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Portland City Council
Posted inNews

Portland Offers Blazers a Fully-Funded Arena Renovation, But Will It Be Enough?

In 8-4 vote, City Council sends proposed Moda Center lease terms to Trail Blazers with nearly $400M commitment from city over 20 years
Avatar photoAvatar photo by Courtney Vaughn and Jeremiah Hayden

Updated: 3:20 pm August 14 Amid raucous calls from protesters not to spend millions renovating the Moda Center, Portland City Council approved a lease term sheet to send to the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday, August 12. The city is in the process of negotiating a 20-year lease agreement with the Blazers for the team’s use […]

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In Zenith Energy Transfer, the Public Wants Assurances. Is the City Listening?

Suspicions are growing that I Squared Capital is in cahoots with the city to “manage potential public opposition.”
Avatar photo by Jeremiah Hayden

A Portland City Council committee on August 6 took its next step in deciding whether to transfer a city contract with Zenith Energy to a new, Miami-based investment company called I Squared Capital (ISQ). The transfer will allow the new company to take over operations of Zenith’s terminal, which sits between the Willamette River and […]

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A Budget Fix, a Mayor’s Influence, and the Subtext of That Unsavory Banter Among Councilors

Here’s what was gained and lost in the last-minute maneuver from Portland City Council to save dozens of jobs
Avatar photo by Courtney Vaughn

A $12.2 million supplemental budget passed by Portland City Council will preserve 30 jobs that were slated to be cut in the city’s 2026-27 general fund budget. It was one of two competing legislative packages voted on Wednesday, July 22, both of which sought to save positions for city workers using different funding sources. The […]

Posted inOpinion

Opinion: Portland’s New Government Is Being Stress‑Tested By the $600 Million Moda Center Deal

Avatar photo by Tiffany Koyama Lane

We are in the midst of one of the largest public‑private negotiations in Portland’s history: a $600 million package of public funding is being proposed to renovate the Moda Center, a city-owned asset and home to the Trail Blazers. This moment is a major test of Portland’s newly overhauled government: our expanded 12‑member City Council […]

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City Sends First Draft Moda Lease Terms To Blazers, To Surprise of Council

Some councilors are frustrated over a process they say has excluded them and backed the city into a financial corner that weakens negotiating power.
Avatar photo by Courtney Vaughn

Updated: 4:48 pm July 17 The city of Portland delivered the first draft of a term sheet to the Trail Blazers management on Thursday, July 16, setting the city one step closer to a long-term lease agreement with the team for the Moda Center. No terms have been finalized, and the Council is in disagreement […]

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Portland City Council Determines the Lloyd Center Can’t Be Saved

Lloyd Center defenders couldn’t get the Council to intervene in the mall’s imminent closure, but they did spark constructive civic discourse.
Avatar photo by Taylor Griggs

The plan to redevelop the Lloyd Center Mall and the surrounding land will go forward, despite two appeals aimed at saving the mall and its ice rink. On Wednesday, Portland City Council cast an initial 10-0 vote to uphold the Lloyd Center Central City Master Plan for the area’s redevelopment. (Two councilors were absent, one […]

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Police Oversight Board Members Say Budget Ordinance Could Erode Public’s Trust in New System

Six members of Portland’s Community Board for Police Accountability caution that a new attempt to raid funds could invite legal trouble.
Avatar photoAvatar photo by Jeremiah Hayden and Courtney Vaughn

Members of Portland’s new police accountability system are speaking out amid a proposed supplemental budget ordinance that could draw money from the Office of Community-based Police Accountability to repay contingency funds borrowed from the city’s general fund. An ordinance from Council Vice President Olivia Clark, along with Councilors Steve Novick, Loretta Smith, and Elana Pirtle-Guiney, […]

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Highlights of the Big Ticket Metro Chamber Event? Maybe the Catering. 

Energy inside Moda was sparse as Tom Dundon addressed the local business community. Outside, Portlanders were riled up.
Avatar photo by Jeremiah Hayden

It’s unclear if anyone who purchased a $350 ticket to this year’s chamber of commerce meeting is feeling buyer’s remorse, but if they expected anything more than a pep rally, sans pep, they certainly could be. The Portland Metro Chamber held its annual meeting at the Moda Center on Wednesday, a fundraiser for the local […]

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Metro Chamber Wants Council to Reschedule Upcoming Meeting in Favor of $350 Ticketed Event

Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon will be a featured speaker at a Portland Metro Chamber annual meeting. City Council now faces pressure to reschedule a work session and go meet Dundon instead.
Avatar photo by Jeremiah Hayden

While city leaders hold a work session later this month to talk about how to renovate the sports arena where the Trail Blazers play, the team’s owner is scheduled to speak at an annual meeting held by Portland’s chamber of commerce. But the chamber wants the Council to move its public meeting to avoid the […]

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This Budget Proposal Could Save Over 100 City Jobs. Here’s What To Know.

Councilors are tweaking Mayor Wilson’s budget, and one change could save union jobs with interest from big business taxes.
Avatar photo by Jeremiah Hayden

Within the city of Portland, a sole certified arborist trains neighbors to care for trees. A ride share employee brings in nearly $17 million each year. A specialized team helps the transportation bureau plan for sidewalk and road repairs. These are among more than 100 positions that could disappear on July 1. Three Portland city […]

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Portland City Council Adopts New Law Enforcement Mask Ban, ID Requirements

The city ordinance won’t give local police the authority to unmask ICE, but its supporters say it will help verify and prevent law enforcement impersonators.
Avatar photo by Courtney Vaughn

When federal immigration agents started showing up for duty last year in plain clothes with their faces half covered, it stoked fear in immigrants. It also sparked concerns about accountability and transparency within the broader community. Still, an ordinance aimed at requiring police to display agency ID and keep their faces visible at all times […]

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Reporting Live (Continued): City Council’s Contentious Budget Meeting

Shelter, parks, and city jobs are up for discussion.
Avatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photo by Jeremiah Hayden, Taylor Griggs and Courtney Vaughn

Portland city councilors this week are meeting to discuss amendments to Mayor Keith Wilson’s proposed budget. The city is working to address a $160 million budget gap, and the proposed amendments seek to hold onto union jobs and instead cut management jobs, and stop Wilson’s proposal to divert Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) dollars to […]

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