Portland City Council PM Session 07/15/26

The Portland City Council held a meeting on July 15, 2026, primarily focused on budgetary and staffing issues related to city services. Two competing supplemental budget ordinances were discussed: one, the "Save Our Services" ordinance, aimed at restoring 48 frontline city positions across various bureaus including parks, transportation, fire, and unarmed police responders, funded largely through Portland Clean Energy Fund interest income; the other, the "Risk Reduction Rescue" plan, proposed by a different council faction, sought to restore fewer positions and included funding for police training and the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability (OCPA) but involved controversial funding mechanisms that could pressure OCPA's budget. Extensive public testimony and council debate highlighted concerns about layoffs, funding sources, and the independence of the OCPA. Amendments were proposed and voted on, but no final ordinance was passed during the session. The council decided to continue the budget discussion in a recessed meeting the following day with a second reading and vote planned for the subsequent week. The meeting also included public communications on topics such as autonomous vehicles and community safety, but the central procurement-related focus was on budget allocations and staffing restorations.