The City Has 865 Unfilled Positions Across The City. Will It Eliminate Some to Fill Its Budget Hole?

“We are very much looking to reduce vacant positions to the extent possible to close the FY 2025-26 budget gap.”

The City Council's first meeting. (Sophie Peel)
By Sophie Peel

The city of Portland faces a $27 million budget gap, a figure likely to rise in the coming months due to ongoing labor negotiations, rising health care costs, and a $11.3 million staffing increase proposed by the new City Council.

Meanwhile, city leaders in the administrative branch (the part of government under Mayor Keith Wilson) say they are looking to cut some unfilled vacancies in the city’s personnel ranks ahead of the 2025-26 budget. City spokeswoman Christine Llobregat says bureaus have been asked to look at eliminating some of those vacancies to avert cuts to occupied positions.

“As current reduction concepts are being developed, the city administrator and city leadership team are expecting that some vacant positions will be eliminated in favor of eliminating positions that are currently filled,” Llobregat says. “This proactive effort is intended to help navigate budget challenges.”

And there appears to be some padding to trim. The city says it currently has 865 unfilled vacancies across all city bureaus. That is not a higher number than is typical going into a budget cycle, city spokeswoman Carrie Belding says. Some of those positions are funded, while others, like some police officer vacancies, are not, Belding says—so it’s not as simple as a 1-to-1 elimination of one vacancy to avert one layoff. And some unfilled positions are not supported by general fund dollars.

“We are very much looking to reduce vacant positions to the extent possible to close the FY 2025-26 budget gap, and many of them will be included in the proposed reductions that will come forward in the February budget document,” Belding says. “However, some vacant positions do need to be backfilled, which is part of the analysis that the city is undergoing right now.”

Here is a breakdown of the bureaus that have the most vacancies.

Unfilled Job Vacancies by Portland City Bureau

Transportation: 159

Police: 137

Parks & Recreation: 113

Water: 59

Environmental Services: 57

Fire & Rescue: 45

Budget and Finance: 31

Fleet and Facilities: 31

Technology Services: 29

Permitting & Development: 25

Public Safety Service Area: 20

Planning and Sustainability: 19

City Operations Service Area: 12

Human Resources: 10

Emergency Communications: 9

Housing: 8

Source: City of Portland

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.