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03 — Motion to Add a Budget Note Reestablishing Independent Programmatic Analysis within the City Budget Office (Vote Passed)

Source: PDF pp. 44-45 ↗ · raw: 44 · 45

Breadcrumb: Councilor Morillo > 03 — Motion to Add a Budget Note Reestablishing Independent Programmatic Analysis within the City Budget Office (Vote Passed)

June 11, 2025 Councilor Morillo Morillo 01 – Motion to Amend the Budget to Transfer New Police Funding to Restore Parks Maintenance (Withdrawn) Motion to allocate one-time resources from the Portland Police Bureau to Portland Parks and Recreation to fund parks maintenance. • Increase one-time General Fund Discretionary resources by $2,000,000 in Portland Parks and Recreation to fund park maintenance program expenses. • Decrease one-time General Fund Discretionary resources to fund operating expenses in Portland Police Bureau by $2,000,000 to balance. • Update Attachments A-H as needed to reflect this change. Morillo 02 – Motion to Amend the Budget to Increase Transportation Network Company (TNC) Fees (Vote Passed) Motion to increase Transportation Network Company (TNC) Fees from the Mayor’s proposal of $1.30 to $2.00 for an estimated total of $5,000,000 in additional ongoing General Transportation revenue (GTR). • Increase bureau operating expenses and ongoing General Transportation revenue within Portland Bureau of Transportation by $5,000,000. • Update Attachments A-H as needed to reflect this change. Morillo 03 – Motion to Add a Budget Note Reestablishing Independent Programmatic Analysis within the City Budget Office (Vote Passed) Motion to Amend Attachment D and add a budget note to reinvest in the City Budget Office. The City acknowledges the critical role of the City Budget Office (CBO) in delivering independent, objective, and comprehensive analysis of bureau budget requests. Historically, the CBO has served as a cornerstone of Portland’s fiscal governance, leveraging institutional knowledge to assess program performance, scrutinize spending justifications and trends, and inform strategic policy decisions. For the FY 25/26 budget process, the discontinuation of comprehensive analyses of program, bureau, and service area budget trends has impeded the Council's ability to make informed decisions, leading to a reliance on bureau-submitted narratives without sufficient independent scrutiny. This shift has not only diminished the analytical depth available to decision-makers but has also resulted in a gradual loss of institutional expertise within the CBO. 44

June 11, 2025 To address these challenges and restore the CBO's foundational functions, the City Budget Office is directed to:

  1. Prioritize Independent Budget Assessments: Undertake thorough and impartial reviews of bureau budget submissions as well as the Mayor’s proposed budget, focusing on program effectiveness, alignment with city-wide priorities, and long- term fiscal sustainability.
  2. Establish Institutional Knowledge: Systematically document and disseminate accumulated insights into bureau operations, programmatic outcomes, and spending history to inform budget analyses and macro-level fiscal planning. Maintain subject-matter expertise on bureau programs and service area developments over time.
  3. Integrate Program-Level Analysis: Incorporate detailed evaluations of specific programs into broader assessments of bureau and service area budgets, facilitating a holistic understanding of resource allocation and service delivery.
  4. Enhance Transparency and Accountability: Provide clear, accessible reports that provide budget analyses and recommendations (e.g., areas of strategic investment, revenue generation options, analyses of budget tradeoffs, proposed solutions to problems identified by Council), enabling informed decision making by Council and the public.
  5. Collaborate with Oversight Bodies: Engage with entities such as the City Council, the City Auditor, and bureau staff at all levels to ensure that budget analyses address pertinent policy questions and fiscal challenges.
  6. Provide Annual Retrospective Performance and Budget Execution Reporting. As in prior years, prepare an annual retrospective performance and budget execution report each fall. This report should provide a comprehensive analysis of the previous fiscal year's budget implementation, evaluating program outcomes, expenditure patterns, and alignment with strategic objectives. By institutionalizing this practice, the CBO will enhance transparency, inform future budgeting decisions, and ensure accountability for resource utilization. CBO shall conduct 1-6 outlined above as a matter of course, routinely supporting informed decision-making without necessitating specific directives from the City Council. This budget note seeks to realign the City Budget Office's current operations with its established practices, ensuring that, within existing staffing levels, it continues to provide the City Council and the public with the detailed analyses and transparent reporting necessary for informed decision-making in our evolving governance landscape. CBO shall submit the first reporting in line with this note, the Annual Retrospective Reports, by October 15, 2025. 45

Parent: Councilor Morillo · PDF: pp. 44-45 ↗