Councilor Koyama Lane Delivers for Vision Zero

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Portland, OR - Nearly one month ago, Portland City Council passed the Transportation Utility Fee (TUF), an ordinance for a monthly municipal charge to be added to utility bills to fund basic road maintenance and safety improvements. The fee takes effect in January 2027.

Included in the ordinance is a critical amendment boosting Vision Zero and transportation safety efforts, put forward by Councilors Koyama Lane and Zimmerman. Passed just before the mayor's FY 2026-2027 budget was released, this major win for Vision Zero aligns with the budget priorities of District 3 residents, as reflected in the results from Councilor Koyama Lane's budget survey.

"We completed a budget survey and heard from over 600 residents, including voices from every single neighborhood in District 3," said Koyama Lane. "Our TUF amendment falls within the top 10 budget priorities I heard from my constituents: street repair and maintenance, active transportation infrastructure, and traffic safety and Vision Zero."

Supporting and improving the Vision Zero program is a signature part of Councilor Koyama Lane's policy platform. In September of 2025, she sponsored a Vision Zero Resolution, an actionable framework passed unanimously by the Portland City Council. The resolution recommits the City to eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by mandating cross-bureau collaboration, establishing a centralized Vision Zero Task Force, and more.

This amendment requires that 75% of revenues must be used to maintain, preserve, and rehabilitate existing transportation infrastructure, e.g., paving, pothole repair, traffic signals, sidewalks, bike lanes, and ADA upgrades. These are foundational for safe, day-to-day movement around the city.

More specifically, 25% is earmarked for transportation safety and is split into two categories: 12.5% specifically targets Vision Zero improvements (preventing traffic deaths and serious injuries), and the other 12.5% goes to the Sidewalk Improvement and Paving Program (SIPP), which funds work for sidewalks and pathways to improve safety.

Though the TUF ordinance adds a new monthly fee to residents' utility bills, low-income households will get rate relief using existing utility assistance programs. Additionally, for the first time, relief now expressly extends to renters in multifamily housing who don't receive their own utility bills. One of Councilor Koyama Lane's upcoming priorities is to look into an overall utilities rate restructuring as part of a broader economic justice agenda for low-income Portlanders.

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