Committee votes to refer resolution to expand Portland Street Response as coequal responder; budget and scope questions remain

The Community and Public Safety Committee voted to send a resolution to full council recommending support for Portland Street Response (PSR) as a coequal branch of Portland’s first‑responder system and to establish a PSR advisory committee. The vote was 3–2 to refer the resolution with a recommendation for adoption.

What the resolution would do

The resolution expresses council support for expanding PSR, affirms that PSR is designed for mental and behavioral health crisis response and encourages the mayor to pursue actions including formal designation as a first responder, hiring and training for expanded hours, a call‑type review and reestablishing independent evaluations. The resolution also directs creation of a community advisory committee to inform PSR’s future.

Vote and procedural outcome

- Motion: refer the resolution supporting and expanding Portland Street Response as a coequal branch of the first responder system, and establish a PSR committee, to full council with a recommendation for adoption (motion text recorded in committee minutes). - Outcome: motion passed and the item was sent to full council with a recommendation for adoption. - Roll call (as recorded at the committee): Canal — Aye; Maria — Aye; Zimmerman — No; Smith — No; Novick — Aye.

Sponsors, invited experts and themes

Councilors introducing the resolution included Councilor Canal (co‑chair) and co‑sponsors Councilors Murillo and Avalos. Invited presenters included Mariela Ruiz Angel of the Georgetown Law Center for Innovation in Community Safety (formerly with Albuquerque Community Safety), and Amy Barton, chief of Seattle’s Community Assisted Response and Engagement (Seattle CARE). Both presenters described national alternative‑response programs and gave operational recommendations: direct 911 dispatch, a broad call‑type spectrum and competitive pay for responders. "These programs aren't just promising, they're delivering results," Mariela Ruiz Angel said. Amy Barton said sending PSR instead of police or fire "saves about 50¢ on the dollar every single time I dispatch care instead of police or instead of fire."

Public testimony and positions

Committee staff said 36 people had signed up to testify. Testimony largely fell into two camps: strong community support for PSR’s expansion and calls for PSR to remain independent, unarmed and not used for sweeps; and concerns about cost, governance, scope and whether creating another formal bureau or committee is the right path.

Supporters — including community organizers, medical‑clinic staff, members of Friends of Portland Street Response and residents — urged funding PSR at levels that would allow 24/7 citywide coverage, preserve independence from police enforcement activities and create a community advisory committee for accountability. Odelia Zuckerman, co‑chair of the Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policing (PSAP), urged expansion to 24/7 and ongoing sustainable funding.

Opponents and concerns — several testifiers and some councilors asked where money would come from amid a multiyear budget shortfall. Speakers questioned whether a separate bureau or committee would add bureaucracy, whether Medicaid billing requirements are ready, and whether labor and liability questions had been resolved. One presenter, Dave Gray, representing the Stadium neighborhood, said the city needed better integration rather than another department.

Budget, staffing and Medicaid reimbursement questions raised during committee discussion

Committee members asked for fiscal detail before full council action. Staff and presenters provided the following figures and clarifications during the meeting:

- Current PSR budget described in committee: about $8,000,000 (staff described the existing program budget at roughly that level). - "Adequate staffing" (to cover existing service hours and answer more of the calls within those hours) estimated at about $9.5 million annually. - Moving to 24/7 service estimated at about $10.5 million annually. - City Budget Office estimated a stipend option for committee volunteers at up to about $14,500 per year total (a hypothetical $500 stipend per volunteer was used as an example). - State Medicaid (Oregon Health Authority) reimbursement was described as contingent on meeting certain operational prerequisites; committee discussion noted that signaling intent to move to 24/7 is part of meeting Medicaid billing rules for some services.

Operational and governance issues discussed

Committee members and staff debated language in the resolution about PSR being “operationally independent” and a “coequal branch.” Some councilors and witnesses said the phrasing was intended to prevent PSR from being folded into another bureau (for example police) and to protect the program’s mission; others worried the language could be read to de‑integrate emergency response and undermine coordinated dispatch and oversight. Labor representatives expressed concerns about using the term "independent" in ways that could imply separation from existing cross‑agency coordination.

What the committee asked for next

Several councilors and staff asked that the resolution and its proposed committee be used to develop answers to outstanding questions about costs, labor implications, a clear definition of "coequal" in organizational terms, Medicaid billing timelines and committee membership and duties. The committee approved referral to full council so the broader council can consider the resolution and budget implications alongside the mayor’s budget process.

Ending: The committee voted to send the resolution to full council with a recommendation for adoption; full council will consider the item during future budget and ordinance work.