Portland officials say they are assessing federal executive orders’ local impacts and will brief council in workshops

Mayor Mark Dion Mayer and city officials told the council they are actively reviewing a series of recently issued federal executive orders and directives to determine potential impacts on city operations, funding and staff safety.

“We are well aware and … I just want to take a moment … the city manager and corporation counsel have exercised real diligence in trying to assess these orders as they come forward,” Mayor Mark Dion Mayer said during the meeting’s announcements. He said the administration is balancing legal analysis and operational caution to avoid placing staff or the council at risk.

Corporation counsel (identified in the meeting as attorney Goldman) said legal staff are “downloading them to our files and reviewing them all, trying to determine which are relevant or potentially relevant or not relevant to the city,” and are addressing questions case by case. Goldman said counsel had been working with Health and Human Services staff on a protocol for how to handle a situation in which immigration officers might appear at a city facility.

City Manager Daniel West said city staff are reviewing potential impacts to federal funds and are coordinating with the legal team. “We have identified them and we are in discussions with corporation counsel’s office about what that specific impact could be, if any,” West said. Officials said they plan executive workshops and briefings for the council when counsel can speak more freely about legal responsibilities and operational options.

No formal policy or vote was taken at the meeting; officials said review is ongoing and that other municipal governments are conducting similar assessments.