Portland City Council ends police budget clash with unexpected twist

A last-ditch effort to

restore $1.9 million in Portland police funding

took an unexpected turn Wednesday as councilors debated amendments to the city’s upcoming budget.

But the effort quickly fizzled, ending a

weeks-long fight across political lines

over how much money to give cops as Portland continues to recover from pandemic-era crime spikes.

Rather than giving a budget boost solely to police, councilors approved setting aside money for all public safety bureaus – fire, 911, Portland Street Response and emergency management — to help them recruit workers. The move was largely viewed as a compromise as police leaders

fought to increase their budget

and other bureaus absorbed cuts.

Last month, the City Council voted 7-5 to divert $1.9 million the mayor set aside for police to Portland Parks & Recreations, to stave off maintenance cuts. But that didn’t sit right with some councilors, at least one of whom likened the effort to “defunding” measures from 2020.

Wednesday’s discussion was kicked off by Councilor Steve Novick, who proposed bumping up next year’s Police Bureau budget by carrying over $1.9 million from the bureau’s $3 million in unspent funds this year. Those funds don’t automatically roll over.

But instead, Councilor Mitch Green proposed taking $2.2 million from the unspent police funds and moving it into a council-controlled kitty that all public safety bureaus, not just police, could access with City Council approval.

Novick then immediately withdrew his own proposal and stood behind Green’s, calling it a “friendly” replacement.

“Public safety is more than police,” Green said. “It’s this whole service area, and I think that there are other elements within the public safety service area that also need capacity building resources.”

Councilors approved Green’s proposal in an 11-1 vote. City Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane was the lone “no” vote.

“I told (Portland Police Association) President (Sgt.) Aaron Schmautz that while I supported folks having conversations, I did want to stay out of this,” she said. “It felt like it was getting messy and because I believe this will pass without my vote, it feels right for me to vote no.”

How much money should go to police has been a hotly debated topic for weeks.

Mayor Keith Wilson initially proposed giving the Police Bureau $318 million for 2025-26, up from $308 million this year. But some councilors balked, leading to the 7-5 vote on May 21.

Councilors Candace Avalos and Angelita Morillo, who pushed for that, had argued the Police Bureau could withstand cuts as other city bureaus were also trimming their budgets.

But police leaders and Bob Cozzie, interim deputy city administrator for public safety

,

said the bureau would have to curtail crucial services that rely on overtime dollars if it didn’t get those additional dollars.

“This is not the time to make these adjustments,” Police Chief Bob Day said last week.

Some of that debate continued Wednesday. Morillo said she was “extremely beyond frustrated” that the Police Bureau and some city councilors fought hard for the extra dollars. She also said police only very recently told city councilors about the unspent funds.

“When the bureau is talking about being in dire consequences year after year, why are we not looking at the special revenue fund and not told about this additional $3 million as we were making our decisions?” Morillo asked.

Avalos said she felt this amendment was the result of “councilors being pressured.”

Green said his idea was not about reversing the council’s vote last month. He called his amendment an “opportunity for more than just police to come to the table.”

Cozzie said he can work with Green’s proposal: “This helps build a training pipeline for all public safety bureaus that need (it).”

Separately, councilors voted 8-4 against a proposal from Avalos to move 75% of the money budgeted for projected police overtime, about $15 million, into a council-controlled fund. Councilors agreed that police need to decrease overtime spending, but many said they did not believe this fund was the best way to do so.

Wilson also voiced his disapproval.

“If we have to come back to council for requests, it doesn’t allow us the dynamic necessary for a fast-changing environment,” he said.

—

Zaeem Shaikh covers the Portland Police Bureau and criminal justice issues for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-221-4323,

zshaikh@oregonian.com

or on X

@zaeemshake

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