Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Finance Committee Work Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Portland finance committee outlines work plan priorities, urges state engagement and approves minutes
Summary
Committee members prioritized work for the year including potential expansion of P-STEP, revisiting a voluntary payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes pilot, studying cruise ship disembarkment fees, stronger enforcement of fines and exploring workforce housing tied to Jetport projects. The committee unanimously approved January minutes and adjourned.
April Fournier, chair of the Portland Finance Committee, opened a Feb. 13 discussion of the committee's work plan and goals for the year, and members suggested topics for study that they said should be sequenced around budget season.
Councilor Pelletier urged revisiting a previously discussed voluntary payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes pilot and recommended a study of "cruise ship disembarkment fees," saying the city may not be capturing sufficient revenue from cruise visitors. Councilor Ben Grant asked that the committee apply a housing lens to capital projects and said he is "in go slow mode at the moment" because of state and federal budget uncertainty. Councilor Sykes (District 5) said working with the state legislative delegation to protect city revenue is "really my top priority right now" and proposed research on coupling Jetport expansion with workforce housing for airport employees.
Committee members also raised enforcement and compliance concerns. Pelletier asked whether fines tied to enforcement programs are being collected effectively and suggested more proactive enforcement rather than relying on noncollection. Members discussed sequencing for the committee's nonbudget work, noting staff and committee capacity during budget season will constrain when more detailed policy work can start.
The committee agreed staff will draft a proposed work plan and timeline for review. Fournier said she will coordinate with the city manager and finance director on timing and indicated the committee will circulate a draft for public and council review before finalizing.
Votes at a glance: the committee approved its Jan. meeting minutes and adjourned by unanimous voice vote. The motion to approve the minutes was moved by Councilor Pelletier and seconded by Councilor Grant; the minutes passed with all members voting yes. The motion to adjourn was moved by Councilor Pelletier and seconded by Councilor Grant and also passed unanimously; the meeting ended at 5:53 p.m.
Next steps: staff will prepare a draft work plan and proposed meeting schedule (including a proposed March 13 meeting) and circulate it to committee members for review.
