The “windfall” is 0.3% of the net budget. The proposals slice the windfall amount into pieces as small as 1% of the windfall. So council is grinding on tidbits amounting to 0.003% of the net budget. I hope they apply as much scrutiny to the 30%, 3% and even 0.3% pieces.

☝🏽This is the way. Make the motion, someone, please.

This nation seem to be establishing a history and tradition of unseriousness and governance by feels, so I suppose Portland is keeping up.
It’s advanced tail-eating to permit legislative dysfunction in order to avoid empowering the mayor.

Someone should interrogate the members of the Charter commission about their original intent. They’re still around, unlike the authors of the U.S. Constitution.

Isn’t this a matter before the Council, and isn’t the answer in the Charter?

Avoid this by not being a NWN ratepayer.

I am encouraged that, a year in, Council is starting to try to get a grip on the finances of the city?

But Silo

How this games out will be interesting. The various staffers for the 12 councilors may have heterogenous demands. The city administrator (or the city attorney, both mayoral appointees) could take hold of the negotiation, cause labor strife, & leave the councilors unsupported & thus less functional.

Would the council have any role in negotiating this? Don’t all city employees roll up to the city administrator?

When I went to law school many moons ago, ethics class was not required, and the passing score on the MPRE was like 50%. Many exam takers left early if they felt like they already answered enough questions correctly. Like maybe this poster.

Indeed, they are responsible for all of the city’s affairs.

Here’s a law school hypo: May a gov’t official accept free legal services from a law firm that is regularly adverse to the gov’t that the official represents? If a waiver might be useful, who is competent to deliver the waiver? The city attorney? Can the official waive on behalf of the gov’t?

With great power comes great responsibility

In legislative work, words matter. Especially so in investigations of potential mal- or nonfeasance. And more especially if the legislature ever endeavors to exercise quasi-subpoena power under 2-109.

I see that the city is using “shall” again.

More importantly, directing a state actor to compile journalists’ records seems a federal and state constitutional violation.

Sure, just as the Mayor can be the CA w/o evidence of community support that they should assume that position. If you delve into the history of the charter commission on the matter, you will find crickets, so the only thing to go on is the words of the charter as those terms were understood in 2024.

Does Portland need a Marc Elias/Democracy Docket -type, specializing in municipal and administrative law? Discuss.

One would expect a former Army Ranger to know it’s almost impossible to flip an upside-down boat in the middle of the ocean. A Navy SEAL operator would know that, too.