Portland City Council adopted several budget and grant measures during its Jan. 15 meeting and accepted the parks-levy annual report, while also approving a disputed budget adjustment for council office operations.

Barber Apartments: HUD community project funding and CDBG

The council voted to appropriate $7,000,000 in federal funds administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support development of the Barber Apartments, a 100% permanently affordable rental project in Southwest Portland. City staff said the project will deliver 149 units, including 82 two-bedroom units, 16 three-bedroom units and four four-bedroom units; 21% of units will be affordable to households at or below 30% of area median income, and the development will use 38 project-based vouchers from Home Forward. Developer Innovative Housing Inc. will enter into a regulatory agreement to maintain affordability for 99 years. The council approved the appropriation during the meeting.

Oregon Healthy Homes grant

Council also accepted and appropriated a $125,000 award from the Oregon Health Authority for the 2024 State Healthy Homes Grant. Staff said the state award will leverage a federal Healthy-to-Home grant the city received in 2023 and will be used for home repairs and related work targeting lower-income households through neighborhood-preservation and permit-related programs.

Parks levy annual report accepted

The council received the Portland Parks & Recreation 2023–24 parks-levy annual report and the Parks Levy Oversight Committee’s report. Staff summarized year three results for the five-year 2020 parks levy, including expanded free lunch-and-play programs (58,000 meals served at levy-supported sites in FY23–24), expanded free and culturally specific programming and new asset-management tools (tree asset software and a peer-review parks condition process). Oversight committee members said the levy has substantially supported operations but noted the bureau’s large deferred-maintenance backlog and urged continued financial transparency.

Council staffing and budget adjustment

After roughly three hours of debate, the council adopted a budget adjustment to increase appropriations for council offices and related operations. The measure drew extended public testimony and a lengthy council-floor discussion about where to source the funds, options for staffing allocation, and whether to prioritize district offices — especially for District 1 — or shared council operations staff. Councilors amended the ordinance to draw the funding from the general-fund contingency rather than from the City Administrator’s operating budget and added an emergency clause. The council voted to adopt the amended ordinance during the evening session.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance: Appropriate $7,000,000 in HUD community project funding and $5,000,000 in prior-year Community Development Block Grant funds for Barber Apartments — Outcome: approved (council roll call recorded in meeting minutes).
- Ordinance: Appropriate $125,000 from Oregon Health Authority for 2024 State Healthy Homes Grant — Outcome: approved (council roll call recorded in meeting minutes).
- Acceptance: Portland Parks & Recreation FY 2023–24 parks-levy annual report and Parks Levy Oversight Committee annual report — Outcome: accepted (council vote recorded in meeting minutes).
- Ordinance: Budget adjustment to increase council office appropriations (funding source amended to general-fund contingency; emergency clause added) — Outcome: approved after amendment and debate (council roll call recorded in meeting minutes).

What councilors said: Councilors supporting the Barber Apartments appropriation praised the project’s focus on family-sized units and the deep affordability made possible through a mix of federal and local funding. Council discussion on the staffing adjustment was lengthy and divided: supporters framed additional staffing as necessary to deliver district-based constituent services and meaningful committee work under the city’s new form of government; critics said the city faces a tight budget and urged caution about the size and permanence of new operating expenses.

What’s next: Staff said the Barber Apartments construction is projected to start in March 2025, with completion expected in a later phase of project financing. The Healthy Homes grant will begin spending rapidly to meet program timelines. Council also directed the city budget and council operations offices to implement the approved adjustments and report back according to standard fiscal procedures.