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Council adopts FY 2025–26 budget, levies taxes and passes related fiscal ordinances
Summary
The Portland City Council approved the city's FY 2025–26 budget, levied taxes, accepted state shared revenue and adopted several emergency interfund loans and budget adjustments. The final budget passed 11–0 with one abstention on the budget ordinance and related measures passed largely by unanimous votes.
The Portland City Council adopted the city’s fiscal 2025–26 budget and approved a package of related fiscal measures on June 18, 2025, including levying city taxes, accepting state shared revenues and authorizing temporary interfund loans to address year‑end and cash‑flow needs.
Key votes included a resolution to certify state shared revenue eligibility, acceptance of state shared revenue, adopting the main appropriations ordinance for FY 2025–26, and several emergency interfund loans and technical supplemental appropriations. Council also approved temporary loans to cover FPDR obligations and to prevent a negative balance in the recreational cannabis tax fund. A summary of the primary actions and recorded outcomes follows.
Council members and staff discussed process and timeline concerns — several councilors said the compressed budget calendar made deeper changes difficult and urged process improvements for the next fiscal year. Several councilors praised the increased information provided during the process and highlighted wins (parks maintenance, emergency management, and restored services) while noting remaining service gaps (rent assistance, ongoing equity office funding and long‑term housing investments). One councilor publicly recused from the final budget vote because of a potential conflict related to a community‑partner garden project; the ordinance passed with 11 yes votes and one abstention.
Votes at a glance - Item 5 (state shared revenue certification): adopted; recorded as 11 yes, 1 absent. - Item 6 (accept state shared revenue funds FY 2025–26): adopted; recorded as 12 yes. - Budget appropriations (FY 2025–26, second reading): adopted as amended; recorded as 11 yes, 1 abstention (Councillor Dunphy abstained due to stated potential conflict of interest). - Item 8 (levy city taxes for FY 2025–26): adopted; 12 yes. - Item 9 (temporary interfund loan for FPDR obligations up to $50,000,000): adopted; 12 yes. - Item 11 (supplemental budget adjustments to reflect actual spending across funds): adopted (emergency ordinance); 12 yes. - Item 12 (temporary loan up to $800,000 from Solid Waste fund to Recreational Cannabis Tax fund): adopted (emergency ordinance); 12 yes.
Council made several specific budget notes and requests for oversight: they asked that CBPA appointees meet with the Community and Public Safety Committee before late July and asked staff to return with proposals to improve long‑term FPDR funding and other structural budget solutions.
Councilors also discussed next‑year improvements to the calendar so amendments can be better developed and vetted through committee. The council president and budget staff committed to after‑action reviews to improve recruitment equity, timing and committee engagement for future budgets.
