Press Release PDF:
Today, City Administrator Michael Jordan released a preliminary budget document indicating that in order to close its large budget deficit, the City will need to make significant cuts to some combination of public safety, parks, and housing / homeless services.
Councilor Steve Novick said that “although nobody wants to cut any of those things, the math is unavoidable. Seventy-nine percent of the City’s discretionary General Fund budget goes to police, fire, 9-1-1, other public safety services, park, and housing / homeless services. So, unless we’re going to raise taxes, those services are at risk.”
Factors driving the budget deficit include low property tax revenues from downtown buildings, whose value has suffered from sky-high vacancy rates, and the expiration of federal funding for public safety and homeless services.
Novick released a pie-chart of the current City budget that shows the remaining twenty-one percent of the discretionary budget goes to other important stuff, including HR, legal, neighborhood involvement, elected officials’ offices, and economic development.
Novick urged all Portlanders to participate in the budget discussions, which will include forums by Council district in April. “In addition to telling us which big categories should be cut most, or cut least, give us examples of specific cuts, if you can. Or, if you think we need to consider raising taxes, tell us a specific tax we should explore.”
Novick noted that the Portland Bureau of Transportation also faces severe cuts, “but that conversation is a bit different because PBOT relies on dedicated revenues that can’t be spent on anything else. The General Fund relies on property taxes and business taxes which can be spent on anything, meaning that you have choices about how much to spend or cut between public safety, parks, etc.”
Contact Information:
Spencer Knowles