Portland council rescinds yearlong extension, restores Portland Children’s Levy allocation recommendations

Portland City Council voted on June 25 to repeal a one‑year extension that had deferred disbursement of Portland Children’s Levy (PCL) awards and to adopt the allocation recommendations made by the PCL Allocation Committee for the period July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. The ordinance, brought by Councilor Novick and amended on the council floor, passed with a 12‑0 vote.

The vote came after councilors and dozens of community speakers described conflicting expectations among prospective grantees, and after months of debate over equity, process and whether the council should remand the allocation committee’s recommendations. Supporters said reversing the extension restores trust in a lengthy citizen review process; opponents warned the change could create confusion for groups that had been told they would receive bridge funding.

Councilors framed the decision as correcting a prior council action that had, in effect, prevented organizations recommended by the PCL Allocation Committee from receiving funds. "The intended consequence of the vote of 7 members of this council was that organizations that the allocation committee had recommended we get money would not get money," Councilor Novick said during debate. Several councilors who previously backed a remand said new information and community testimony persuaded them to return the committee’s recommendations to effect.

During public testimony, representatives of dozens of community organizations urged council to approve the allocation committee’s recommendations, telling stories of programs that serve Black, immigrant and other historically marginalized youth. Jonas Kase, executive director of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Cultural Resource Center, told the council that his mentoring program was "born out of urgency" and that pausing funding would "crush the dreams of hundreds of young people who finally felt seen, heard, and supported." Dean Salazar, a member of the PCL Community Advisory Council, said the allocation process had included "90 very diverse reviewers" and argued the committee’s recommendations reflected substantial community engagement.

Lisa Pellegrino, PCL director, disputed claims that staff had told applicants they were definitively awarded funds. "There was no letter sent. We sent out a recap of the allocation committee meeting … The city council must approve these allocations and we will get back to you with a date on which that will happen," Pellegrino told councilors when asked about communications with applicants. Pellegrino also warned that automatically extending prior grants would use levy funds to continue programs that had not sought continuation funding and could leave newly recommended organizations unfunded.

Council discussion touched repeatedly on equity. Councilor Murillo said the debate reflected tensions between "legacy organizations" that have long relationships with communities and newer, culturally specific groups seeking access. Several councilors and speakers urged the levy to strengthen processes to ensure culturally specific programs are prioritized in future award cycles.

The council’s final motion repealed the prior one‑year extension, rescinded the remand of the allocation committee’s recommendations, and approved the allocation committee’s recommended awards for the 2025–2028 budget period. Councilors amended the ordinance on the dais to direct the allocation committee to provide a summary of how it addressed concerns raised in the remand process and how it plans to address them going forward. That amended text passed as part of the ordinance.

Councilors and PCL staff said the goal now is to minimize disruption to programs and, where feasible, to ensure contracts can be backdated so recommended awards take effect beginning July 1. Several councilors said they expect staff to return quickly with implementation details and that they will monitor communications to minimize confusion among grantees.

The vote concluded a contentious sequence of meetings, public comment and staff briefings that had left many community groups uncertain about funding for summer programs. Councilors urged the levy and city staff to move swiftly to finalize contracts and to work with community partners to reduce further disruption.

Looking ahead, supporters and critics agreed on the need for process improvements. Councilors repeatedly asked the levy to provide clearer documentation on scoring, reviewer composition and how culturally specific services are evaluated, and to bring recommended policy changes back to council for consideration.

Ending: Council’s ordinance directs the levy to finalize awards per the allocation committee’s recommendations and to report back on how it addressed council concerns, while staff work to finalize contracts so recommended awards can begin as soon as possible.