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Portland Mayor Keith Wilson released his $8.5 billion proposed city budget Monday afternoon for the upcoming fiscal year. To close a $160 million gap in the general fund, Wilson seeks to cut 145 jobs and make substantial cuts to police, fire and parks.
He also seeks to help close the gap by using $44 million in reserve and contingency funds, $27 million in interest from the Portland Clean Energy Fund, and increased fees and charges to raise $7.4 million. He wants to withhold $30 million generally transferred to Multnomah County for homeless services to spend on the city’s own homelessness initiatives.
Wilson’s cuts span nearly all of the bureaus funded by the general fund, but the biggest cuts are concentrated in parks, police and fire. He’s emphasized that the cuts would preserve all sworn police officer and firefighter jobs.
Under Wilson’s proposal, $21.7 million would be cut from the Police Bureau for items like technology, administrative support, and external materials and services. One of the bigger cuts would slash $4.5 million from the police’s public safety support specialist program, which allows nonsworn, unarmed staff to help with police work and respond to low-priority 911 calls.
Parks would see a $13 million cut under the mayor’s proposal, with reduced community center hours, less maintenance, and a delayed opening of the North Portland Aquatic Center.
Wilson would cut $7.1 million from Portland Fire & Rescue by eliminating one engine, reducing hours that the bureau’s two-person rescue teams are available, and delaying planned equipment replacements.
And finally, Wilson proposes slashing his overnight shelter budget by $18 million, or 31% of the program’s total budget. On its face, that would suggest Wilson plans to shutter some of his overnight shelter beds that he rapidly opened last year (with mixed results). But since his budget proposes withholding the transfer of $30 million to Multnomah County for homelessness services and infusing it back into the city’s shelter program, it’s unclear whether his shelter program would see an increased or decreased budget.
Wilson’s cuts to police, fire and parks are sure to be controversial, though city councilors have rightly pointed out that funding for those three bureaus make up the bulk of the general fund and must be looked at for cost savings. Most councilors have seemed adamant about avoiding any cuts to parks, given that Portland voters in November passed an increased Parks Levy with the expectation that parks would remain in their current condition.
Wilson also claims in his proposed budget that streamlining staff and services across once-siloed bureaus under the old form of government would result in $21 million in savings this upcoming budget year.
On Monday evening, the fire and police unions expressed their displeasure with Wilson’s cuts.
“Portlanders will be less safe under this budget proposal. Plain and simple,” said Portland Fire Fighters Association president Isaac McLennan. Portland Police Association president Aaron Schmautz said the cuts would do “generational damage.”
During the City Council’s first meeting about the budget on Tuesday morning, city employees represented by AFSCME Local 189 filled the chambers in green shirts. Union leaders and members implored the council during testimony to avoid cuts to city jobs and to instead make cuts to consultants and other third parties hired by the city to perform work.
Meanwhile, one councilor seemed generally pleased by Wilson’s proposal. Councilor Olivia Clark told WW it is “painful but balanced,” and said Wilson spoke to every councilor and “took what he heard and crafted a budget proposal that makes the necessary cuts.”
The City Council will weigh, debate and make changes to Wilson’s proposed budget in coming weeks. The final budget must be passed in June.
