Council roundup: bylaws change, downtown loan program and $11.5M Jetport appropriation pass; several items postponed

Portland City Council on June 2 approved a set of orders including an amendment to Portland Development Corporation bylaws, creation of a storefront improvement revolving loan program, confirmation of a new information-technology director and an $11.5 million appropriation from Jetport unrestricted funds. Several budget and traffic items were postponed to give staff and council more time for review.

The council unanimously adopted Order 2 23 24 25, amending Section 5.6 of the Portland Development Corporation (PDC) bylaws to clarify the quorum definition, replacing ambiguous language with a requirement that a quorum be a majority (six members). Greg Watson, director of Housing and Economic Development, described the change as a “simple language change.” The motion to pass was moved by Councilor Sykes and seconded by Councilor Grant and passed unanimously.

Order 2 24 24 25, approving the PDC storefront improvement revolving loan program and guidelines, was adopted unanimously. The program uses $250,000 of Downtown TOD TIF funds to offer 0-percent loans up to $20,000 to eligible commercial property owners and tenants within the TOD TIF district. The motion was moved by Councilor Ali and seconded by Councilor Sykes.

The council confirmed Phil Dowdy as the city’s information technology director (Order 2 25 24 25). The appointment was approved on roll call, with eight members voting: Councilor Fournier — Yes; Councilor Grant — Yes; Councilor Sykes — No; Councilor Ali — Yes; Councilor Pelletier — Yes; Councilor McNabbitt — Yes; Councilor Phillips — Yes; Mayor Mark Dion — Yes. The motion passed.

Order 2212425, appropriating $11,500,000 from Jetport unrestricted funds for terminal and operations work (including roof and operations center relocation and an emergency operations center), passed after a public comment period. Paul Bradbury, Jetport director, was present for questions. The motion carried unanimously.

Council action also included routine consent approvals for several municipal licensing items and proclamations recognizing Juneteenth and Immigrant Heritage Month.

Several items were postponed for additional review or to a date certain: multiple budget-related orders and appropriations were postponed to the June 23 meeting by unanimous vote; Order 1612425 (a State of Maine Community Paramedicine grant appropriation for the Fire Department) was postponed to September 3 at the department’s request; and a traffic schedule amendment for Pearl Street (Order 2202425) was postponed to June 23 after business owners raised truck-turning and center-line concerns.

Votes at a glance (selected orders): - Order 2 23 24 25 — Amend PDC bylaws (quorum): Moved by Councilor Sykes; seconded by Councilor Grant; outcome: passed unanimously. - Order 2 24 24 25 — PDC storefront improvement revolving loan program ($250,000 TOD TIF): Moved by Councilor Ali; seconded by Councilor Sykes; outcome: passed unanimously. - Order 2 25 24 25 — Appointment of Phil Dowdy as IT director (emergency confirmation requested): Moved by Councilor Ali; seconded by Councilor McNabbitt; outcome: passed (7 Yes, 1 No — Councilor Sykes voted No). - Order 2212425 — Appropriating $11,500,000 from Jetport unrestricted funds: Moved by Councilor Phillips; seconded by Councilor Fournier; outcome: passed unanimously. - Order 2202425 — Traffic schedule amendment (Pearl Street/Cotton Street): Postponed to June 23 (unanimous) for further measurements and review after business concerns about truck turning. - Order 1612425 — Accepting/appropriating $96,400 State Community Paramedicine grant: Postponed to Sept. 3 (unanimous) at staff request. - Multiple FY26 budget-related orders (orders 202–216 series) were postponed to June 23 (unanimous) to allow additional committee review and public transparency.

Council minutes and specific roll-call records are maintained in the official meeting record.