Windowbox · Portland City Council

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clean energy fund money stays with housing

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

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

Civil-rights protections for diverse families

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

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

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

The number that grew to $170 million

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Housing funds postponed after fight over process

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

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

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

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

Alaska Airlines hangar clears Enterprise Zone step

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

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

Community police oversight board loses an alternate before its first meeting

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

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

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

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

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

Council split over the housing fund oversight hearing

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

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

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

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

$20.7 million in renter fees splits the council

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The recommendations and the bureau's response

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

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

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

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

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

Renter money fight dominates the meeting

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

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

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

What testifiers said

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

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

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

Governance handbook adopted

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

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

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

Budget calendar amended to add district listening sessions

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

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