City Councilor: PBOT budget presentation ‘most depressing’

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Olivia Clark has only been on the Portland City Council for four months. But she described Monday’s presentation on the budget woes facing the Portland Bureau of Transportation “the most depressing presentation” she’s seen to date.

“If anybody thinks that we’re going to be able to address the potholes that are all over town, we’re in deep trouble,” said Clark.

The City of Portland is facing a $93 million budget deficit. To fill the gap, City Administrator Michael Jordan is proposing to slash roughly $38 million from PBOT.

“Literally every Portlander will be hurt by this,” said Millicent Williams the Director of PBOT of the cuts that would affect road work, lights and jobs.

Deputy Director of Finance and Administration Jeramy Patton said the reductions are “going to seem quite dire, and they are because we’re cutting almost half of a lot of those programs or full programs in some cases, as we move forward.”

Pothole work is just one of several projects at risk of going away due to the budget constraints. Others include repairs to streets and traffic lights in areas that are not in a high traffic corridor.

“They would go to four-way stops,” said Williams. “So imagine turning the clock back 30, 40, 50 years on moving around the city safely and efficiently.”

It would also mean getting rid of street sweeping and leaf days entirely.

“That’s a huge challenge. That affects everything. And it affects, not just as a condition, but, you know, things get into the waterway, and you’ll see flooding in the streets. It’s really quite the impact,” Williams said.

Cutting those programs means an estimated 150 people will lose their jobs.

“If we end up laying staff off, that could impact other bureaus as well because of opportunities for people to bump into other positions,” she said.

These recommendations will go to the mayor, the city administrator and the city council for review. Mayor Keith Willson will release his budget proposal on May 5.

“Portlanders have actively shared their priorities for our city’s budget by attending listening sessions, calling, and writing to my office about the programs that matter most to them and their families. My budget proposal will carefully reflect this input to ensure we’re funding services that align with community needs,” Mayor Willson said in a statement.

Clark said the council will “wait and see” what Wilson proposes. “And then we, as a council, will have an opportunity to provide feedback and potentially amendments to that budget.”