190588

The City of Portland ordains: 

Section 1. The Council finds:

1. Francis Gehman, through attorney J. Michael Harris, filed a lawsuit against the City and Commissioner Dan Ryan for damages involving the Portland Housing Bureau’s (PHB) denial of Plaintiff’s application for an exemption from paying relocation assistance. 

2. PHB consulted its legal counsel and believes that the potential time and cost the bureau could incur in defending the lawsuit places a burden on and creates potential risk to the bureau. Therefore, to avoid the burden and potential risk associated with defending the lawsuit, PHB feels its prudent to compromise the lawsuit at this time. 

NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:

1. The Mayor and the Auditor are hereby authorized to draw and deliver a check in the amount of $15,000 made payable to “Reeves Kahn Hennessy & Elkins Client Trust Account”.
2. PHB will execute a payment authorization in the amount set forth in sub-paragraph (a) above.

Section 2. The Council declares that an emergency exists in order to avoid undue and costly delay in settling this lawsuit; therefore, this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Council.