Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Annual Report topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Land Bank Commission approves 2024 annual report after public hearing
Summary
After a public hearing and discussion about how the commission's 0.5% share of the city's capital improvement program is calculated, the commission voted to accept the 2024 annual report and will transmit it to City Council.
The Portland Land Bank Commission voted to accept its 2024 annual report following a public hearing and a discussion about how the commission's share of the city's capital improvement program (CIP) is calculated.
The commission opened a public hearing on the draft 2024 annual report, gave members of the public an opportunity to comment and then approved the report to forward to the Portland City Council for its consideration on Feb. 4, as stated during the meeting.
The hearing drew sustained public comment about how the ordinance that funds the land bank should be interpreted. A member of the public said the ordinance language requires a 0.5% appropriation of "the total annual capital improvement program" and argued the commission should be receiving a larger, formulaic payment. "There's nothing in there that says that is bonded," the commenter said, criticizing how the city's calculation has treated bonded versus nonbonded projects.
Commission and staff members clarified that the document in the annual report reports an estimated amount. The treasurer explained the ordinance's 0.5% is recorded as an estimated balance in the report because the commission's share does not become final until the city bonds the projects that produce those revenues. Staff noted the CIP includes many funding sources (for example impact or infrastructure fees) and that the land bank receives 0.5% of amounts that are bonded, not the entire CIP total. The treasurer and staff said the historical estimate used in the report has generally been in the roughly $50,000 range over the last five years.
The commission acknowledged the public concerns and invited further clarification before future reports, but proceeded to accept the annual report. A commission member said the public hearing and republishing the report were intended to ensure the commission complies with the ordinance's public-notice and hearing requirements.
Votes at a glance
- Motion: Accept minutes from 01/08/2025. Outcome: Approved; one abstention (Michael). Notes: voice vote; Michael recorded as abstaining in the meeting record.
- Motion: Accept 2024 annual report and transmit to City Council. Outcome: Approved. Notes: motion made and seconded; no recorded dissent.
What it means: Acceptance of the report completes the commission's public‑hearing step for the 2024 report and readies the package for City Council review. Commissioners and staff said they will follow up with council staff and the relevant departments to seek clarification about how the 0.5% calculation is applied when the CIP contains a mix of bonded and nonbonded funding.
Next steps: The accepted report will be transmitted to City Council for their meeting on Feb. 4 (date cited during the meeting). Staff said they will continue to track any technical clarifications and statutory questions raised during public comment and will report back to the commission if the council requests changes.
