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Council reviews strategic-planning outcomes, calls for early budget input; water-meter replacement nearly complete
Summary
Council described a recent strategic-planning workshop guiding the fiscal 2026 budget process and staff reported the city has fewer than 200 of about 7,000 water meters left to replace; a customer portal is expected in the coming weeks.
City leaders told the Portland City Council on May 20 that a strategic-planning workshop held the previous day will guide the budget process and urged residents to provide input early in the fiscal-year budgeting cycle.
The mayor (unnamed in the transcript) said the council’s strategic goals established at the workshop will be used to frame budget requests beginning in July and that citizens should comment on priorities well before the final budget adoption in late September. The mayor said waiting until adoption or tax-rate hearings in September is not the appropriate time to influence spending priorities.
Separately, Mr. Wright, a city staff member, reported that of about 7,000 water meters the city manages, fewer than 200 remain to be replaced. He said vendors are finishing the customer-portal project that will allow residents to view granular water-usage and billing information online; staff estimated the portal would be live as soon as data are loaded and expected completion in the next two to three weeks.
Council and staff framed the strategic-planning workshop as an annual exercise that sets priorities to be translated into the budget; staff asked residents to offer suggestions now as budget drafting begins in July.
