Portland Courant

As Portland embarks on one of the biggest transformations in our history, we are coming together as a City Council to establish a roadmap for the next two years. We must move quickly, thoughtfully, and strategically to deliver a new form of government to Portlanders come January 2025.  

Next week, we will vote on a resolution to provide clear leadership and direction as we implement voter-approved changes to Portland’s election system and form of government – while continuing to address today’s most pressing challenges with urgency and innovation. 

First, the resolution directs Chief Administrative Officer Michael Jordan to implement Ballot Measure 26-228. He is leading a charter transition team who will manage Portland’s shift to ranked-choice voting, the establishment of geographic districts and expanded City Council, and reorganization for a Mayor/City Administrator style of bureau management. CAO Jordan and the transition team are engaging with the community through various commissions to develop and bring code revisions to the City Council for approval.   

Second, the resolution builds on bureau alignment and provides Commissioners-in-Charge with focused priorities, and with a process to prepare their service area for management by a City Administrator.  

Portlanders are counting on us TODAY to make the city safer, expand access to safe and affordable housing, address homelessness, revitalize the economy, and enhance neighborhoods. That’s why the resolution establishes 90-day action plans across the five service areas to better organize the City of Portland’s work and improve service delivery.  

Over the next two years City Council will work as a team to prioritize and accelerate the improvements that Portland needs. We are here to serve the city we love, together.  

Learn More 

Learn more about the City of Portland’s transition or apply to serve on an advisory body at Portland.gov/Transition.

Action Plan Highlights 

Administration, Homelessness, and Police: Mayor Ted Wheeler 

• Advance homelessness council resolutions through key actions, including siting, permitting, and beginning construction of three new temporary alternative shelters, hiring outreach staff, and selecting site operators.  
• Advance public safety initiatives, including finalizing a long-term strategy to reduce gun violence. 
• Activate the city through community events, focused support to improve livability, and continued investment in addressing graffiti. 

Community and Economic Development: Commissioner Carmen Rubio 

• Increase affordable housing production through the identification of publicly owned sites, development of a proposal to incentivize office-to-housing conversion projects, and more. 
• Advance actions to improve permitting services across seven bureaus, making it simpler, faster, and less expensive to secure city permits. 
• Advance economic and workforce development projects, including City Council adoption of an Inclusive Economic Development Strategy in partnership with Mayor Wheeler. 

Public Works: Commissioner Mingus Mapps 

• Improve the cleanliness, safety, and access to City right-of-way and address safety concerns at critical infrastructure sites in partnership with the Mayor’s Office. 
• Improve traffic safety and decrease traffic fatalities in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, the Portland Police Bureau, and other local law enforcement agencies. 
• Identify and invest in opportunities to address climate change within their service area and decarbonization of the transportation system. 
• Continue streamlining permitting services with a focus on expediting affordable and multi-family housing, in partnership with Commissioner Rubio’s Office. 

Public Safety: Commissioner Rene Gonzalez 

• Analyze policies and procedures across public safety bureaus to align with new temporary alternative shelter approaches.
• Continue to improve call answer wait and response times for emergency services.  
• Work in partnership on shared initiatives such as developing a cross-bureau emergency management and crisis response plan. 

Culture and Livability: Commissioner Dan Ryan 

• Continue the implementation of Safe Rest Villages program, including opening the Sunderland RV Safe Park and beginning construction of the Peninsula Crossing and Reedway villages. 
• Realign the licensing, compliance and regulation sections of Civic Life (cannabis, liquor, and noise), which will place like service areas within the appropriate oversight bureau.  
• Implement an organizational assessment on the effectiveness of the Office of Equity and Human Rights strategy results and determine opportunities to strengthen the strategic plan and reach throughout other bureaus. 
• Develop a work plan for the integration of services related to nature, green infrastructure, watershed management, natural areas, urban tree canopy and other areas of alignment, including a new organizational and reporting structure that reforms and enhances central service delivery, meets regulatory and financial requirements and best practices. 
• Work with the City Arts Program to evaluate the City’s current model of contracted arts-related services for impact, performance and opportunities for improvement. 

Original source can be found here.