Tough Budget Choices, and a Poll
Right now, City Council is waiting to see the Mayor’s proposed budget on May 5th. The word on the street is that of the four major General Fund areas – police, fire, homeless services, and parks – he is likely to focus cuts on parks, especially outdoor parks maintenance. I am not going to vote for a budget that slashes outdoor parks maintenance and based on a poll that President Pirtle-Guiney and I released, Portlanders are not a fan of that idea either. Rather to my surprise, Portlanders were more willing to cut police than parks, and in particular they were very protective of regular maintenance of the outdoor parks (as opposed to community centers, which people were more willing to cut).
To underscore why I really don’t want to cut parks maintenance, here is what former Parks director Zari Santner told me when I asked her to spell out what happens when you stop daily maintenance of major parks like Mt. Tabor:
" Daily maintenance of parks includes cleaning and stocking bathrooms, watering and mowing grass, picking up trash, removing debris, (including needles and dog poop), from playground surfaces, weekly safety checks of all playground equipment, prepping and removing safety hazards from sports fields, playgrounds and picnic areas, providing water and mulch for community gardens, providing power for lights and irrigation for the sports fields, ornamental vegetation, and grass in group picnic areas. These are maintenance activities that occur in every park and bigger parks like Mt. Tabor, with more facilities, require even more.
Without these activities, Mt. Tabor’s restrooms will be covered with graffiti, broken windows and moss sodden or collapsing roofs. Picnic tables and benches will be rotten or graffiti covered, grass and weeds will be so tall that they could become a fire hazard in summertime and will be filled with garbage and other hazardous material. Playgrounds will be unsafe for children to play, and there will be vandalism in all our parks because an unkempt park sends an invitation to do so.
The problem is, after a mere couple of years of neglect and abandonment, it will cost so much more to renovate the parks and get them ready for use whereas reopening a few mothballed community centers will be far less costly. "
Council will have just a couple of weeks to amend and adopt a semi-final budget, then another chance to make amendments in June. (I won’t torture you by explaining the weird state budget laws that govern the process). Take a look at the poll toplines below and let us know what you think at our final District 3 listening session on May 10th.
Connecting with the Community
Serving on City Council means I get to engage with Portlanders across the city. Recently, I’ve joined a rally with the local APWU in support of postal workers, ridden along with Portland’s incredible CHAT (Community Health and Treat) team, and had countless conversations with neighbors, advocates, and
community leaders. I love learning from my fellow Portlanders and sometimes being able to help out on a particular issue—and I also deeply appreciate how understanding people are in the cases where someone raises an issue, and I have to tell them that I might not be able to help very much.
Bring on the Committees
Council has also overseen the creation of eight committees to help develop policy ideas, streamline city government, and provide more opportunities for the public to get involved and make their voices heard. I'm currently serving on four committees and am the co-chair of two:
- Climate, Resilience, and Land Use - Co-Chair
- Community and Public Safety - Co-Chair
- Labor and Workforce Development
- Finance
Our committees meet every two weeks. You can stay up to date on our committee agendas here or watch committee sessions live on our Youtube channel.
When You Bring in the Noise
Earlier this month, when Councilor Dunphy introduced his new Noise Ordinance to the Public Safety Committee, I reminded everyone that—in the words a certain Broadway musical—“when you bring in 'da noise," you’ve got to "bring in 'da funk” too.
Since then, I’ve been asking around City Hall what song should be Portland’s official Funk Anthem. Some favorites so far:
- "Got to Give It Up" by Marvin Gaye
- “Slow Down” by Portland legends Ural Thomas & The Pain.
- “Flashlight” by Parliament (the choice of former State Senator Avel Gordly).
My own candidates would include:
- “Give Up the Funk” by Parliament.
- “Theme from Shaft” by Isaac Hayes.
- “Get Down on It” by Kool & the Gang
Have a favorite of your own? Follow us on Instagram at @councilornovick and let us know what you think!
Final Town Hall on May 10th
This week we had the second of three Budget Town Halls in District 3. We heard a ton of interesting and important questions from community members, and we're excited to keep the momentum going. So, if you have thoughts about the poll results or want your voice heard on any budgetary topics, come to our final District 3 Town Hall which will be hosted on Saturday, May 10th at Lane Middle School. Come have pizza and let us know what you think of the Mayor's proposed budget cuts. You can RSVP to the final District 3 listening session here.