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Council approves updated police contract; members raise concerns about outdated memorandum and oversight language
Summary
The council approved collective bargaining changes but several members criticized inclusion of a 2017 memorandum about civilian review and other legacy language; councilors said outstanding oversight questions will be addressed in upcoming workshops.
The Portland City Council voted to approve changes to the city's collective bargaining agreements that incorporate historical memoranda and existing language governing police workplace terms, but the vote exposed disagreement among councilors over outdated provisions and civilian oversight language.
Human Resources Director Antora Grossman told the council that the 2017 memorandum (Exhibit N) remains part of the current agreement and that parties at the bargaining table agreed to continue discussions about a new civilian review body. Grossman said the memorandum is in effect until the parties negotiate a replacement.
Councilor Sykes repeatedly urged striking the outdated memorandum from the packet, arguing that the council should not approve a contract containing language that will be renegotiated in upcoming workshops. Sykes said the memorandum contains terms (including limits on who may serve on an oversight body) that are “all up for discussion” and said she could not vote for the contract while that language remained.
Other councilors said they appreciated the work that staff and the union put into negotiations but also voiced concerns about aspects of the contract. Councilor Bullock confirmed that body‑camera policies have been incorporated into standard operating procedures and therefore no longer need to appear in the contract. Several councilors said they planned to vote against the package for policy reasons, while also expressing support for police personnel broadly.
Despite the objections, the council called the roll and approved the measures discussed under the order (the contract materials were approved at the meeting). Councilor Sykes and at least one other councilor announced they would vote against the contract on principle; the contract nonetheless passed by roll call vote.
Councilors and staff said further work is expected: staff will continue workshops and negotiations related to the citizen review/oversight process, and any replacement language would be incorporated by agreement in a future contract or memorandum.
