FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2022
Notice of Upcoming Portland Charter Commission Public Hearings on Charter Amendments:
Contact
Sofia Alvarez-Castro, Charter Commission Engagement & Communications Coordinator, 503-865-6818, sofia.alvarez-castro@portlandoregon.gov
Subject
Phase II proposed amendments to the Portland city charter
Details
Thursday, November 17, 2022, 6:00-8:00pm, virtual public hearing
Saturday, November 19, 2022, 12:00-2:00pm, virtual public hearing
Other ways to provide input
You can provide comments at any time. The public comment period closes at 7:00am on Monday, November 28, 2022. Ways to submit comments:
- Email to CharterReview@portlandoregon.gov
- Phone call to 311
- In writing to: Office of Management and Finance, Charter Review, 1120 SW 5th Avenue, Room 901, Portland, OR 97204
Background
On October 18, 2022, the Portland Charter Commission, as part of its phase II work, preliminarily agreed on a series of proposal to advance to public hearings. The public hearings are opportunities for community members to provide input on the proposals advanced.
The Charter Commission will release the drafted charter amendment language along with impartial narratives drafted by the City Attorney’s Office on November 10, 2022. The Commission will provide an educational presentation at the beginning of each public hearing on the proposals and upcoming steps in the charter review process. For more information, visit Charter Commission.
| Charter Section | Summary |
|---|---|
| Delete 1-108 | Delete the charter provision that prohibits the City from mandating weatherization of structures built before September 1, 1979. |
| Amend 12-101 | Update language to reflect the City’s and Portland Parks & Recreation’s role in protecting, restoring, and enhancing natural systems and natural areas, including the urban forest, rivers and streams, to mitigate against the public heath, economic, and threats of climate change, biodiversity loss and invasive species. |
| Amend 2-105(a) & 11-301 | Add as one of the City’s specific powers and amend the City’s authority regarding its sewage disposal and purification system to include various specific actions related to the protection and management of water, sewage and stormwater. |
| Delete 2-105(a)(50) | Delete the charter provision granting the City the power and authority “to prohibit persons from roaming the streets at unseasonable hours.” |
| Amend 2-105(a)(36) | Remove the reference to “offensive” businesses in the City’s power and authority to regulate, restrain and to provide for the exclusion from the City trades, occupations or businesses which may in the opinion of the Council create or constitute a nuisance and to regulate uses of land and structures within the City. |
| Amend 10-205; 10-207; 10-213. Delete 10-208 & 10-212 | Remove outdated, burdensome, and redundant requirements for franchise agreements. |
| Amend 7-113 | Remove the 5% cap on transient lodgings tax imposed by the City. |
| Amend 1-106 | Increase claims negotiation, compromise and settlement authority from $5,000 to $25,000. Payments exceeding $25,000 must be authorized by ordinance. Note: only if voters do not approve phase I recommendations which include a proposed increase. |
| Amend 2-1008; 4-101; 12-102 | Update and make consistent references to “protected classes” in the charter. |
| Amend 2-206 & 2-110 | Replace “disability” with “incapacity” and “disabled” with “incapacitated” when referencing an official’s inability to perform their duties. |
| Amend 3-401 | Create an Independent Portland Elections Commission. |
| Add 2-1101; 2-1102; 2-1103 | Add an environment charter Article that (a) ensures environmental justice is a core value of the City; (b) requires the City to assess the climate impact of its decisions and actively manage the decline of fossil fuel use; and (c)creates a right to a clean and healthy environment. |
| Add Article 1, Section 1-108 | Ensure meaningful public engagement is a core value of the City. |
| Add 2-129 | Require the City to create by ordinance a participatory budgeting program open to all residents. |
| Add 3-111 | Require the City to extend the right to vote, including to noncitizens, to the fullest extent allowed by law and require the City to conduct periodic voter education campaigns |