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Here’s the plan, Portland

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler releases $7.1 billion proposed budget for 2023-2024

The sun shines between two tall buildings in downtown portland, with the river in the foreground, under a stormy sky

Are changes on the horizon? | Photo by @photozulu

Mayor Ted Wheeler has released a $7.1 billion budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which funds services provided by 28 city bureaus and 7,299 employees. Let’s break it down by the main priorities.

Homelessness

In order to treat unhoused people and connected substance abuse and mental health issues, the budget dedicates $43.3 million to continue operating over 400 congregate shelter beds. Additionally, 625 new units of affordable housing are expected in 2023.

Public safety

An emphasis on hiring within the Portland Police Bureau will be boosted by $5.3 million of ongoing dollars to bring on 300 new officers and add 43 new sworn officer positions by the end of FY 2024-25. There will also be funding for stolen vehicle recovery efforts and theft investigation/prosecution.

Additionally, $2.6 million will be allocated to reinstate Portland Fire and Rescue’s rapid response vehicle and maintain Portland Street Response — a Portland Fire & Rescue program which helps those experiencing mental health crises.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler signs a document sitting at a large desk with a small Portland flag on it. — The mayor’s proposed budget fully covers the costs of public safety services like police, fire, and 911.
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Photo via City of Portland

Economic recovery + livability

The mayor’s office outlines the reduction of urban camping, trash collection, and graffiti abatement as key aspects of the city’s post-pandemic recovery and will maintain current service levels for supporting programs — like SOLVE — by allocating $21.7 million.

Charter reform

In November 2022, Portlanders voted to overhaul the city’s current form of government. To date, $9.5 million has been spent on staffing, consulting, and education to implement ranked choice voting, a 12-person City Council, and other changes come January 1, 2025.

Rate and fee increases

As a measure against inflation and increasing construction costs on projects like the Bull Run filtration facility, there is a proposed rate increase for water and sewer services of 6.59%. This would mean an annual increase of $106.80 for a typical single-family unit.

What’s next?

The council will have a work session for the proposed budget on Tuesday, May 9 from 9-11:30 a.m., which will be available online. After that, there will be a City Budget Hearing on Thursday, May 11 from 6:30-8:30 p.m., also available online.

Both meetings are open to the public. Read up on how to prepare to attend a council meeting in City Hall.

The vote to adopt the final budget is planned for June.

Events

Monday, May 8

DnD One Shot Night | Monday, May 8 | 5-8 p.m. | Wonderwood Springs, 8811 N. Lombard St., Portland | Free | Grab your dice and your crew for grog, good times, and campaigns designed to be completed in one sitting.
“Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror” | Monday, May 8 | 7-10:30 p.m. | Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., Portland | Free | Horror fans will find this documentary to be scary good.

Tuesday, May 9

Greater Portland Young Parent Fair | Tuesday, May 9 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | KingPins, 3550 SE 92nd Ave., Portland | Free | Dress up for the “sports” theme and win prizes at this day of family fun.
Rebecca Heisman | Tuesday, May 9 | 7 p.m. | Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St., Portland | Free | Hear from the author of “Flight Paths,” the never-before-told tale of scientists’ quest to understand bird migration.
Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros | Tuesday, May 9 | 3-5 p.m. | St. Johns Library, 7510 N. Charleston Ave., Portland | Free | Celebrate children and multilingual literacy at this event featuring, music, culture, and activity kits.

Wednesday, May 10

(Re)Bloom | Wednesday, May 10 | 6-7 p.m. | The Bidwell Marriott, 520 SW Broadway, Portland | $33 | Find your inner peace at this sound bath and meditation session.
Dermot Kennedy: The Sonder Tour | Wednesday, May 10 | 7:30 p.m. | Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., Portland | $39.50+ | The Irish singer/songwriter just has that power over the audience.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Community

A California-based nonprofit called Urban Alchemy will operate the Safe Rest Village coming to the Peninsula Crossing site in North Portland — the second that the organization will oversee in the city. An opening date has not yet been revealed, but construction is nearly finished. (KOIN)

Job

Do flashing lights and the roar of the crowd give you life? Start an exciting new career at the Pacific Northwest Sports & Entertainment Career Fair, hosted by the Portland Thorns on Wednesday, May 31. Meet hiring managers from local teams and then watch an NWSL Challenge Cup game for $30.

Portlander

The Grand Marshal of this year’s Starlight Parade is ready to shine. Drag performer Poison Waters will be at the head of the Saturday, June 3, procession — the first of three during the Rose Festival. Check out the planned route to be sure you get good seats. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Ranked

Portland came in at No. 2 on real estate platform Zumper’s list of best cities in the country for digital nomads. The study factored public transportation, cost of short-term housing, entertainment, restaurants, air quality, and perhaps most importantly, publicly available WiFi. (Zumper)

Outdoors

The future of fish bounty hunting is here. Registration for the program that rewards anglers for catching invasive pikeminnow on the Columbia and Snake rivers can now be completed on a smartphone. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Shop

She doesn’t need another bouquet of flowers — give mom the gift of learning a new language instead. Bonus: Get 55% off.*
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and we’re helping you choose the perfect gift for your favorite educators. Show them love with Marble and Steel Craft Chocolates or a handwritten note using a Joy Paper Co. card.

Travel

Itching to take a vacation? How about exploring some of our favorite destinations on the East Coast? We’ve rounded up a list of five drool-worthy vacation spots just for you. This romantic chateau in Nova Scotia is one of our favorites on the list. See the rest.

Asked

We want to know — what are your go-to tattoo shops and favorite artists in Portland?

Who do you think does the best ink? We’re putting together a roundup of places to get a tattoo in the City of Roses and want to include our readers’ input.

Send us those recs

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Ben

From the editor

I’ve had tattoos on the mind lately — and on the skin. Last week I got a bumblebee inked on my arm as an homage to my last name, McBee, and I’m buzzin’ with how it turned out.

Shout out to Birdhouse Tattoo for creating such a chill environment, and specifically, huge praise to my artist Ruth Callaway. Check out their work.

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