Budget Amendment Wrap Up

In this article

Neighbors,

Over three long days of budget amendments, we caught a glimpse of what's possible when we fight for our values. Thank you to the many Portlanders for taking the time out of your day to share your perspective and give your input on our budget.

While not all of our amendments crossed the finish line, I am excited to share that one of my amendments got passed, Green 3, which will invest $1 million in hygiene and public sanitation.

Wins

Council was able to move more than a dozen amendments to restore vital services. The passage of these amendments belongs to every person who called, wrote, and showed up to support:

• Morillo 1 reversed cuts to Portland Street Response, CHAT, Project Ceasefire, and Summer Free for All. These programs save lives and build community safety.
• Kanal 2 restored a fire engine and on-duty firefighters to Station 22, serving St. Johns and the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub.
• Green 3 and Green 6, the Sanitation, Hygiene, and Workforce Development amendment, redirects $1 million from the city's $14.9 million sweeps budget into public bathrooms, free laundry, showers, tent-side litter collection, and low-barrier job pathways. Constantly displacing traumatized people doesn't solve homelessness, it prolongs it. The Green 3 amendment takes concrete steps to respect both people and public spaces by investing in hygiene and public sanitation programs.
• Smith 1 will restore $532,000 to the SummerWorks workforce training program by drawing from a cannabis tax reserve fund.
• Novick-Morillo 1 creates a City Data and Privacy Office by allocating $800,000 from various sources.

City Council approves $8.5 billion budget to close historic shortfall

Council is Split 6 - 6 on Labor, Public Safety, Housing, and Environmental Justice

We have to be thoughtful about how we cut and preserve core services and employees because of the impacts on our city and Portlanders like you.

The Mayor's proposed budget made cuts that we fought to restore, but much of the budget amendment process this week laid bare a council split right down the middle when it comes to protecting immigrants, restoring rank and file city jobs, funding public and fire safety, and oversight on city contracts.

The below amendments that I introduced failed on a 6 - 6 vote split and were amongst many that did not make it over the finish line this time around. I want to deeply thank my colleagues Councilors Avalos (D1), Dunphy (D1), Kanal (D2), Koyama-Lane (D3), and Morillo (D3) for voting yes on all of the following amendments and showing up for their constituents. I hope my other colleagues will support these common-sense amendments in the future.

Did not pass: Portland Fire and Rescue First (Green 1), would have provided ongoing funding towards Station 22's fire engine and personnel, as well as restoring half of our rescue teams by trimming managerial bloat at the City. I heard from many neighbors from Linton to St. John's about how devastating the mayor's cuts to station 22 would be, so my office went hard to work to create an amendment that provided long term funding. I am frankly shocked the Mayor's budget cut this out of the budget in the first place, but I am thankful that Kanal 2 ended up funding the fire station with a 7 - 5 vote (which I whole heartedly voted yes on).

Did not pass: Proven Pathways to Housing amendment (Green 2) would have tied future shelter funding to measurable outcomes and transparency from the city's largest shelter contractor, Urban Alchemy, who is currently embroiled in serious sexual assault and drug abuse allegations. It also would have invested a minutia of the shelter's budget into democratic micro-villages that deliver better results at lower cost. The allegations from shelter residents against Urban Alchemy are significant, so I will continue to support Councilors Kanal and Avalos in performing oversight on Urban Alchemy in the coming months to prevent this from being swept under the rug.

Did not pass: Core Realignment Pause (Novick-Morillo-Green 1), would have reallocated $8M total to maintain 46 rank and file jobs, maintained core city services, and protected jobs in transportation, parks, sewer, water, technology, and community services.

What Comes Next

The budget amendment process can only take us so far. I will continue to fight for front line workers, protecting precious climate dollars, invest in dignified housing and public hygiene, and supporting oversight.

Your testimony and input made these budget wins possible, and your support will continue to be essential in the months ahead.

Thank you for staying in this fight for a Portland that provides safety and dignity for everyone.

In solidarity,

Councilor Mitch Green