Investments in equity, COVID recovery, violence prevention and environmental stewardship top Mayor Ted Wheeler’s list of budget priorities for the City’s annual fall spending review.

Each fall the Portland City Council reviews the City’s budget to determine whether any mid-year changes are needed because of new and unforeseen circumstances. The fall check-in typically is used for technical adjustments and small changes. This year, because of fiscal uncertainty caused by the pandemic, Council is considering more significant decisions.

The Mayor seeks to take measured steps to rebuild reserves while also making targeted investments to help Portland recover equitably and sustainably. Below is a description of the Mayor’s proposal (please note the dollar figures are approximate, may be rounded, and are subject to change).

Equity Community Investments

Community Reinvestment Initiative

Around the country, communities are calling for divestment from police agencies and reinvestment in community. The Mayor’s 19-point racial justice plan calls for reducing the Police Bureau’s budget and reinvesting in communities of color. The Mayor is partnering with City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly to propose a $3 million investment in a community-led process empowering Black Portlanders to decide how best to invest in the community. We will work with Reimagine Oregon and other community partners to design this process.

Approximately $1.9 million would come from ongoing cannabis tax revenues previously dedicated to the Police Bureau. An additional $1.5 million will be made available from one-time funds. The balance will be used to help staff, support and report on the process.

“Community members know what they need to advance public safety and economic empowerment,” the Mayor said. “This proposal will give the community voice and votes to decide how best to invest in the changes needed to advance equity and racial justice.”

Increasing the City’s Capacity to Advance Equity

People of color, indigenous people and members of the LGBTQIA+ community face barriers related to employment, health care, policing, education and more. The Mayor is committed to building city employees’ capacity to understand and fight for equal access to opportunity for everyone and to build relationships with community-based organizations. To do so, the Mayor will ask the Council to create new positions focused on equity and justice.

LGBTQIA+ Policy Analyst

This new position in the Office of Equity and Human Rights will supplement analysts who currently focus on racial equity. The position will help ensure every City bureau works to provide equal opportunity to members of the LGBTQIA+ community and to remove barriers faced by LGBTQIA+ people. Just as important, the position will increase the City’s ability to partner with organizations like the Cascade Aids Project, Pride Northwest and the Human Rights Campaign. The position will be supported with $125,000 in ongoing revenue.

Increased Capacity for the Office of Equity and Human Rights

The Mayor will ask the Council to support three new positions in the Office of Equity and Human Rights. The positions will focus on providing more training for City employees, on data analysis to ensure the City is making progress on its equity goals, and on increasing the accessibility of all City facilities and programs. The request also includes support for two AmeriCorps VISTA interns who will focus on Black male achievement. Finally, the Mayor will direct that bureaus jointly fund a fourth position focused on civil rights investigations and trainings. Combined, these requests require $430,000 in ongoing funds.

“We need better understanding and capacity among our employees, and we need a stronger focus on accountability for progress. This proposal helps us accomplish both these important objectives,” the Mayor said.

Improving Tribal Relations

The city of Portland has one of the largest urban Native American populations in the nation. Tens of thousands of tribal members live in the City. The City is a leader in working to improve relations with Native Americans and with Tribal nations. Currently, the City’s tribal relations program has two staff. The success created by the City’s one liaison, while significant, does not match the City’s goals of making Portland a destination for Native people to live, work and visit, and to ensure Native people are visible and supported.

“We need to weave knowledge of and respect for Native people and culture into the fabric of the City’s operations and relationships. That requires more than one person,” the Mayor said.

That’s why the Mayor will ask Council to approve a third position to support the existing tribal liaisons’ highly successful work. The new position requires $130,000 in ongoing funds.

COVID-19 Recovery

Portland was in the first wave of cities responding to the pandemic this spring. With both City funds and federal relief dollars, Council prioritized immediate relief to vulnerable renters, people living outside, and small businesses. The City stood up its Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) to keep people informed about the latest public health information and to ensure a coordinated City response to the pandemic. The ECC continues to work closely with Multnomah County to ensure the health and safety of people experiencing homelessness.

The Mayor’s proposal continues funding for the ECC so no staff there are laid off; invests in the central city so it is clean, healthy, and welcoming to employees and visitors; and offers a lifeline for City-owned arts venues to avoid higher costs down the road.

Housing Stability and Safe Sleep Options

The Mayor has prioritized renter and homeowner stability, and the safety of people experiencing homelessness, since the pandemic began. In his proposal, $3.6 million in federal funds is allocated for several hundred additional shelter beds through the cold and rainy winter months, and $1.4 million will support rent assistance to help people stay in their homes.

Two important programs to help people experiencing homelessness stay healthy and safe are funded with federal money that expires at the end of this calendar year: three outdoor camps serving about 100 people each; and 100 port-a-potties places throughout the community. The Mayor proposes to use unspent funds from the Portland Street Response, on a one-time basis, to continue these services through the end of this fiscal year. This allocation is $2.1 million in total.

Sustaining the COVID-19 Emergency Coordination Center

In addition, the Mayor also is asking to City Council to approve continued support for operation of the COVID Emergency Coordination Center with a one-time allocation of $290,000 to match FEMA funds supporting operations at the ECC.

Garbage and Litter Pick-Up

COVID health guidelines are changing how we live and work, and have affected how we are managing shared public spaces. That’s why the Mayor is asking the Council to approve an additional $800,000 for garbage and litter collection and to support the work of the Homelessness and Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program. The Mayor is requesting $650,000 in one-time funds and an additional $150,000 from reallocations within the existing budget.

Additionally, the Mayor proposes $77,000 in one-time dollars to extend our contract and continue our partnership with SOLVE for Keep it Pretty, Rose City cleanup events. This level of funding will allow SOLVE to expand their events and increase engagement in underserved neighborhoods, especially East Portland. This investment will fund the agreement through the end of 2021.

Downtown Retail Activation

Cleaning up Downtown is a great start. The Mayor also wants to help Downtown business re-open safely and help bring customers back to the City’s core. That’s why the Mayor is seeking Council approval of a one-time investment to support ongoing marketing of downtown’s wide range of open shops and businesses.

The Mayor seeks to invest $150,000 with Travel Portland, which is working closely with an array of partners including the Old Town Community Association, Portland Business Alliance, public agencies, and other community partners to raise the profile of businesses that are open downtown.

The Mayor also will ask the Council to make a one-time investment of $50,000 in Prosper Portland’s work to activate downtown neighborhoods. Prosper is working with local business and community groups to sponsor open-air markets, performances and other activities designed to bring people into the downtown core. This one-time $200,000 investment will be redirected from the City’s spectator venues fund.

Maintaining the Viability of City-Owned Performing Arts Venues

City-owned facilities operated by Portland’5 Centers for the Arts include the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, the Keller Auditorium, Antoinette Hatfield Hall and the Winningstad Theater, Newmark Theater and Brunish Theater. To protect public health, these City-owned facilities are closed.

Although some of the venues are offering virtual programs, revenues are not sufficient to sustain operations while the City of Portland and Multnomah County are still in Phase I of COVID recovery. To avoid major costs to the City, and to ensure the venues are ready to reopen when conditions allow, the Mayor is asking the City Council to approve a one-time investment of $1.6 million to maintain minimal staffing and maintenance.

“Our arts venues bring culture, people and jobs to our downtown. We need to them to be ready to re-open when conditions permit. We need to protect our past investment in these important community assets,” Mayor Wheeler said.

Violence Prevention

Enhancing the Public Health Response to Gun Violence

The COVID-19 crisis is increasing stresses and strains on people across the Portland community at the same time social distancing and other public health guidelines make providing social services more difficult and expensive than ever. One terrible result is an alarming increase in gun violence.

“Just like a virus, ending gun violence requires prevention, education and intervention,” the Mayor said. “We know what to do. We need the resources to do it. That’s why I am asking the City Council to increase its investment in the Office of Violence Prevention,” he said.

The Office of Violence Prevention works on the root causes of violence to both prevent violent incidents and reduce the need for law enforcement. The office coordinates resources and services, administers grants for non-profit organizations that strengthen community, and facilitates community conversation and problem-solving. Given the COVID-caused crises in our community, the need for more community-based violence prevention and problem solving has never been greater.

The Mayor is asking the Council to approve two new positions for the program. One will provide support for the office’s existing staff to increase their capacity and effectiveness. The other will focus on coordinating programs designed to foster existing and grow new community partnerships to prevent violence before it occurs. The Mayor seeks $271,000 in ongoing funds to support this vital work.

Environmental Stewardship

Portland has long been a leader in environmental stewardship. There is increasing urgency to protect Portland’s environment and for the City to do its part in the fight against climate change. The Mayor’s proposal makes several investments to keep important work going.

FEMA Floodplain Update

The National Flood Insurance Program is managed by FEMA and provides renters, homeowners, and businesses insurance coverage for flood damage. The program is complex, but a key feature is that local floodplain management rules must comply with Endangered Species Act protections for wild salmon and steelhead. City bureaus are working on a multi-year project to keep local certification and maintain flood insurance protection for the people of Portland. $260,000 in one-time funds will allow the City to meet a critical FEMA deadline, stay in compliance, and continue important community engagement about the future of floodplain management and flood protection.

Columbia River Levee Reconstruction

Portland is part of a group called Levee Ready Columbia working to bring the Columbia River’s local system of flood control levees, 27 miles in total, up to federal standards so local residents and business owners qualify for affordable flood insurance. Setting aside $315,000 on an ongoing basis ensures Portland continues to meet its obligations.

Dark Skies

The Portland Dark Skies Project will reduce light pollution in Portland, reducing negative health impacts to humans and negative impacts on wildlife, reducing energy waste, and bringing back the night sky. Last year, Council directed the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to develop recommendations to get us there. In his proposal, Mayor Wheeler directs the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to develop a budget proposal to fund an important piece of the solution, Code updates, for Council's consideration as soon as practicable and no later than the Spring FY 2021-22 Supplemental Budget Process.

Willamette River Superfund Clean-up

In 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River a Superfund Site. This is one of the most complex superfund sites in the country, and it wasn’t until 2017 that EPA released its final clean-up plan. The City is partnering with the EPA and others to make sure the work is moving forward and being led by community values and organizations. $1 million in one-time resources will ensure the City meets its obligations.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-10-21 17:22:37

Last Update: 2020-10-21 17:41:51