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

Read the transcript and follow along on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-20-2

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

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

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

Council security divides the dais

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

Police accountability fund becomes the flashpoint

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

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-19-1

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

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

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

Three technical budget amendments approved

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

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

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

A challenge to the president at the gavel

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

Hours of testimony on the city budget

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

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-18-1

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

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

Read the transcript and follow along on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-14-ws-1

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

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

Water bonds and the Bull Run filtration plant

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

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

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

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

Law enforcement identification ordinance

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

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-13-1

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

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

What the police budget would cut

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

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

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

Prevention programs and the gun-violence data

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

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

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

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-13-ws-1

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

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

A shelter system that shrinks and concentrates

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

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

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

Climate money for street cleaning

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

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

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

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

The core services realignment

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

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

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

Councilors challenge the process

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

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

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-08-ws-1

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

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

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

Moda Center and the Clean Energy Fund

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

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

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

Prosper Portland cuts

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

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-07-ws-1

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

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

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

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

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

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

Arts tax rewrite draws support from arts groups and schools

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

Continue reading the summary and transcript on Windowbox: https://portland.windowbox.app/meetings/2026-05-06-1

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