Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler unveiled a proposed $7.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year on Thursday that he says will continue the city’s ongoing efforts to drive down homelessness and crime while boosting economic recovery and livability.
“Those are Portlanders’ top concerns. Those are my top priorities,” Wheeler said in a video statement released with his 322-page fiscal blueprint. “We must remain responsive in addressing our community’s most pressing challenges.”
The mayor did not have to propose any significant cuts to balance next year’s budget, which begins July 1, due to a modest boost in business tax revenue as well as an estimated $27 million in additional property taxes spurred by the sunset of two urban renewal districts, documents show.
He will recommend the city spend $708 million, a 1% increase from the current $701 million, in discretionary funds, which comprise the bulk of the city’s general fund, Assistant Budget Director Christy Owen told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Friday morning.
The mayor highlighted a handful of proposed initiatives during his pre-recorded announcement. They include $5.3 million to hire an additional 43 police officers, $2 million to beef up enforcement and towing of derelict RVs and $800,000 for small business grants and events.
Wheeler said he’s asked the City Council to spend over $21 million next year on trash and litter cleanup, graffiti abatement and homeless camp sweeps.
His proposal also includes $1.5 million to restore and return the city’s iconic Thompson Elk Fountain to Southwest Main Street, a task that’s faced dashed promises and repeated delays.
“This statue is a symbol of Portland’s healing and recovery, especially in the heart of downtown,” Wheeler said.
In a separate statement Thursday, his office said the mayor “is concerned about the cumulative impacts of increased rates and fees across city bureaus.”
Nevertheless, the mayor “has included these increases within his proposed budget for discussion with Council and the public,” the statement said.
Those increases include a 6.6% hike on water and sewer services, a 20% rise in parking meter rates and 5% increases across a number of building and development permits, according to city budget officials and documents.
Overall, the city’s workforce would grow by 54 under Wheeler’s proposed budget to nearly 7,300 employees, with the environmental services, parks and water bureaus adding 22, 26 and 31 new positions, respectively.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation, which continues to reel from diminished parking and gas tax revenues, would be the only major agency to reduce staff, with a proposed 18-person cut. Several other positions would also be slashed across a handful of smaller bureaus.
The city’s general fund normally represents about 10% of the entire city budget, which consists mostly of services paid for by water ratepayers, city permit holders and others who pay the city fees for services.
Roughly 70% of the city’s general fund budget goes to just four agencies: the police and fire bureaus, Portland Parks & Recreation and the homeless services agency jointly run by Portland and Multnomah County.
The City Council will hold a public hearing on Wheeler’s proposal May 11 before voting on it later this month.
— Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632
Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com
Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh
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