Portland City Council Committees Kick Off

The committees have not yet begun to bore into specific issues.

WEST SIDE: City Councilors Eric Zimmerman, Olivia Clark and Mitch Green at a City Club forum. (Jake Nelson)
By Sophie Peel

Committees of the new Portland City Council focusing on a range of topics met for the first time this week, launching an important step in the city’s new form of government.

While councilors in committee meetings talked about their top areas of focus this week at a high level—from finance and public safety to transportation and infrastructure—the committees have not yet begun to bore into specific issues.

That work will likely commence once the councilors have figured out how the committees will work: how ideas are presented and discussed, how much time is allocated to public testimony, and how a policy proposal can make its way to the entire council.

Bureau directors gave presentations to various committees during this week’s meetings, continually raising the alarm about the $100 million budget deficit the city faces.

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