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Label:
Ordinance
Add Appointed Boards, Commissions and Committees Code (add Code Chapter 3.40)
Passed
Amended by Council
The City of Portland ordains.
Section 1. The Council finds:
- Portland City Code does not address Citywide policy for the City's appointed boards, commissions and committees (ABCs).
- The City prioritizes public participation in City processes. One of the most important forums for such public participation is through service on ABCs.
- ABCs align with and advance the City's core values of anti-racism, equity, transparency, communication, collaboration, and fiscal responsibility.
- There is a broad range and diversity of ABCs – each with unique functions, yet all playing a role in promoting community-centered governance.
- ABCs improve City policies and operations; increase accountability in government actions; enhance public trust and legitimacy; promote inclusive and collaborative governance; strengthen civic engagement and representation; and advance racial justice and equity.
- In May 2017, the Council passed Resolution 37285 to strengthen transparency and accountability of City ABCs.
- In October 2017, the Council passed Resolution 37328 to enhance community service opportunities and strengthen the transparency and accountability of City ABCs.
- In April 2019, the first annual report on ABCs was submitted to the Council as required by Resolution 37328 and reported accomplishments on the resolution's directives. No subsequent report was submitted.
- On November 5, 2022, Portland voters passed significant Charter reforms, raising questions about what the changes meant for ABCs and highlighting the need for clarity and coordination between the executive and legislative branches in ABC processes.
- In early 2024, an internal Restructuring Advisory Bodies Workgroup formed to create a proposal to restructure the City's ABCs. The workgroup was paused in June 2024 to await the hiring of the City's first Engagement Officer and to focus on creating an inventory of the City's ABCs.
- In February 2025, the Government Transition Advisory Committee recommended the City review and reform its overall approach to ABCs in the context of the new form of government, district representation, and a renewed emphasis on system-wide community engagement.
- On March 31, 2025, the Engagement Officer presented the Advisory Bodies Enhancement Project to the City Council Governance Committee.
- The Advisory Bodies Enhancement Project considered previous ABC feedback, existing City materials, Council direction, staff liaison expertise, peer city research and local jurisdictional review, internal workgroup thought partnership, and community feedback through an online survey, email, a community event, community input sessions and public testimony.
- The Advisory Body Enhancement Project made specific recommendations to align ABCs with the new form of government and create standardized equity-centered practices across the City's ABCs.
- The City should improve its practices related to the lifecycle of ABCs from creation through dissolution and the composition of ABCs.
- ABC members must behave professionally and ethically and comply with applicable City Code and rule provisions.
- ABC membership should expand the number and diversity of people and voices represented with members being closely connected to the City.
- The City should equip members with the supports necessary to succeed in their roles and reduce barriers that may prevent some community members form being able to serve.
- We envision an ABC Program that provides support and coordination to ABCs, implements the policy directives of Council, and proposes and adopts practices to achieve the purpose of the City Code Chapter.
- It is in the best interest of the public for ABCs to align with practices similar to those recommended in the Advisory Bodies Enhancement Project Final Report, Exhibit A.
- Implementing the recommendations requires amending the City Code to add policy direction. The Mayor and Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governance Committee jointly have proposed a new Chapter of Code, as shown in Exhibit B.
- The City Code authorizes the City Administrator to adopt administrative rules and procedures necessary to implement adopted City Code and Charter provisions.
- The Council will set its own procedures, such as how the Council engages ABCs and how the Council confirms Mayoral appointments to ABCs.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:
- Add City Code Chapter 3.40 as shown in Exhibit B.
- The City Administrator will report back to City Council in a work session by May 29, 2026 to discuss and to receive feedback on implementation priorities and the proposed implementation plan.
- The City Administrator will ensure that the Council receives a written implementation report within six months of the passage of this Ordinance that includes but will not be limited to progress on the elements in Exhibit A – Final Project Report ("Implementation" and "Continuous Improvement" sections).
- The City Administrator will ensure that the Council and the Mayor receive annual reports on the Appointed Boards, Commissions and Committees Program.
Exhibits and attachments
Download fileExhibit A 796.78 KB
Download fileExhibit B - original 69.07 KB
Download filePresentation 1.54 MB
Download fileTestimony 304.35 KB
An ordinance when passed by the Council shall be signed by the Auditor. It shall be carefully filed and preserved
in the custody of the Auditor (City Charter Chapter 2 Article 1 Section 2-122)
Passed as amended by Council
Auditor of the City of Portland
Simone Rede
Impact Statement
Purpose of proposed legislation and background information
Purpose of Proposed Legislation
- The City's Advisory Body Program fits the new mayor-council form of government and district-based representation;
- There's a shared understanding about why we have ABCs and there are shared expectations for staff, members, and recipients of the ABCs' advice;
- Applicable practices are equity-centered and standardized across the City's ABCs;
- ABCs address a goal or need of the City and the people serving have meaningful experiences; and
- Portlanders know how to find and engage with the ABCs' work.
Background Information
- The significant charter reforms passed by voters in November 2022 raised questions about what the changes meant for the advisory body program and the need for clarity and coordination between the executive and legislative branches in advisory body processes. However, this work didn't begin with charter reform.
- In 2017, City Council passed two resolutions to strengthen transparency and accountability of City advisory bodies. At that time, the City lacked a database of advisory bodies, had no standard training for staff or members, and didn't' require conflict of interest disclosures. Council recognized the need for a more comprehensive approach to advisory bodies and directed development of an inventory and certain citywide practices. These resolutions effectively created the City's Advisory Body Program and placed it in the then Office of neighborhood Involvement – now the Office of Community and Civic Life.
- Over the next two years, there was some progress on a comprehensive citywide approach - a common application form, mandatory conflict of interest forms, online trainings for members, a centralized recruitment webpage, tracking of applicant demographic data, a bylaws template, and quarterly convenings of staff liaisons to advisory bodies – were all initiated.
- In 2019, the Advisory Bodies Program issued its first annual report, but no subsequent reports were ever published.
- The continued evolution of advisory bodies stalled around 2020 due, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic and staff turnover.
- This project picks that work back up and doing so with the new catalyst of the form of government change.
Financial and budgetary impacts
Financial and Budgetary Impacts
- This project is primarily a "back office" reorganization for standardization and efficiencies. The goal is to streamline the bureaucracy related to ABCs. In so doing, the system should realize cost effectiveness. For example, the project will ensure Citywide templates for a wide variety of tasks such as application forms, conflict of interest disclosures, demographic survey, scoring rubrics, annual reports and workplans, bylaws, participation agreements, resignation forms, exit interview forms, creation of new advisory bodies forms, and recruitment templates.
- The project includes new practices that will ensure new ABCs aren't duplicative and consider resources requirements. Prior to completing a creation form, the sponsor of a proposed ABC will share the intended purpose, duties and responsibilities with the engagement officer. The officer will assist the sponsor in reviewing existing ABCs to ensure there aren't other bodies with the same or similar purpose, duties and functions. The required creation form includes resource requirements for the body's work, including budget and staffing needs, and whether there are dedicated resources.
- The project includes an assessment of existing ABCs. That assessment will lead to a code cleanup package in 2026 that is likely to produce a reduction in the number of ABCs.
- The project provides for ongoing periodic review of existing ABCs. The review will consider whether any ABCs are inactive, outdated, duplicative or conflicting, ongoing but could be time- or action-limited, and not aligned with the Citywide practices.The review should assess the capacity of the City to well-resource the list of reviewed ABCs. "Well-resourced" refers to the City's ability to stay up to date with appointments, provide adequate staffing, budgeting to maintain their work, access to information for volunteers, and integrate the work of the ABCs into the City's work.
- Prioritization of ABCs for retention should be made consciously and consistent with charter, law, and the overall priorities of the City. Budget resources for ABCs should follow priorities.
- ABCs consistent with standardized practices may increase staff workload by setting expectations for staff support and have cost impacts for some ABCs, e.g., renting rooms and increasing openness of meetings, providing minutes or recordings of meeting, reimbursing members for expenses, paying stipends, and providing City email addresses for members. Staff may request additional resources in the FY26-27 budget. Alternatively, some ABCs may transition to less formal sounding boards or community consultations.
- Finally, the project proposes consolidation of certain ABC practices that may reduce costs Citywide, e.g. moving to fixed recruitments and confirmations, and providing onboarding at fixed times per year across advisory bodies.
Economic and real estate development impacts
Not applicable. This action does not impact economic and real estate development.
Community impacts and community involvement
Community Impacts
- Enhanced ABCs will improve City policies and operations, increase accountability in government actions, enhance public trust and legitimacy, promote inclusive and collaborative governance, strengthen civic engagement and representation, and advance racial justice and equity.
- To align with the City's core value of transparency, ABCs will have meetings open to the public making it easier for Portlanders to find and engage with the work of the City's advisory bodies.
- Applicants to ABCs will go through a well-organized vetting process that increases information to applicants, honors people's time, and timely confirms appointments.
- The diversity of applicant pools and those appointed and retained will be increased and Portlanders will be able to see themselves reflected on the City's ABCs.
- Members of ABCs will have shared expectations, resources and supports necessary to succeed in their roles, reduced barriers that prevent service, experience streamlined City processes, and have increased opportunities to engage with City leadership and each other.
- By streamlining administrative tasks across the broad range and diversity of ABCs, the City aims to better support and amplify the voices of ABC members, helping them more effectively advance the missions of the ABCs.
Community Involvement
- Previous advisory body member feedback. Earlier this year, the Government Transition Advisory Committee (GTAC) recommended the City review and reform its overall approach to advisory bodies (see pages 22-23 of theFinal Report). The recommendation was based, in part, on GTAC members' experiences and their survey of members and staff of City budget advisory committees. Some concerns raised by past advisory body members include unclear committee objectives, limited time, lack of training and access to information, and unclear authority, e.g., many survey respondents expressed uncertainty about whether City leadership considers advisory bodies' recommendations.
- New community input. Community input was invited throughout the project. Monthly project status updates were released from July to September 2025. The updates were distributed to past applicants of City advisory bodies, attendees at the City's budget listening sessions, community-based organizations including neighborhood associations, and published in the City's Rose City Connection newsletter. The monthly updates included invitations for community members to provide feedback through an online survey or via email. Thirty-five responses were received to the survey and via email. Project staff were invited to attend a City Club of Portland New Leaders Council event to discuss the City's advisory bodies and the project. About 15 people attended the event and provided input. Finally, the City hosted two community input sessions to take feedback on the proposed Citywide practices. Twenty community members participated. The Governance Committee received an update on the project and public testimony was taken. The community input from the survey, email, event, community input sessions, and public testimony were incorporated into the final project proposal.
100% renewable goal
Not applicable. This action does not increase or decrease the City's total energy use and does not increase or decrease the City's renewable energy use.
Economic and real estate development analysis
Analysis provided by Prosper Portland
An Economic and Real Estate Development Impact Analysis was not submitted for this proposed action. Pursuant to City Council Resolution 37664, Prosper Portland staff has reviewed the action and agree that it does not require an Economic and Real Estate Development Impact Analysis.
Document history
Document number: 2025-471
President's referral: Governance Committee