is a run-of-the-mill procedural process" and citing the city auditor and a 2021 Land Use Board of Appeals decision. Jordan said his job was to minimize legal risk and treat applicants equally, and that "these kinds of tensions will keep happening" (02:13:14). Wilson said he agreed with the Green/Morillo investigation and that the matter "came to me 60 days ago." Kanal said he learned of the Zenith approval "through the press release... a minute after it was published" and voted no primarily because the six DCAs are all interim (02:47:41).

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Portland City Council Regular Meeting PM 01/15/25

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 02:00:00 GMT

The City Council voted 10-2 to add roughly $4.3 million to its 12 offices' budgets and $269,810 to the mayor's office for the current fiscal year, drawing the money from the general fund contingency after an amendment redirected it away from the city administrator's budget. (03:25:02)

The supplemental budget dominated the meeting, running past 11 p.m. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), who introduced the measure, said the council "was not set up for success" under the prior mayor's staffing plan. Loretta Smith (District 1) moved to fund the increase from the city's $13.8 million contingency, telling colleagues "good governance, good governance, it costs." Jamie Dunphy (District 1) called it "embarrassing" that a presentation on the item had not been posted online. Angelita Morillo (District 3) said a council office once received 75,000 emails in a month with her as the lone person answering.

Two members voted no. Dan Ryan (District 2) said he felt "too rushed," and Steve Novick (District 3) said, "I'm not going to be a vote for this package because I don't feel I know enough." The debate turned procedural late in the night. Eric Zimmerman (District 4) raised a point of order objecting that colleagues were floating new proposals for staff to cost out: "I'm uninterested in seeing packages developed on the fly from the staff that have not been voted as amendments by this body," he said, adding, "I think we look like a shotgun blast right now to staff." (03:00:00) The council recessed five minutes to let the budget office conform the exhibit, then passed an emergency clause 11-1 (03:08:00) with Ryan opposed.

Testimony split. Government Transition Advisory Committee co-chairs Fred Neal and José Gamero Jorgensen said Portland's staffing is among the lowest of 15 peer cities, which average two to four staffers per councilor. AFSCME Local 189 president Rob Martineau backed the increase, saying it would make the council "a million dollars a month" and "it's what it costs for good governance." Others pushed back: David Gray (District 4) cited a $27 million projected shortfall and said the CFO had put the permanent annual cost at $12 million a year, comparing that to roughly 150 police salaries, and urged a no vote. (01:23:34) Mayor Keith Wilson asked that his own staff be reduced "not from 20 to 5, but from 20 to 8." (01:43:33)

Housing grants approved

The council unanimously approved $7 million in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants for the Barbur Apartments, a 149-unit affordable project in Southwest Portland targeting immigrant and refugee families, with 68% family-sized units and 99-year affordability. (00:51:28) Housing Bureau Director Helmi Hisarik said the federal money leverages over $70 million in other financing. Sameer Kanal (District 2) questioned why it needed emergency status; Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira cited federal timing. Testifier Bridge Crane Johnson noted the presentation slides were not posted in advance. The council also approved $125,000 from the Oregon Health Authority for home repairs, part of a $750,000 grant expected to serve 21 to 30 households over three years. (00:59:39)

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Portland City Council Regular Meeting 01/02/25

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 02:00:00 GMT

Portland's new 12-member council elected Elana Pirtle-Guiney of District 2 as its first council president on a 7-5 vote, ending nine rounds of balloting deadlocked at 6-6 (04:18:38).

The choice took most of a five-hour meeting. Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) nominated Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4); Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) nominated Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1). Round after round split 6-6 — Avalos drawing Green, Dunphy, Kanal, Koyama Lane and Morillo, and Clark drawing Smith, Pirtle-Guiney, Ryan, Novick, Clark and Zimmerman. Smith later added Pirtle-Guiney's name, and members began moving. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) explained his switch to Pirtle-Guiney: "I'm into decorum over drama," and called her "the person up here that I think sits in the middle" (04:13:42). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4), whose first choice had been Clark, cast Pirtle-Guiney as the "compromise candidate." Avalos, who had campaigned to "elevate East Portland's voice" through a District 1 presidency, held her position to the end.

The mayoral-tiebreak fight

The sharpest exchange came when the vote first tied. Smith argued the charter required Mayor Keith Wilson to break it. City Attorney Robert Taylor, entering a written analysis into the record, said the mayor "is not authorized to cast a vote in the election for council president and vice president" because the mayor "is not a member of the council" (01:59:05). Smith rejected that: "That is your opinion, that is your legal opinion, but the opinion of the charter is very clear. It gives no exceptions" (01:59:05).

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said the maneuver blindsided her: "I feel a little bit ambushed" (02:11:44). Avalos objected on principle: "regardless of what the law says... I think that the spirit of this is wrong because we are our own branch" (02:09:20). Smith's motion to let the mayor break the tie failed 3-9, with only Smith, Ryan and Clark in favor (02:22:05). When Ryan asked the mayor directly whether he had an opinion, Zimmerman cut in: "I consider it out of order, Councilor" (02:21:03).

The long standoff drew gallows humor. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) said "a game of paper-scissors-rock is a more suitable and respectful way of resolving such an issue than a coin flip" (02:18:06). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2): "I'm a big Captain America fan, and so I'll just say I can do this all day" (02:47:26). Zimmerman twice pressed to enforce decorum rules over applause, and the clerk reminded the audience to refrain from clapping.

Vice president elected unanimously

Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), nominated by Morillo, was elected vice president 12-0 (04:41:16). Pirtle-Guiney described the role — undefined in the charter — as leading ad hoc work, holding conversations before meetings, and serving as a "thought partner." Koyama Lane accepted: "ever since I was a little kid, I've always been a bridge builder," and warned, "I'm going to push us to take off our council hats and genuinely think about caring about each other" (04:36:21). Novick thanked her for letting the body "make some decisions unanimously and in less than 5 hours" (04:40:47).

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-01-02-1

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