Portland shifts $2M from police to parks in preliminary budget
May 22, 2025, 4:26 PM
Portland's homeless problem is "the biggest humanitarian crisis our city has ever faced," Mayor Keith Wilson said. (Photo courtesy of the city of Portland)
(Photo courtesy of the city of Portland)
The Portland City Council approved Mayor Keith Wilson’s preliminary budget that shifts $2 million from the Portland Police Bureau to park maintenance, according to KATU.
The media outlet reported the controversial amendment was approved 7-5 near midnight Wednesday after a 15-hour session.
The budget included an increase in ride-share fees from $.65 to $2 for services like Lyft and Uber. City councilors said the fees will generate roughly $10 million, which will be delegated to the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
In addition, the budget added a $5 increase in golfing fees, which is expected to create $1 million for park maintenance.
“We’ve talked about grass and weeds. We’ve talked about fire hazards, which is a very obvious public safety need. We’ve talked about reducing restroom cleanings. Turf maintenance and facility repairs and taking out the trash. These are the things that really affect people who go to parks,” Councilor Sameer Kanal said, as reported by KATU.
City councilors’ opinions on the Portland budget
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City Councilor Eric Zimmerman shared his opposing view of the preliminary budget ruling.
“I have never seen a City Council be so giddy to cut public safety, this is serious stuff. Right now is not the time to cut public safety,” Zimmerman said, according to The Oregonian.
Zimmerman’s statements seem to reflect the opinions of businesses in the Portland area, like the Trail Blazers and Timbers owners, who wrote a letter to the city council asking for public safety to remain a priority in the city’s budget.
Councilor Sameer Kanal defended the idea of diverting additional police funds toward other city necessities.
Deciding not to increase the police budget isn’t the same thing as cutting the police budget, and characterizing it as such is disingenuous.
In a year of shared sacrifice, let’s also work to save the things that are the difference between surviving and thriving.
#PDXBudget #Uncrease
— Councilor Sameer Kanal (@councilorkanal.bsky.social) May 22, 2025 at 12:17 AM
When the mayor first started working on a new budget in February, the shortfall was just more than $90 million. In the budget approval on Wednesday, the city says shortfalls in other funds have reached roughly $150 million, according to KATU.
A final vote on the preliminary budget will happen on June 18.
Read more of Jason Sutich’s stories here.
