Last week, after hours of deliberation, tough choices, many long nights, and deep community engagement, the Portland City Council adopted our City budget for the next year.
As your Councilor, I won’t pretend that this budget reflects everything that District 3 residents care about. However, I do believe this budget marks meaningful progress for our City. We secured key investments in our beloved parks, infrastructure, full spectrum community safety, and strong governance. My commitment to my constituents this budget season was to never stop fighting for those who have long been denied a seat at the table, and I’m proud of the work our team did to stay true to these values. I’d love to share with you what we secured for our district:
The most talked about amendment from this year’s budget discussions was Councilor Avalos’ “Police to Parks” amendment, which redirects $2 million from the Mayor’s proposed budget for Portland Police Bureau towards Portland Parks. When I saw devastating cuts to Parks in Mayor Wilson’s proposed budget, I knew we had to get creative about how to fill those gaps and maintain critical services for our communities. That’s why I worked with Councilor Avalos to introduce this amendment that put money back where Portlanders have told us it should go: in our Parks system.
I’ve heard some folks say that we’re “defunding the police” (we’re not – they’re still getting $10 million more than last year) or that what Portland needs most is more money for a bigger force (they don’t – they have 90+ fully funded vacancies already and a “special revenue fund” filled with over $6 million in asset forfeiture profits and designed to support police hiring). But the thing I want to highlight with this amendment is that Portlanders overwhelmingly have said that if given the choice between funding parks or police, they would choose parks.
That’s why I also passed an amendment to further bolster our parks maintenance budget by $1 million by reallocating surplus cash from the Golf Fund. I looked at the Golf Fund as a sensible funding source because it currently contains seven times the amount recommended by city policy. And when Parks is facing such dire cuts, I wanted to give programs with a rich surplus the chance to save services that people of Portland love and rely on.
And finally, when I heard overwhelmingly from District 3 residents that one of the most critical needs families are seeing in our parks is bathroom maintenance, I donated the remaining $230k from my office budget to fund repairs to restroom facilities. Portlanders deserve clean, safe public spaces to build community connections and cultivate belonging.
Delivering on Infrastructure
Portlanders have told me consistently that our roads and greenways need to be smoother and safer. To bolster the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s budget for infrastructure maintenance, I worked with my colleagues on Council to pass a modest but meaningful fee on rideshare trips that will add an estimated $5 million for road repair and safety. By adding a reasonable fee to the cost of every rideshare trip – just half the cost of a Trimet ticket – we are investing in the basic public goods that make our city safer and more accessible for everyone. And as the only transit-dependent member of City Council, I know firsthand how critical it is for our transportation system to run smoothly for all Portlanders, and not just those who can afford a private ride.
Breaking the Black Box of Local Government
When I worked in City Hall doing constituent services, I learned that the way city government functions is often a mystery to most Portlanders. Since then, I’ve made it a priority to pull back the curtain for everyday folks on how our city works. That’s why I’m proud to have championed three critical amendments that will make our city government more accountable, transparent, and focused on the public good.
First, I brought back independent analysis within the City Budget Office – something that once was a core part of how our budget was reviewed but has been lost in recent years. This change means the budget office will once again provide regular, honest assessments of city programs, helping ensure public money is being used effectively. The other two amendments I drafted and passed take this even further: one amendment establishes a budget transparency package that gives Council access to clear information about how money is spent, and the other amendment adds oversight to the Mayor’s “enterprise efficiencies” plan, to ensure that any efforts to save money are aligned with the public’s priorities. Together, these amendments help shift power back to the people and make our city budget work for everyone, because we shouldn’t need an advanced economics degree to know how our public dollars are being spent.
Ensuring People Powered Elections
With my Morillo 6 amendment, we secured funding in this year’s budget for the Small Donor Elections program – a major win for democracy and working class political power in Portland. The Small Donor Elections Program helps reduce the influence of big money in our elections and ensures that everyday people – not just the wealthy and well-connected – can run for office and can win. I’m living proof that this program works: without it, I couldn’t have run the kind of grassroots campaign that made me your Councilor. When we support candidates who have broad community support and not just corporate backing, we can build a city government that actually reflects the diversity of Portland.
Advancing Evidence-Based Policing
In this budget, I put forth and successfully passed an amendment to finally put unused police funds to work for the public good. For years, money in the Police Special Revenue Fund, made up of asset forfeiture dollars, or money that comes from property or cash seized by police during criminal investigations, often from legally innocent individuals, has been sitting idle. My amendment requires the Portland Police Bureau to use these long-stagnant dollars to team up with independent researchers and evaluate crime prevention and public safety programs using real data and proven methods. This means measuring what truly works, not just what sounds tough or gets headlines.
Building Something Together
The last thing I want to say about Team Morillo’s budget work this season is this: putting together an $8.6 billion city budget requires collaboration, negotiation, balance, vision, and a lot of iced coffee (I take mine with oat milk and a little vanilla). I worked closely with my colleagues on Council to shape this budget, and I’m encouraged by what we’ve achieved together around shared values. I’m especially proud of my team’s work to help draft and advance Councilor Green’s omnibus amendment package that reflects our shared priorities: investing in essential services that Portlanders rely on, promoting full-spectrum public safety strategies, keeping community arts vibrant, and making public spaces more active and welcoming. In the face of a federal administration that uses authoritarian tactics to threaten our social safety net, it’s been meaningful to work here in Portland alongside colleagues who share a commitment to collective care for those who need it most.
Crafting this budget wasn’t easy. But throughout the process, the thing that kept me grounded the most was hearing directly from you. Your stories, your brilliant ideas, your critiques, and your vision for a stronger Portland all helped shape this budget, and they will continue to shape every fight ahead. Thank you for being in this hard and beautiful work with me. I am honored to serve you.
In solidarity,
Councilor Angelita Morillo