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Councilor Novick proposes moving tree enforcement to code compliance and restoring park maintenance amid cuts to parks
Summary
Councilor Novick offered amendments to transfer the urban forestry Title 11 enforcement program out of parks, sharply reduce its FTE and budget, and use offsets to restore park maintenance funding. Councilors and public commenters urged the council to protect parks maintenance and summer programs.
Councilor Novick read two amendments into the record focused on urban forestry enforcement and park maintenance funding.
Novick’s amendment proposals
- Tree code enforcement transfer and budget reduction: Novick proposed removing the Title 11 urban forestry enforcement program from Portland Parks and Recreation and transferring those duties to the property compliance division (code enforcement) in the community development and service area. Novick said the current program had 37 FTE and used approximately $6,917,769; his amendment would reduce the program to no more than 5 FTE (tree inspectors and a senior inspector) and reduce the allocation to $800,000, leaving roughly $6,100,000 in offsets to restore parks maintenance.
- Park maintenance restoration: Novick said the remaining offset would go toward restoring the park maintenance fund nearly to the proposed level and encouraged using the restored resources to invest in a park attendant program.
Council and staff responses
Councilors asked budget staff to confirm precise maintenance numbers during the hearing. Staff and other councilors repeatedly noted that the $6.8 million figure included a few non‑maintenance items and that subtracting the non‑maintenance components produced a roughly $6.3 million maintenance figure; staff said they would confirm the final accounting.
Public testimony and parks advocates
Parks advocates and the Portland Parks Foundation warned that cuts to parks maintenance will degrade restrooms, trash removal and safety in parks. Speakers described the public health and equity consequences of reducing frontline maintenance staff and urged council to find permanent funding solutions rather than one‑time fixes.
Why it matters: Parks maintenance affects daily livability and has visible consequences for neighborhoods. Transfer and staffing changes in urban forestry enforcement would also change how code enforcement and parks interact on tree protections and enforcement.
