Transcripts for Portland City Council meetings.https://portland.windowbox.app/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-07-22-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-07-22-1/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. 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). 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). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said a Dunphy amendment striking the ordinance's named reliance on the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability removed his legal objection. He read Charter 2-1006 — officials "shall not interfere" — and argued that budgeting against the office's account pressures it to underspend, citing City Administrator Raymond C. Lee's acknowledgment that guidance to underspend "does impact decision-making" (01:23:34). Morillo noted the accountability measure "passed with 82% of the vote" (01:05:34). She said she still did not believe the amendment protects the office, and warned the administration: "we will come for you in ways we have never come for you before if you touch the OCPA" (01:58:55). Smith twice interrupted Kanal with points of order — "point of order. What are we talking about right now? I'm not clear" (01:23:00) — and Dunphy ruled Kanal recognized each time. When Morillo said the council had to "call, uh, I don't know, the daddy of the city of Portland to come help break a tiebreaker for us" (01:28:19), Smith objected: "Why are we impugning folks?" and "Who are you calling daddy?" Morillo answered, "Well, he's your daddy, not mine." Avalos called for order, and Dunphy said, "Stop talking when another councilor is talking. Turn your mic off" (01:29:10). Smith later asked whether Morillo's oversight warning was a threat: "say what you mean, ma'am." Morillo replied, "I'm sorry that you don't understand metaphors, Councilor Smith, but some of us do" (01:59:38). Dunphy asked everyone to "take the tone, like, the temperature down," adding, "This is not what I signed up for" (01:59:45); Avalos told him, "you need to stop people when they interrupt others." Zimmerman said "certain members in the body here" walked out after the first ordinance failed (01:49:02); the record does not capture who left. The council voted 11-1 for a five-year lease housing the Community Safety Division on the east side, with Zimmerman the lone no (00:54:27). The gross rate is $27 per rentable square foot including operating expenses and janitorial services (00:24:06). Zimmerman said the city has not shown it is out of space in its own buildings and that "excited to do a thing is maybe not the reason to do something this year" (00:27:13). Stephanie Howard answered that the lease adds no cost for the Office of Violence Prevention or the Ceasefire program, with added cost only to Portland Street Response and within a planned amount (00:31:28). Pirtle-Guiney, who chaired the committee that sent it forward, said the committee "did not give it the level of scrutiny that we normally would." The council also approved appointments to the Portland Utility Board without debate, 12-0. Four people spoke. A resident said councilors, Wilson and Tina Kotek "have failed Portland, Oregon," and that it took 8 months to remove a tiny house dropped on his property (00:10:03). Eric Shoemaker said the $640 million combined master plan for the Keller Auditorium is "probably light by 40%" and "could very easily be a billion-dollar boondoggle" (00:13:07). Megan Lee alleged state funds are being misused by corrupt employees. Jacob Hopps of Arbor Lodge said he would self-surrender to federal prison the next day for two and a half years (00:18:03). The lease is to be signed this week, with the Office of Violence Prevention relocating by September 1, 2026. Zito said his staff will draft rescind notices, restore vacant positions and analyze who is still displaced by bumping "in the days ahead." Kanal and Zimmerman asked for a fuller accounting of space in city-owned buildings, and Zimmerman asked Lee to review confusion over bumping between unions. Lee, who reported no new federal developments this week, said he would update the council at its next meeting. The council recessed until 2 p.m. Thursday.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-07-15-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-07-15-1/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. Councilor Mitch Green (District 2) 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 2) 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). Roughly two dozen people testified, most for 222 and against 223. Isaac McLennan, president of the Portland Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 43, asked the council to restore 24-hour staffing for rescues 11, 19 and 31, saying overnight closures had already affected emergency response (01:47:20). Tim Pitts, a member of the Community Board for Police Accountability testifying as an individual, opposed 223, saying it would spend nearly $10 million tied to his office before it has hired a director and warning it pressures the office "to underspend just to keep the city afloat" (01:49:04). Reverend Dr. Leroy Haynes, co-chair of the police-accountability ballot measure, and multiple Portland Copwatch and union speakers cited the 82% voter approval in 2020 and urged no on 223. Ryan Sotomayor of Laborers Local 48 named three positions restored only in 222 — a recreation leader at Charles Jordan Community Center, a recreation coordinator at Peninsula Park, and a senior center position — and asked why they were absent from 223 (01:57:45). Terrence Hayes said he supported funding police but rejected using accountability-office money to do so. Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) moved his own amendment to 223, removing the language naming the accountability office and Clean Energy Fund as backfill sources and directing the budget office to weigh underspending generally. It passed 8-4 (02:52:57), with Clark, Eric Zimmerman (District 4), Smith and Dan Ryan (District 2) opposed. Novick, who seconded, said the accountability office was named only because of "the actual math" of its projected underspending, and that Kanal "knows that that is false, but the people who got his newsletter do not" (02:26:34) about the claim of sabotage. The sponsors described the change as linguistic, not substantive. Zimmerman pressed them: if the language "means nothing," what was the fight about, adding "I feel like the back room just took over" (02:37:56). Smith called the amendment "sloppy" and "underhanded" and told the two 223 sponsors backing it "shame on you," saying it was built so "a mayor cannot break a vote" (02:46:53). Koyama Lane moved an amendment to 223, split into three parts, to restore a Senior Center program, the International Relations Program, and a Ceasefire Coordinator — about $782,000 (02:57:01). Each part failed on a 6-6 tie (03:16:50), (03:17:25), (03:18:03). Kanal said the ceasefire request "came from administration." Smith challenged the phrasing, asking whether it meant the mayor or the city administrator, and told Kanal "you have misled the public... you talk and talk and talk, and you give people the wrong impression, and you mislead all the time" (03:06:26). Dunphy intervened on decorum. Kanal answered, "the idea that I am influencing these folks is laughable" (03:07:08). City Administrator Raymond C. Lee later confirmed the ceasefire request "did come from administration as it relates to a bumping hearing... issue" tied to the layoff structure (03:14:09). Zimmerman said he was "a no on everything tonight" and "prepared to walk away." Councilor Zimmerman opened the meeting with a Pride Month recognition; he, Morillo, Pirtle-Guiney and Ryan spoke, and Zimmerman read Mayor Keith Wilson's proclamation of June and July 2026 as "Portland Pride Summer" (00:20:26). City Attorney Robert Taylor reported a hearings officer had sustained the city's notice of violation against a building owner Friday, though a stay remains and litigation continues (00:45:27). Dunphy continued Ordinance 2026-223, as amended, to the July 16 recessed meeting at 2:00 pm for further debate, with a second reading planned the following week. Morillo said she would bring a compromise proposal not yet ready that afternoon (03:20:24). Ordinance 2026-222 was likewise continued. The Public Works Committee is set to hear from the transportation bureau on autonomous-vehicle rulemaking July 28.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-06-10-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-06-10-1/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 centerpiece fight was Green-Avalos-Morillo 1, called "Services First," moved by Councilor Mitch Green (District 1). 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) 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) A later package, Pirtle-Guiney-Novick 4, paired all three rescues with $1.7 million to restore police training and an extension of laid-off employees' pay into early August and healthcare through the end of August. Chief of Police Bob Day called the training money "a Band-Aid on what is still going to be a very severe cut year," describing risks to Vision Zero traffic investigations and de-escalation scenario training and noting lawsuits against departments "start with failure to supervise and failure to train." Green said, "There is not time for me to get to yes on this right now," and moved to recess for the day; that motion failed 3-8 with one absent, and the amendment then failed 3-8 with one absent. (03:34:39) The last rescue proposal, Kanal-Koyama Lane 10, would use opioid manufacturer settlement funds to restore all three units, backfilling the Bybee Lakes and Grand Recovery shelters and trimming a planned North Portland shelter expansion. Mayor Keith Wilson appealed against it, saying shelters already took a 30% cut and warning against "false choices." The council ran out of time and deferred the vote to June 11. (03:57:00) Clark 2, a scaled-back $7.6 million public safety restoration drawn from an unspent set-aside in the Public Safety Accountability Commission, failed 5-6 with Smith absent. Clark asked City Attorney Robert Taylor to confirm on the record that it did not violate the charter; Taylor said the charter requires the commission receive 5% of the police operating budget, which would still be appropriated, and unspent money could later replenish the fund. Kanal read a charter section on the board's independent judgment and voted no, saying it interfered. (03:21:21) Smith moved to recess so amendment sponsors could combine their plans, saying "we're in a standstill right now"; the motion failed 2-10. During Zimmerman's exchange with Taylor over funding council offices at different levels — which Zimmerman called "anti-democratic" — an unidentified voice on the record said, "That's called institutional racism." Smith also moved to withdraw all three of her own budget amendments and told colleagues to "stop eating our own" and stop "grandstanding in an election year." Green said the charge that his amendment was an "election play" was "deeply offensive." The consent agenda passed 12-0. (00:24:06) A technical amendment aligning the budget with the arts tax passed 12-0; Revenue Division Director Thomas Lanham said a 42% arts tax increase raises $1.15 million and adds two limited-duration staff for one implementation year, with the $3.5 million for the arts community unchanged. (01:46:09) The state shared revenue certification, tied to $19,496,999 split between fire prevention and police patrol, was continued to June 17. Five people spoke in open communications: on a PBOT concrete island planned at NE Killingsworth and 35th Place that a resident said neighbors were never consulted on, on eliminated parks positions, on campsite cleanup funding, and on public safety. Dozens more testified on the budget, overwhelmingly against realignment layoffs. Isaac McLennan of the Portland Firefighters Association said restoring all three rescues would cost $1.65 million. A Revenue Division worker presented 74 petition signatures to save one colleague's job. PCEF-coalition speakers, including Alan Hipolito, asked the council to find $5.9 million to keep the fund's climate plan whole. The budget hearing recessed to June 11 at 9:30 a.m., where the council took up Kanal-Koyama Lane 10 first. Items 6 and 7 — the state revenue sharing resolution and emergency ordinance — were continued to June 17 at 6:15 p.m. A councilor and Dunphy both flagged that the emergency ordinance will need 9 votes that day, which they called risky. Written testimony remains open until the budget vote.Thu, 11 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-06-03-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-06-03-1/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). 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 3) 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). The council gave a first reading to an ordinance authorizing sewer revenue bonds producing net proceeds of up to $235 million, with principal not to exceed $238.5 million and a 30-year term. Vice President Clark said the city carries a $6.7 billion maintenance backlog in its sewer and stormwater system, "about $2.7 billion of that in the sewer system are facilities in poor or very poor condition" (01:09:30). The Public Utilities Director said most of the work addresses aging infrastructure, including the Carolina Trunk Sewer, rather than new capacity (01:17:43). Chief Financial Officer Jonas Beery said refinancing could save about $16 million over the bond term, roughly $1 million a year, which would flow into lower future rate requirements. Green pointed to a projected sewer and stormwater rate increase of "4.3%, I think, annualized" (01:22:19). The item returns for a second reading. A first reading of the Portland Permitting & Development fee schedule set most fee increases at 5% to 9% for the coming fiscal year, with a 26% rise for accessory short-term rental fees and 41% for noise variance fees. Director Eric Kooch said the increases maintain current service levels; permit volume is steady but revenue is down as work shifts toward smaller residential projects. Councilor Ryan confirmed the fee structure is already assumed in the mayor's proposed budget (01:33:44) and questioned why items were bundled. Finance manager Kyle O'Brien said state notification timelines drove the schedule. Kanal called the timing a problem, saying trimming fees would effectively mean laying off staff, "which is not actually what would happen" (01:39:59). Pirtle-Guiney and Green defended the package, noting a comparable Vancouver, Washington permit runs $3,978 against Portland's $3,211 for a $275,000 new single-family residence, and that the largest noise increase is $144. The item returns June 10. CFO Beery, sitting in for City Administrator Raymond Lee, said the Financial Stabilization and Recovery Plan workgroup — four administration representatives, Councilors Green and Zimmerman, and nine community members — expects a formal output to council around September. City Attorney Robert Taylor said the hearings office held a two-day hearing on a notice of violation at the ICE facility and a decision was expected by June 5, but a property owner obtained a stay ex parte in Multnomah County Circuit Court. "We believe strongly that that stay was improperly obtained, and we have objected" (00:30:16), Taylor said, adding the city hopes for an expedited hearing "as soon as next week" (00:33:25). The consent agenda passed 12-0 with no items pulled (00:42:06). A grant of up to $667,230 for the Home Ownership Assistance Program passed 12-0 on second reading (00:43:34), as did a $100,000 grant for a pilot mass timber feasibility study (00:44:32). Five people testified. David Guither, a District 2 radio cab driver and retired Teamster, opposed Waymo driverless taxis, saying "over 12,000 small businesses" of for-hire permit holders would be affected and Waymo's backers had "raised over $30 billion" (00:07:18), urging council to wait for a state law. Don Jones Jr., of the Inter Powell Alliance, urged council not to issue an occupancy permit for a bottle-drop facility at 1109 SE Brooklyn, citing two 2025 rail-crossing deaths nearby and saying the Northwest Grocers Association "has withdrawn approximately $300,000 in committed funding" required under state law. Karanja Cruz, co-founder of Green Muse, asked council to dedicate part of the city's cannabis tax to a community-health program. Marshall McFarland cited the city's $8.6 billion budget against a population of "just 635,000." Addie Smith said the Portland Housing Bureau received $5 million from spring funds and cited "$106 million in quote-unquote unspent and unbudgeted housing funds," calling for rental assistance up to $10,000 for single-family homes. The sewer bond and permitting fee ordinances return for second readings, the permitting item on June 10. The Financial Stabilization and Recovery Plan is expected to reach council around September. The city attorney's office is seeking an expedited Multnomah County Circuit Court hearing, possibly next week, over the stay blocking the ICE-facility decision. Councilor Ryan said he would follow up on whether council members can join a July 17 government-to-government visit to Grand Ronde.Thu, 04 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-27-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-27-1/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). 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. 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). Clark's request to recall Police Chief Bob Day drew a point of order from Morillo; Dunphy ruled, "I don't find that to be a point of order" (03:14:29). Day, once at the microphone, said the bureau's identification policy was already "the gold standard," that state law already requires identifying a local officer within 14 days, and that he did not anticipate significant change in police behavior—only added administrative burden (03:15:51). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) moved his ordinance banning the sale of force-fed poultry products through a complaint-driven system with a rebuttable presumption for items advertised as foie gras (03:45:10). Clark moved to delay the effective date to July 2027; Green countered with 180 days, declining Clark's and Novick's requests for eight months—"based on vibes? Sorry, no" (04:00:06). The 180-day amendment passed 9-3, and the amended date then passed 12-0 (04:03:47). Andrew Fortgang of Le Pigeon, marking the restaurant's 20th year, called the ban "silly" and "absurd" and said the restaurant is known internationally and takes bookings 90 days ahead (03:52:31). When he spoke out of turn, Green said, "Sir, you're not recognized right now" (03:58:07). Morillo objected to the "decorum things, who gets to have outbursts...Councilor Zimmerman, looking at you" (03:59:13). Dunphy then moved the item to a second reading rather than continue the first reading. Zimmerman said, "I object to the motion by the chair" (04:07:20), triggering a prolonged, confused exchange over what a yes or no vote meant. The appeal of the chair's ruling failed 6-5, with one absent, so the ruling stood and the item advanced (04:11:25). It returns June 4. The council adopted several FY 2026-27 rate ordinances at second reading: solid waste and recycling 12-0 (03:08:07); transportation fees 10-2; sewer and stormwater 9-3; and water rates 8-4 (03:11:01). Ryan said he would support only increases at or below the 3 percent inflation rate (03:07:16). Green voted yes on the trash ordinance but told haulers, "you skipped my trash again...or I'll vote no next time" (03:07:05). The council approved an emergency $315,000 settlement to Gabriella Raffei over a 2020 collision involving a retired police sergeant; her lawsuit had sought $900,000 (02:45:38). The Lviv, Ukraine sister-city ordinance, which began as a friendship-city relationship in 2022, passed to second reading (01:04:47). Grants for veterans' homeownership assistance ($667,230) and a mass-timber feasibility study ($100,000) advanced. The arts tax amendment passed 7-5 and a PCEF interest transfer passed 10-2. In the open-comment period, business owner Karen Shirey urged funding for police and said she was "scared of owning a business downtown," referencing repeated 6-6 council splits (00:25:53). Michael Johnson arrived in team gear to urge support for the Trail Blazers (00:29:39). A pre-gavel marked the Vanport Day of Remembrance, with a recorded account from flood survivor Bea Gilmore. The homeownership appropriation and veterans and mass-timber grants return June 3. The Lviv sister-city and foie gras ordinances return for second reading June 4. The City Administrator's office said it is awaiting a hearing officer's decision, expected the 5th, before providing a further federal-response update.Thu, 28 May 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-18-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-18-1/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. 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. 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. 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). Isaac McLennan, president of the Portland Firefighters Association, said Portland Fire and Rescue can reach only 46.7% of the city within the four-minute standard and opposed closing Engine 22 in St. Johns (00:41:12). Parks board members said the bureau faces a net loss of about 70 full-time positions — Matt Chipke put it at 34% of all citywide FTE reductions (01:24:06). Testimony split sharply over Clark's amendment (Clark 1), which would draw from the police-accountability office to backfill public safety cuts. Supporters said the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability carries roughly $16 million a year but spends about $1-2 million with one employee (02:47:06). Opponents called it an attack on a body voters approved; Dina Ross said Measure 26-217 passed with 81.58% support (04:38:25). Two residents described 911 failures: Loretta Guzman said she could not reach a person as her nephew died, and Simone Cordery Cotter said her husband was on hold 11 minutes in 2021. Several testifiers referenced an email from Mayor Keith Wilson criticizing residents who came in matching t-shirts. The clapping rule surfaced repeatedly. Dunphy told the room, "we don't do clapping... silent hands, show of appreciation, jazz fingers... I don't make up the rules. Well, I kind of do" (00:47:39). The council heard testimony but took no votes on six ordinances. The Portland Utility Board urged the full 7.5% combined utility rate increase, noting the proposed 6.3% would save a typical household less than $2 a month (05:47:20). The board also backed $525 million in water revenue bonds for the Bull Run Filtration Project. On the ordinance transferring Portland Clean Energy Fund interest to the general fund, testifiers cited a figure of about $27 million this year (05:41:23); Dunphy noted the PCEF committee reviewed it May 13 as required by code. Luis Del Toro, a PCEF city employee, called using the fund to backfill existing programs "deceptive and contrary to the mission voters approved" (05:45:31). AFSCME Local 3769 president Shelley Hack said Prosper Portland has cut 10% of its staff, "far greater than what we're seeing in other city bureaus" (05:55:15). Work Systems staff urged restoring construction workforce funding to $1.46 million (05:56:35). Nick Sovey of Rose Community Development said an auditor found median income in the Lents renewal area fell 24% after 20 years and $200 million, and that Prosper conveyed a city parcel and $10 million to a developer for a project with only 9 of 171 units rent-restricted (05:58:04). The city budget, the PCEF interest ordinance, the four utility rate ordinances, the water bonds, and the Prosper Portland budget were all continued to May 19 at 9:30 a.m. The council plans to take up city budget amendments Tuesday morning and afternoon and Prosper amendments Tuesday afternoon, with votes on the approved budgets set for Wednesday. Dunphy said a work session on budget notes and post-approved amendments will follow June 3, the Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission hearing is June 9, and first reading of the adopted budget is set for June 10.Tue, 19 May 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-13-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-13-1/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. 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. 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). City Attorney Robert Taylor said that under the current Ninth Circuit ruling it is "unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause to directly regulate federal law enforcement identification and masking" (03:14:08), that a severability clause would sever those parts, and that he put the odds of a city lawsuit succeeding at "50/50" (02:19:08). Councilor Steve Novick of District 3, who said he is the council's only lawyer, called success "a one in a million chance" (02:16:22) but worth taking. Smith objected repeatedly, saying "This is performative at this point" (02:21:56) and that colleagues were "trying to force me to do something that's unconstitutional." Kanal raised a point of order: "The quote was that the makers are saying that this is unconstitutional. That is not accurate at all" (02:22:10); Smith said she was referring to Novick's odds. Councilor Candace Avalos of District 1, "the daughter of immigrants," supported the measure (03:20:24). Morillo said the data tracking is the point and "this should go all the way up to the Supreme Court" (03:23:01). The item returns May 27 at 9:30 a.m. The council passed an emergency ordinance conveying city-owned land near 6631 N Syracuse Street in University Park to Habitat for Humanity for the True North project, 12-0 (01:26:54). Council staff Claire Adamsick said the project includes 50 family-sized units, half at up to 60% median family income and half at up to 80%, affordable in perpetuity. Habitat's Sarah Radcliffe said about 191 people are expected to live there (01:03:12). Smith questioned committing roughly $8 million in FY 2026-27 funds before that budget passes: "It doesn't math for me" (01:18:44). The City Administrator responded, "I thought staff did an adequate job of explaining the emergency" (01:19:00); a city attorney clarified the action transfers land only and does not appropriate funds. Lacey Sutton testified she had spent two and a half years fighting for code-required fire safety at a Habitat home and urged the council to condition approval on accountability (01:07:24). Financial closing is planned for May 28. The council passed borrowing of up to $95 million in anticipation of the Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Fund levy, 12-0 (00:55:52). It approved Portland Children's Levy funding recommendations, including an 8% increase to 94 grants, 11-0 with Smith absent (00:54:34); staff said 71% of grants go to organizations with majority-BIPOC staff. The council denied the Pleasant Valley Neighborhood Association appeal 8-1, with Dunphy the lone no, upholding approval of 12 single-dwelling lots and one multi-dwelling lot (00:44:00). An Arts Tax reform raising the income exemption threshold from $35,000 to $50,000 and relieving about 44% of filers advanced to second reading after its amendment passed 11-1, with Ryan opposed (03:35:53). Novick said "putting lipstick on a pig is really unfair to pigs because pigs are smart and the arts tax is stupid" (03:40:05). Ryan and Smith argued the change should go back to voters. A council motion to move the water bonds up the agenda failed 7-4 (00:20:20) after Morillo warned it would strand signed-up testifiers. Councilors Green, Koyama Lane, and Kanal read into the record a public-meetings-law "cure" for an April 3 Portland DSA town hall attended by three Public Works Committee members (00:34:50). Five people spoke. One cited a $171 million deficit, 203 city jobs cut, a $27 million transfer from the Portland Clean Energy Fund, and $240 million to $400 million in annual wage theft. Jesse Akins, an unemployed Army veteran from District 3, opposed Moda Center funding and rising utility fees. A speaker described city government as a "fiatocracy," citing nearly 9,000 regional job losses and a $170 million shortfall. Others addressed residency requirements for services and public bathrooms. The water bond ordinance returns for a second reading on a date Dunphy could not confirm; the Public Works Committee plans an August site visit, and staff promised monthly updates. The law enforcement identification and Arts Tax ordinances return May 27 at 9:30 a.m. The federal-response hearing officer's decision is due June 5 at 3:00 p.m. The Children's Levy Allocation Committee meets June 16 to discuss adding grant alternates.Thu, 14 May 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-06-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-06-1/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. 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 2) 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. 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). When Novick asked how 41% could earn under $40,000 given a roughly $90,000 median household income, Green explained the income distribution is not symmetric, and Lanham noted the figure counts taxable income after deductions. Councilor Smith (District 1) asked the city attorney whether the council could raise a voter-approved tax without a new vote; City Attorney Robert Taylor said the council has concurrent legislative authority and is not required to refer it (04:15:00). Of 15 testifiers, arts leaders and school superintendents backed the change, including from Portland Opera, Portland Center Stage, the Portland Art Museum, Portland Public Schools and Parkrose. Vicki Payne, testifying online, opposed the increase, saying a $20,000 threshold is too low against the state's $33,904 minimum wage and urging the city to "fix the system" before raising the bill (04:56:00). Dunphy continued the item to May 13. An ordinance authorizing borrowing of not more than $95 million in anticipation of the Fire and Police Disability and Retirement (FPDR) levy passed to a second reading on May 13. Pulled from the consent agenda at the request of a member of the public, it was moved to the top of the regular agenda by unanimous consent. Debt manager Matt Gierach said the note matures in June 2027 at about 3.1% interest, with a net borrowing cost of roughly $300,000. FPDR pension and finance manager Stacy Jones said the amount exceeds prior years — written testimony cited $45 million, $38 million, $45 million and $50 million — because of a smaller beginning balance, an ongoing ramp-up funding two pension generations until the early 2030s, and a shift to monthly PERS reimbursements to the general fund. Kanal said "$95 million is a lot. It is disappointing that that is not able to be borrowed from within" (01:50:00); Gierach said internal borrowing now costs more than the tax-exempt external market. One testifier, George Washington, opposed the borrowing and closed, "stop fucking around with our money and do your damn job" (01:45:00). The council advanced Portland Children's Levy recommendations to a second reading: small grants of $2,555,000 to 12 organizations over three years, plus 8% increases to 94 existing grants totaling $5,198,000. About 19 people testified in support, including ECRC, Portland Youth Builders, HALA Mentors, Bradley Angle, Outside In, Project Lido, POIC, Wonderfolk, ERCO, CAIRO and Word Is Bond, whose founder cited a 91% graduation rate. One online commenter urged reinstating Love Is Stronger, which she said finished 13th while 12 were funded. City Administrator Raymond Lee framed his monthly report around fiscal responsibility, citing a Preschool for All partnership generating about $1 million in savings and the hire of the city's first Chief Equity Officer, Latricia Tillman. Green raised reporting of 85 complaints to the ombudsman about the Urban Alchemy contract — total $90 million, about $55 million spent — of which 6 were substantiated and 42 referred to the company's internal process (00:55:00). Kanal noted a new contracts appendix showing $8.1 billion in contracts, with $3.775 billion remaining to be paid. Six people spoke in open comment on autonomous taxis, a Marine Drive housing project affected by an environmental overlay, Home Forward executive pay and homeless camp cleanup. The arts tax (Item 10) and the FPDR borrowing (Item 5) both return for second readings May 13. The Children's Levy grants (Item 11) return the same day as a time-certain item. The ordinance to bar law-enforcement facial coverings and require badge visibility (Item 12) was not reached and moves to the top of the May 13 agenda. Lee said a judgment on the detention facility appeal is expected in at least a couple of weeks and promised follow-up on outstanding budget-note timelines within about a week.Thu, 07 May 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-04-15-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-04-15-1/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 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). The exchange grew personal. Councilor Mitch Green (District 3) said "I think this is a highly irresponsible way to amend a TAO" and that he would rather spend the money "on this than sweeps" or "graffiti abatement," but voted no (01:12:14). Smith responded, "I don't think burning cash in a wheelbarrow is all for black people" (01:13:41). When Smith said Avalos "don't want to support Black organizations," Kanal — who had returned — raised a point of order: "Can we not impugn the character of our colleagues, please?" (01:28:18). Dunphy read from Robert's Rules of Order that members "are expected to speak to the issue, not to personalities" (01:28:36). Smith told Green, "You're not right on this, bro-bro" (01:27:35). The ordinance passed 8-3, with Ryan, Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4), and Smith opposed. The council adopted a resolution 12-0 (02:59:36) directing the City Administrator to produce a 90-day report on speeding up rezoning of the Inner Eastside, with a path to zoning changes by June 30, 2027. Sponsored by Morillo, Green and Avalos, the measure does not itself change zoning. Morillo said Oregon law requires factual findings before legislative zoning changes or the ordinance would be challenged at the Land Use Board of Appeals. Council Policy Analyst Claire Adamsick reported 96 written testimonies to committee. Eric Engstrom, Director of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, said the bureau supports the resolution as a high priority and clarified that a map showing where growth might occur was a "feasibility estimate map," not a zoning map (02:06:40). Heidi Hart, a volunteer lobbyist for Portland Neighbors Welcome, said existing zoning allows roughly 22,000 homes in the area, while conceptual upzoning could allow over 143,000 (02:14:20). Testimony ran heavily in favor, with speakers including a furloughed construction worker and advocates from Verde, 1000 Friends of Oregon and Southeast Uplift. Patrick Hilton opposed the measure, questioning what "affordability" meant and citing Seattle and Vancouver. Vicki Payne warned about a 2018 North Interstate rezoning, saying she had her property value reduced by $67,000. A Novick amendment noting further public outreach passed 11-0 (02:43:38), with Smith absent. A Ryan amendment adding analysis of street capacity on narrow streets passed 7-4 (02:54:16); Avalos and Green opposed, citing an existing transportation assessment and concern about slowing the report. An emergency ordinance to codify the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing in city code, introduced by Mayor Wilson and Councilors Kanal and Novick, drew a long line of supportive testimony from the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition, Portland Cop Watch and the Citizen Review Committee. The ordinance would codify the committee, expand membership from 13 to 15 and set youth seats at ages 15 to 23, with a 60-day deadline for the mayor and chief to respond to recommendations. Jorge Sanchez-Bautista, the committee's interim co-chair and a youth member, supported codification but said youth members were not consulted on the age change and asked for a range of 15 to 22. Dunphy held the debate and vote to April 16. The consent agenda, including a transportation street-opening permit resolution, was approved 11-0 as routine (00:34:59). The council opened with recognition of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week; the Bureau of Emergency Communications handles more than 900,000 calls a year, about 600,000 to 911, and recently earned accreditation in emergency medical dispatching held by fewer than 10% of centers worldwide (00:04:01). Five people testified. Addie Smith criticized Home Forward, saying its CEO's salary rose 59% since 2022 while the agency had over 1,000 vacant units and took nearly 200 days to turn a unit (00:18:28). Tanisha Renee of Williams and Russell sought funding for her organization and Self Enhancement, Inc. Don Porth, a retired firefighter, urged the city to help complete the Portland Firefighter Memorial. Laurel Curry urged against police cuts, and Hart Pham addressed individual councilors. The vote on the police oversight committee ordinance moves to April 16 at about 2:30 p.m. The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability owes a report on Inner Eastside rezoning within 90 days, with proposed zoning changes due to council by June 30, 2027. On the federal front, Dunphy said a hearing on the merits of the ICE facility owner's reinstated appeal is set for May 5 before the city's hearing officer.Thu, 16 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-04-08-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-04-08-1/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). 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 2) 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). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) restored Broadway Corridor funding to $5.6 million, including $800,000 from a housing subfund the committee had converted to a loan; it passed 7-5 (04:00:35). Councilor Sameer Kanal's (District 2) attempt to fund Self Enhancement Inc. and Williams and Russell from unallocated money (Kanal 1) failed on a 6-6 tie (04:08:28). The debate turned personal. Smith accused Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) of removing her and Zimmerman's February 18 agenda items: "You did a drive-by. You did an administrative political drive-by on my agenda item" (01:08:17). Dunphy later noted her remarks ran "almost 13 minutes" against a 10-minute limit (01:09:34). Of the committee's prior action, Smith said, "Shame on you, Housing Committee, for what you did yesterday. Shame on you" (03:35:49). During Morillo's remarks she interrupted, "Say who you're talking about. Quit hiding," and Dunphy ruled her out of order (03:38:38). Avalos, after Smith objected to her characterization, said, "You spent the whole meeting doing that" (03:16:12). The council approved 11-0 a temporary interfund loan not to exceed $15 million from the Facilities Services Fund to the Health Insurance Operating Fund (00:52:47). Levine said the self-insured city's health fund was projected to go negative at year's end, which state budget law bars; the loan is repaid with interest over three years (00:34:10). Beery said an internal loan keeps interest inside the city rather than paying "a bank" (00:39:37). Kanal moved to strike the emergency clause, arguing the council overuses emergency ordinances and cuts off public visibility. After confirming with staff that a non-emergency version would take effect May 15 — "So if this took effect on May 15th, the sky wouldn't fall," to which Beery replied, "I think the sky would not fall" (00:44:15) — his motion died for lack of a second (00:51:38). Smith earlier raised a point of order to split items 7 and 8, which had been paired at the administration's request (00:33:07). Five people spoke during open communications. Three addressed the proposed transportation utility fee and the Water Bureau. John Starr of District 2 urged a no vote on the fee, citing PBOT's $6.6 billion maintenance backlog and saying he pays $2.80 by bus versus 5 cents in gas tax for a 3-mile drive (00:10:12). Susan Clary of District 3 said her block has 13 residential units but 19 vehicles (00:19:52). Les Poole described the Water Bureau treatment plant growing from "$300 to $500 million" to "a $2 billion monster" and an 87-year-old widow now $10,000 out of pocket after construction damage (00:13:36). On the housing item, about 14 of 18 signed-up speakers urged the council to release the money. Molly Hogan of the Welcome Home Coalition said homelessness rose 67% over two years in Multnomah County while the share of people moving out of shelter fell to about 16%: "Just pass a damn amendment today" (01:38:40). Emma Fox of the Commons Law Center said fewer than 5% of tenants had legal representation in eviction court versus nearly 90% of landlords, and that Multnomah County cut eviction defense by more than half and Oregon by 66% (02:07:21). Sehan McKelvey of Self Enhancement Inc. compared the city's record on Black homeownership to a rigged baseball game and backed the Smith and Pirtle-Guiney amendments (01:48:15). The council approved its consent agenda 10-0, including a street vacation, with Pirtle-Guiney and Novick absent (00:30:18). It passed 10-0 a $322,555 package of traffic-safety grants from the State of Oregon Transportation Safety Office and Oregon Impact (00:31:19), and 11-0 an increase to the business license tax gross receipts exemption (00:32:23). The City Administrator reported no new developments on the ICE facility land use violation since the administrative hearing officer dismissed the case, with an administrative policy expected back in May (00:27:48). Clark led a tribute to Roger Shields, who died last month, joined by his former partners (00:23:06). Dunphy also laid out legislative intent to restore $1.6 million to arts organizations after a 44% cut from the Arts Access Fund. The Technical Adjustment Ordinance returns for a second reading April 15, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. The mayor's proposed 2026-27 budget is due April 20. The Housing Committee is set to receive an update on social-housing language in May. The bulk of the unbudgeted housing money — the amount not touched by Wednesday's amendments — remains unallocated, with several councilors saying they intend to return to it.Thu, 09 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-04-01-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-04-01-1/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). 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 2) 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." 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). The 24-hour rule drew the fight. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) and Avalos moved to strike it. Avalos said it would limit the council's ability to respond to community input, particularly from East Portland residents who "are working 3 jobs" (03:21:44). Kanal argued the deadline would in practice fall about 54 hours before a vote and called it "solving a problem that doesn't exist" (03:14:47). Pirtle-Guiney opposed the amendment, framing the choice as "speed" versus "diligence and transparency" and saying "one has to matter more" (03:28:09). Green also opposed it, saying the council risks "adopting codes that are in contradiction with other parts of our code." Zimmerman leaned toward the amendment: "I don't think we can write into code what is really about behavior." The amendment was not brought to a vote. Terry Harris testified against the amendment, saying advance filing is "for transparency." Rebecca Wise Barton of District 2 said she favored the amendment but that moving the item up on short notice "is not in the spirit of this amendment." The council passed to second reading an ordinance appropriating $322,555 in state traffic safety grants (01:05:00), including a $50,000 training grant, a $207,532 driver education course, and four Oregon Impact awards for DUI, distracted driving, speed, and safety belt enforcement. Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1), who pulled the item from consent, pressed for monthly grant appropriations rather than folding them into annual budgeting. When Smith urged returning general fund money if grants covered the same work, acting Council Clerk Rebecca Dobert said swapping general fund for grant dollars "would be considered supplanting, which is against federal regulations"; Smith replied she was not describing supplanting but budgeting general fund for costs already known to be grant-covered (01:03:12). The city administrator reported that the Bull Run Filtration Project's land use appeal has concluded and its permits are final, with new independent value engineering and external financial oversight (01:05:21). On the ICE detention facility, a land use violation appeal was dismissed at the building owner's request; City Attorney Robert Taylor said a final decision could bring the matter to council, possibly via executive session (01:14:53). Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) raised the Police Bureau's use of Cellebrite phone-extraction technology, citing about $270,000 spent in 2021 and roughly $300,000 between 2023 and now (01:16:25). Kanal questioned a Microsoft Copilot rollout on privacy, labor, and climate grounds. Smith said she did not want to dictate bureau software choices, staying "in my policy and appropriation lane." Five people spoke. Michelle Milla, a District 4 resident, testified for a third year about the Portland People's Outreach Project distributing harm-reduction supplies in public spaces, saying its South Park Blocks site is within half a mile of Lincoln High School and its Hollywood Transit Center site within half a mile of Grant High School, and asked for an ordinance setting standards (00:18:13). Marshall McFarland, homeless and 44, said "The root isn't homelessness, it's hopelessness." John Fall opposed a proposed water-bill fee for road repairs, saying "there's enough money for basketball but not for road repairs." Karen Chirey, a District 4 business owner, described unenforced trespass laws. Vicki Payne urged mandatory pet waste stations in buildings that allow pets. The business license tax ordinance and the traffic safety grants return for second reading April 8. The council procedure overhaul, including the disputed 24-hour amendment rule and pending amendments from Avalos, Kanal, and Smith, is continued to April 16 at 2:00 p.m. The city administrator said a draft ICE detention facility permit rule will be published for at least 30 days of public comment before the end of May, and a contracts appendix will appear in next month's report.Thu, 02 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-01-14-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-01-14-1/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. 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). 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). Finance Committee chair Zimmerman said the calendar records legal-requirement dates and Budget Committee meetings, not all engagement, and that releasing the mayor's budget earlier is "one thing 12 people can agree on is an improvement" (00:41:00). Kanal said the mayor gave "identical, comprehensive, equal budget guidance to every bureau," requiring each to submit "a 0-cut scenario, a 3% cut scenario, a 10% cut scenario" (00:50:50). He and Zimmerman split over dropping the city administrator's budget recommendations used last year; Zimmerman said, "You might be the only person, Mr. Kanal, who believed that was a good thing," because it produced a non-balanced budget (00:48:55). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), and Councilor Mitch Green (District 2) pressed for earlier council work sessions. Smith said employees should route requests through the deputy city administrator, not testify publicly, and proposed an anonymous suggestion box (01:12:11). The council approved paying $75,000 to settle an employment discrimination suit by Eric Heard involving Portland Fire & Rescue, passing 10-1 with one absent (00:26:41); Zimmerman voted no. Senior deputy city attorney Ann Milligan said the plaintiff, a firefighter trainee from 2005 who later worked in the fire marshal's office, sued in early 2024 seeking $3.25 million alleging race discrimination and a hostile work environment, and had never been disciplined (00:24:07). The council also approved $650,000 to settle contract claims by Stellar J Corporation over a 2015 biosolids contract at the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant, again 10-1 with one absent (00:30:55), Zimmerman opposed. Senior deputy city attorney Beth Woodard said Stellar J's claims once neared $5 million and its 2024 suit sought more than $2.6 million before an August 2025 mediation (00:27:17). The council accepted the city's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the year ended June 30, 2025, 12-0 (00:35:21), audited by Baker Tilly. It then adopted a plan of action responding to material weaknesses 12-0 (00:38:12). CFO Jonas Beery said a material finding first tied to the Bureau of Transportation last year continues at a smaller amount and now also appears in Parks and the Bureau of Facilities, blaming staff constraints and process gaps (00:36:03). Sunny Hart urged the council to demand a mayoral town hall on ICE, noting there had been none since March 12 of last year, and cited an officer filmed saying he'd shoot protesters "in the head just like Renee Clark" (00:10:00). Skylar Cruz, a District 4 resident, backed gender-neutral restroom language and cited a Williams Institute study finding 44% of transgender adults reported recent suicidal ideation, 7% a recent suicide attempt, and 21% recent non-suicidal self-injury (00:15:10). Laura Curry asked whether public camping is illegal; Dunphy answered, "There is in fact a law on the books with regard to the prohibition of public camping. That is a fact" (00:20:19). Crystal Otero, testifying later on the handbook, said she was "still reeling" from Mercury comments she called "abhorrent" (01:41:07). The sidewalk assessment ordinances (items 10 and 11), the January 2026 City Administrator report, and the second reading of the Preschool for All tax intergovernmental agreement were rescheduled; Dunphy said remaining items "will be continued to a future meeting" (02:03:56). Pirtle-Guiney said the Governance Committee will take up proposed code changes, including a regular handbook review timed to leadership changes or new councilors. Kanal and Dunphy said they would revisit context in the handbook's description of the mayor's tiebreak authority.Thu, 15 Jan 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-12-17-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-12-17-1/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. 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." 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). Councilors split. Green said the bill's backers — including Habitat for Humanity, the Portland Metro Chamber, the realtors' association, and the Sightline Institute — made a compelling case, and "I really caution against us going to an oppose" (02:44:26). Zimmerman said he could not act on Pham's request without seeing the bill language. Councilor Angelita Morillo of District 3 leaned toward supporting Pham. Chase said that absent agreement the city would move to a neutral position and would not proceed without checking back. Novick raised forming an informal group to keep talking; Pirtle-Guiney cut off the count as it neared a quorum and moved it offline (02:47:36). Zimmerman attacked the agenda's behavioral-health language as "low energy, it's weak," adding, "I am looking for the City of Portland to have gloves off on this topic" (02:23:20). Kanal flagged the phrase "stand with providers" for revision. Two other testifiers weighed in: Ben Gilbert, a Portland Democratic Socialists of America lobbyist and District 4 renter, said "More Portlanders are becoming unhoused every month than being housed" (01:59:01); Doug Allen said TriMet plans to cut service by 15% for lack of legislative funding and urged a 2026 stopgap (02:00:16). The council moved two ordinances assessing property owners for sidewalk, curb, and driveway repairs to a second reading. One assesses 180 properties totaling $518,204.16; the other assesses a single property at $0 (02:58:37). Revenue Division Director Thomas Lanham said owners receive three notices and can use payment plans of up to five years even for amounts as low as $2,500 (03:00:53). Pirtle-Guiney and Councilor Loretta Smith of District 1 said they would support it as current law but worried about displacing owners. Ryan noted none of the 180 owners testified. As the item closed, a man who had not signed up asked to speak from the floor. Pirtle-Guiney declined, saying "signing up to testify is through our clerk's office." He replied, "I didn't even know you guys were open tonight. I happened to be just passing by," and "What I bring up is important" (03:08:41). Four people spoke during open comment. Joseph Jobb, a District 4 downtown resident, said federal cuts destroyed at least 60% of his income and priced him out of affordable housing, and asked the council's plan for jobs and economic mobility (00:24:22). Three speakers pressed for expanded immigration legal services: New Portlanders Policy Commission members Carrie Babin and Mary Karam, and Caroline Vander Harten, director of SOAR Immigration Legal Services, who said SOAR serves over 3,000 low-income immigrants a year, fields more than 100 calls daily, and is booked into March under current funding (00:33:06). The council also approved its consent agenda 11-0 with Zimmerman absent (00:38:03), and by unanimous consent moved the sidewalk items into Wednesday's session. The sidewalk assessment ordinances return for a second reading and final vote on January 7, 2026. The council's specific numeric homelessness goals are set to be developed after the fiscal year 2026-27 budget, with the new indicators taking effect July 1, 2026. Councilors agreed to continue offline discussions on the LC-5 inclusionary-zoning bill, and Chase said Government Relations would return to the council before taking a position. The recessed meeting was set to reconvene the following afternoon with a full agenda.Thu, 18 Dec 2025 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-12-10-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-12-10-1/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. 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 2) 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. 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). Green defended the offer and said he "can't let it stand that we need to think about labor unions for city administrators" (02:44:43). City Administrator Michael Jordan told council he has no severance in his own contract and that council could award any amount with seven votes (02:47:45). Pirtle-Guiney said people of color and women "don't always negotiate in the same way that white men do." When Novick joked that Las Vegas severance could be doubled "based on the outcome of a hand of blackjack," Smith cut in: "Point of order. This is a very serious thing and I'm not joking" (02:38:39). The offer passed with 11 yes votes (02:53:20). Council ratified a successor contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 189 covering 11 employees at Independent Police Review, at a cost not to exceed $161,500 (03:31:32). The deal, which followed a strike, guarantees IPR staff advance notice and an interview with the future director of the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability before external candidates are considered. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) cast the lone no vote, arguing the arrangement violates the charter clause barring council from interfering with the oversight board's independent judgment and jeopardizes a federal settlement deadline of January 2 (03:41:02). The contract passed 10-1 (03:48:49). Novick said he respected Kanal's stance while reaching a different conclusion. Council also ratified an initial contract with the Portland Police Association for 14 Emergency Communications Supervisors at the Bureau of Emergency Communications, costing just under $224,000 over two years absorbed by the bureau's budget (03:37:59). Anne-Marie Kevorkian-Maddy of Labor Relations described new pay premiums including an 8% coaching premium. It passed 11-0 (03:50:24). Councilors Zimmerman and Morillo (District 3) won unanimous adoption of a resolution directing the city administrator to report to full council within 120 days with options to reform Portland's design review process, including a possible temporary exemption (04:26:29). Zimmerman said design review is slowing both residential and commercial building and distinguished it from zoning. Green called this "the most pro-housing and pro-build council" in a long time. Novick read an email from a Design Commission member reporting the commission's annual report to council had gone unanswered and that no one from the commission was invited to the November 13 committee meeting (04:13:04). Robert Pyle of Oakleaf Redevelopment urged a temporary exemption paralleling the city's system development charge waivers. Lacey Sutton alleged a Habitat for Humanity project called Cherry Blossom was built with plan changes that skirted fire-sprinkler and road-width requirements and violated land-use conditions. Five people spoke in open comment. Michael Woods, a Portland State urban planning student, said he has been hit by cars four times downtown, twice on a one-block commute at Park and Market, and asked to remove two parking spots (00:30:13). David Straub said the mayor's shelter plan added about 1,000 beds while the unsheltered population also rose by about 1,000 (00:23:30). Brandon Morgove proposed temporary camp permits and shower trucks at shelters; Eugene Jackson criticized ending the city's diversity and contracting programs; and Mark Sherman objected to an email from Councilor Dan Ryan referencing a "National Socialist Playbook." Lee's confirmation and employment offer take effect; he told council he will live in Portland and begin a listening tour. The city administrator's design review report is due to full council within 120 days. Kanal said he intends to file legislation in 2026 to revive the Human Rights Commission. Governance Committee strategic-priority legislation is expected at council next week. The IPR transition remains bound by a federal settlement deadline of January 2.Thu, 11 Dec 2025 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-12-03-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-12-03-1/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). 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 3) (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). Council voted 10-1 to declare the Sellwood Community House surplus and sell it to Friends of Sellwood Community House for $1, despite an appraised value near $1 million (03:09:57). Introduced by Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4), the sale removes a $4.6 million deferred-maintenance obligation from Parks' books (02:58:24). The nonprofit has raised over $2 million to renovate the building and serves about 2,600 families a month. A deed restriction requires public-benefit use in perpetuity and gives the city first refusal to buy it back for $1. Councilor Kanal cast the lone no vote, calling the sale privatization of a community asset rather than a partnership and objecting to the emergency clause: "a lack of response is not consent." He noted no one testified and only one written comment was received. When Pirtle-Guiney pressed on a deed restriction missing from the packet, City Administrator Michael Jordan said, "I won't sign it without that deed restriction" (03:03:44). In his last monthly report before leaving, Jordan told council the city's sheltering system "is sucking up a lot of the money that we have" (00:49:46). Councilors Smith, Morillo and Green pressed him on $21 million in unassigned Portland Housing Bureau funds that they said council learned of months after it was known internally, before adopting the budget. Smith said, "The mayor knew about this money, you knew about this money, and you all failed to tell us... You all were wrong" (00:57:39). Green said his confirmation vote for the next administrator would be contingent on protecting staff who share information "without retribution." Jordan said the "implied linkage between this money and the personnel issue you're referring to is not a complete picture" (01:14:37). Kanal reported the city recorded 32 traffic deaths through November 26 compared with 57 in 2024, but that District 2 accounts for 50% of this year's deaths while the other three districts fell sharply (01:04:06). Council approved a $60,000 settlement of an employment discrimination suit brought by a Portland Fire & Rescue district inspector, 11-0 (02:19:15). Fire Chief Lauren Johnson said the case exposed that each zone has only one inspector with no backup, prompting a review of inspection documentation. Council confirmed the reappointment of Catherine MacLeod to the Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Board, 10-0 (03:55:32), over testimony from Kevin Matches, who noted the board sets retiree cost-of-living adjustments and requests the property-tax levy — about a third of city property taxes, roughly $230 million this year and projected near $330 million by 2030. Several councilors said MacLeod had committed to engaging the Finance Committee on reforms. Council also confirmed appointments to the Revenue Division Appeals Board, the Portland Children's Levy Allocation Committee, and the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing, each 10-0, and approved three routine tax-code ordinances without debate. In public comment, Lacy Sutton described fire-safety and parking problems at the Cherry Blossom townhomes built by Habitat for Humanity in 2023, saying an ombudsman report found the plan review "broke down for reasons that have yet to be explained" before it was altered. Vitea Herman asked council to pull 1300 River Street from foreclosure to allow remediation, citing $65,000 in permitting costs and a $1.2 million bid to remove pilings from the river. The administration will develop options for a human-rights investment screen with interested council offices ahead of the 2026 investment policy, with community outreach. Rulemaking on the detention facility impact fee will return to council, with a work session promised. A Vision Zero quarterly report is expected in January. Jordan will appear at a City Club event on January 9. A homelessness and housing work session is scheduled later this week.Thu, 04 Dec 2025 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-11-19-0/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-11-19-0/The council passed an ordinance banning rental price-fixing algorithms 8-2, and gave first-reading approval to a fee on the landlords of immigration detention facilities after more than three hours of overwhelmingly hostile public testimony. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) presided; Mayor Keith Wilson did not vote. On second reading, the council adopted Councilor Angelita Morillo's (District 3) ordinance barring landlords from using algorithms to set rents, passing 8-2 with two members absent (00:47:26). Morillo said her office worked nine months on the policy and pointed to a settlement Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced the same day with Greystar, a corporate landlord. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said 10 states' attorneys general joined the lawsuit and that the company set prices for "950,000 rental units nationwide" (00:43:23). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) grounded it in antitrust law dating to the 1890s, calling it "Very much not a socialist thing, by the way" (00:36:05). Councilors Olivia Clark (District 4) and Dan Ryan (District 2) voted no. The debate opened with Ryan explaining a weekly message in which he wrote that the ordinance came from a "National Socialist playbook" — words he said were transposed from "socialist national" — adding it "means Nazism, something I reject and stand firmly against" (00:26:59). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) raised a point of order: "I haven't heard an apology about the Instagram post that inadvertently called numerous counselors of color a N***" (00:27:41). After Pirtle-Guiney ruled Ryan was addressing the ordinance, Avalos said, "I'm really disappointed that you made that whole speech and council did not include an apology" (00:29:35). Councilor Jamie Dunphy (District 1) said "1,400 neighbors are falling into homelessness every month in the city of Portland" (00:36:56). Morillo and Green brought an ordinance adding a new code chapter to levy an annual fee on property owners who lease land for detention facilities, plus a standalone nuisance section allowing civil penalties whose revenue may reimburse affected residents. Morillo's policy advisor, Susie Doister, presented the fee as a "Pigouvian" measure — making the parties best able to prevent harm bear its cost. Avalos said, "This isn't a revenue tool. It is a deterrence tool" (02:49:03). More than 36 people signed up, and most testified against. Speakers from Portland Contra las Deportaciones and the coalition to revoke the ICE permit called the fee "performative" and a "pay-to-play" system. Holly Brown told the council "shame on Councilor Morillo and Green for putting forth this performative stunt" (01:11:29). Several testifiers demanded the council revoke the McAdam facility's land-use permit rather than fine it, citing 560 arrests in the past month and a detainee held over 47 days. Blair Glennon, a nurse at Legacy Emanuel in District 2, said ICE has brought injured detainees to the hospital. Jayna Sweet said she was hit by "at least 30 rubber bullets" for holding a banner (02:19:14). Some supporters — lobbyists from the Democratic Socialists of America, Unite Oregon, and 1000 Friends of Oregon — backed the fee as a first step. Morillo said the fee will not apply to the current McAdam facility unless its lease is new, renewed, or renegotiated, but the nuisance provisions apply to any facility operating now. She stated she has given "no final opinion either way on whether or not we should revoke the ICE permit" because it is a pending land-use decision on which councilors must remain unbiased (02:46:14). City Administrator Jordan said the permit-data deadline had been extended to December 1 (02:46:33). Kanal pressed the administration on where the money would go and whether police overtime — he cited "roughly $800,000 of overtime" spent at the facility in June (03:06:21) — might drain funds before reaching neighbors. Jordan said the fee recovers "the full public cost," so "there's no finite fund," and that external stakeholders would be prioritized. Ryan asked whether the definition might sweep in behavioral-health or deflection centers; Jordan said the land-use definition excludes facilities without policing officers detaining people. The council adopted amendment "Morillo 1" 9-0, with three members absent (03:10:26). Because it is a non-emergency ordinance, the underlying measure was carried to the next meeting for a vote. Pirtle-Guiney issued repeated warnings and ordered several people ejected during testimony and deliberations. Isabella Shepard told her, "Your reminders are taking longer than the applause" (01:16:23). Speakers ejected included an individual in the front row, one shouting from the back, and one upstairs. Testifier Susan Anglada Bartley asked councilors to stop texting during testimony (01:34:42). Jordan Lewis, a DSA lobbyist, told the council to "hate ICE as much as you hate the immigrant women of color on Portland City Council" (02:12:39). Three people spoke during open comment. Brad Krishnamurthy, a Safer Portland Grant awardee with the Art of Living Foundation, described a breathwork program reaching about 160 students at Kellogg Middle School and a roughly 1,300-person event at the Oregon Convention Center. Alan Combs and Patrick Alexander of the Police Bureau's Training Advisory Council urged the mayor and councilors to attend a Community Academy and officer ride-along. Nathaniel Hudson Hartman, a rideshare driver of more than eight years, described drivers being deactivated without clear explanation, saying he had met seven drivers in as many days facing hardship, six of them immigrants. The detention-facility fee ordinance returns to the next meeting for a vote; its fee schedule would be set by administrative rulemaking after passage. The property owner's deadline to submit data in the permit-revocation process is December 1. Agenda item 4 was held over because council rules bar starting a new item after 9 p.m. without nine members present; it will be added to a recess meeting the following afternoon.Thu, 20 Nov 2025 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-11-19-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-11-19-1/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. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3), with co-sponsor Councilor Mitch Green (District 3), 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. The council adopted the amendment 9-0, with Avalos, Kanal, Ryan and others voting aye and Clark, Zimmerman and Novick absent (03:10:23). Because the underlying ordinance is a non-emergency first reading, no final vote was taken; it carries to the next meeting. Pirtle-Guiney gave repeated warnings against applause and snapping (01:13:46) and issued formal warnings before ordering ejections (02:00:32). After the amendment vote, the chamber broke into chants of "Revote or recall!" and "ICE out of Portland!" (03:10:45), and several people were ejected. Jordan Lewis of Portland Democratic Socialists of America, defending Morillo, told the council, "I just want to ask you all to hate ICE as much as you hate the immigrant woman of color on Portland City Council" (02:12:38). Earlier, the council passed Morillo's ordinance barring anti-competitive rental practices, including algorithmic pricing tools, on a second reading, 8-2, with Councilors Olivia Clark (District 4) and Ryan opposed and Zimmerman and Novick absent (00:47:28). Ryan said he "cannot support creating legislation without proof of a problem that needs solving" (00:26:00). The debate turned on a weekly message Ryan sent that, he said, inadvertently transposed "socialist national" into "National Socialist," which he acknowledged "means Nazism, something I reject and stand firmly against" (00:26:00). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said "what I didn't hear was an apology" (00:29:44). Councilor Jamie Dunphy (District 1) said "1,400 neighbors fall— are falling into homelessness every month in the city of Portland" (00:36:59). Morillo cited a settlement announced that day by Attorney General Dan Rayfield with the corporate landlord Greystar; Kanal noted 10 states' attorneys general joined the coalition and that the company priced 950,000 rental units nationwide, quoting Rayfield: "When the largest landlord in America uses an algorithm to price fix the rent, the result is simple. People pay more" (00:44:12). Pirtle-Guiney backed the measure while noting legal risk and uncertainty about whether it will lower rents. Five people spoke during open comment. A Frog Ferry representative said the city granted permission to use the Cathedral Park and River Place docks and that one electric ferry would displace 3,200 tons of greenhouse gas a year and 600 cars a day; the group needs $20 million to put one boat on the water (00:19:51). Rideshare driver Nathaniel Hudson Hartman said drivers can earn $100 in eight hours and are deactivated without appeal rights, describing seven drivers in seven days facing this, six of them immigrants (00:16:03). Members of the Police Bureau's Training Advisory Council urged councilors to attend a Community Academy and a ride-along. The consent agenda passed 10-0 (00:24:17). The detention facility fee ordinance returns for a vote at the council's next meeting. The permit revocation process remains with the city administration, with the property owner's information deadline now set for December 1. Consent items on tax code changes were passed to a second reading on December 3. Agenda item 4, on sharing business license tax data with the Bureau of Environmental Services, was deferred to a recess meeting the following afternoon after the council lacked the nine votes needed to start a new item after 9 p.m.Thu, 20 Nov 2025 02:00:00 GMThttps://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-10-29-1/https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2025-10-29-1/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. 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 3) 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. 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. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) asked why the city chose filtration over ultraviolet treatment. Engineering manager David Peters said a wildfire could wash sediment into reservoirs for years and that UV "would not have solved that problem" because it does not remove sediment (01:46:48). Dunphy relayed constituent fears, noting the original driver was Cryptosporidium and the cost is now about four times the original estimate. Smith said four wholesale customers — TVWD, Lusted Hill, Rockwood and Gresham — have left, and cited a District 1 average family salary of $60,000 against about $92,000 in other districts. Clark said the delay came from neighbors using the land use system, and that Portland is among the last cities of its size with unfiltered water. Eleven people submitted written testimony before the committee, raising cost escalation, ratepayer forecasting, alternative treatment and construction impacts along haul routes. The council adopted a resolution to keep operating under City Code Chapter 3.02, 8-2 (02:46:32), after a rules suspension earlier in the day added it to the agenda (00:14:39). Mayor Keith Wilson, presiding, said the item grants "Absolutely none" new powers and "just fulfills an administrative requirement" tied to an October 31 deadline (02:30:03). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) moved to strike "in the Governance Committee" from the second resolved clause, arguing the code says rules changes "generally will be referred to the full council without committee consideration" and that a resolution should not create an exception. The amendment failed on a 5-5 tie (02:45:55) — ayes from Green, Dunphy, Kanal, Morillo and Novick; nays from Clark, Zimmerman, Smith, Ryan and Pirtle-Guiney. Zimmerman said a handbook from "a small group" would not meet his expectation. Ryan said "I believe in the Governance Committee" and opposed the amendment. Deputy City Attorney Alan Yoder told Smith that "a resolution cannot change an ordinance" but council can agree to extend its current rules (02:41:02). When Clark asked what happens if the council missed the deadline — "do you go to jail?" — Wilson answered, "I think what happens is you all give me a firm finger wagging" (02:39:36). Clark, who said "I can't approve this without the amendment," and Morillo voted no. The council voted 9-0 to authorize a settlement accepting a $7.5 million lump-sum payment over the streetcar approach ramp near SE 2nd Avenue (00:37:57). Senior Deputy City Attorney Beth Woodard said the city sued TriMet and Stacy and Whitback in March 2022; PBOT Director Millicent Williams assured the funds could be used "for nothing other than the structure." Novick voted, "Great to approve a settlement. We're getting money" (00:37:49). The council passed to a second reading on November 5 an eminent-domain ordinance to replace an 80-year-old water main on SW Upper Drive, affecting 10 property owners; Dunphy noted no owners testified, saying "Silence is not consent" (01:38:08). Appointments to Tax Increment Financing District leadership committees passed on consent 9-0, and appointments to the Development Review Advisory Committee were accepted 10-0. Kanal's request for unanimous consent to count his late consent-agenda vote was blocked by an objection. Four people spoke. Blake Schell of Oregon Contemporary said Portland ranks 17th nationally for artistic vibrancy but 172nd for government support, and that after equity metrics were removed from art-tax grants, "45 of 80 groups lost funding while only the big 5 saw increases" (00:16:34). Harper Haverkamp urged decriminalizing sex work and directing police to stop arresting sex workers on 82nd. Donna Cohen of St. Johns warned that 60,000 people on the North Peninsula would be cut off in an earthquake and asked for a task force. Brian Owendoff of District 4 cited a report ranking Portland second-worst for total crime and said the city has "lost over 10,000 jobs," criticizing councilors' pledge to investigate city ties to the Israeli military. The fleet bond ordinance and the SW Upper Drive eminent-domain ordinance return for second readings on November 5. Wilson's Chapter 3.02 package is in legal review and is expected before the Governance Committee next month. The council meets in a recess session Thursday afternoon on Smith's resolution to initiate two disparity studies. The Water Bureau agreed to follow up with Smith on the possibility of adding new wholesale customers, and Permitting & Development staff agreed to report to Smith on system development charge waiver results.Thu, 30 Oct 2025 02:00:00 GMT