Portland faces a $160 million budget gap for 2026-27. City councilors proposed amendments to the mayor’s budget that would reduce top administrative pay, save a North Portland fire station, and prevent the mayor from using clean energy funds. Councilors also proposed shifting about $10 million from the Office of Community-based Police Accountability, which is funded at 5% of the Police Bureau budget by law, toward Portland Police Bureau and other public safety programs. The proposed reallocation aimed to restore cuts to fire and police administrative and support teams and to fund street outreach services. The police oversight diversion amendment failed 6-6 after debate.
"District 1 Councilor Loretta Smith, along with District 2 Councilors Dan Ryan and Elana Pirtle-Guiney, District 3 Councilor Steve Novick and District 4 Councilor Olivia Clark, floated an amendment that would divert about $10 million from Portland's new independent police oversight system toward the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and other public safety programs slated for cuts. The amendment failed in a 6-6 vote, after a heated conversation between councilors. (Councilor Candace Avalos called the amendment a "slap in the face of voters...[and] police accountability.")"
"The councilors wanted to shift $10 million in what they say are under-utilized funds from the Office of Community-based Police Accountability (OCPA), which receives funding proportional to 5 percent of the Police Bureau's annual budget, by law. The OCPA isn't fully operational yet and has yet to hire a professional investigative staff or begin reviewing complaints."
"The amendment would have divided OCPA funds to restore cuts at Portland Fire & Rescue and PPB's administrative and public safety support specialist teams. Some of the money would've gone to the Community Health Assess Treat (CHAT) street team service and pol"
Read at Portland Mercury
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]