[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6476696,"mediaKeyId","5717622-1f9503ab067bf14c37868452cc99f3bd","parentId",5717622,"title","Portland ombudsman flags fire-safety gaps, predatory towing and persistent homeowner liens in midyear report","audioSeconds",1031,"startMs",768000,"endMs",1799000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5717622-1f9503ab067bf14c37868452cc99f3bd&start=768&end=1799","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5717622-1f9503ab067bf14c37868452cc99f3bd/thumbnail_768000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6476696/Portland/Multnomah-County/Oregon/Portland-ombudsman-flags-fire-safety-gaps-predatory-towing-and-persistent-homeowner-liens-in-midyear-report","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6476696-874d7dec2f6361fbba882ea0a04d265e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770627170&Signature=ERml4X7pWpUNzc5nFMBRsOxQXbOpRkwmEA0AeEnVmPklB17LaI6xDMzPzqjyO5tXzkVhofE6PKxOLwEosTxM~cu6T37OEIX9t2QP6vtCanlWrmrJ-nfrM1hDL5v7YTExSiHxoAv8MFDBVzpEYLg6K04GIGL-YH3U01AesWQftTDnepNv~Jrcfi71dw0bM~BCDNWzt88kqOBXbVQVFS3PP53D4bylCRmYtN8OwiYnkV6CTqilacOKdTOh8ABpSQi2a5Uxt~s~TJiSHBMmUodNe~yynsuVG0ko4cYDUHiSQrkH4NX6MCiIx8g5LF34iM-Ho0t4luGbALdHlpjy-Z0nfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Portland, OR","date","2025-08-28T22:40:24Z","article","City Ombudsman Jennifer Croft told the Portland City Council on Sept. 4 that her office’s midyear work documented lapses in fire-safety plan documentation at the Cherry Blossom Townhomes, widely disparate private-request towing charges, and continuing liens on owner-occupied properties that remain at about $11 million.

\"I am the city ombudsman and I am glad to be here today to talk about what we've been up to in the first half of this year,\" Croft said during the presentation delivered with City Auditor Simone Reddy. Croft said the office is an independent, impartial advocate that takes complaints from anyone who feels the city has harmed them or treated them unfairly and that it sometimes elevates findings to deputy city administrators.

The ombudsman’s investigation of Cherry Blossom Townhomes, an affordable southeast Portland complex built by Habitat for Humanity, found that Portland Fire & Rescue poorly documented decisions during the plan-approval process and sent mixed messages to homeowners who raised fire-safety concerns. Croft said residents’ practice of parking on portions of access roads and sidewalks could impede emergency response and the office recommended steps for the homeowners association and a community meeting led by Fire to discuss access and response planning.

A separate inquiry into private-request tows — tows requested by private parties or officers rather than initiated under the city’s tow contract — found that the Bureau of Transportation’s towing contract did not cover all tows initiated by city bureaus. Croft described a case in which a vehicle owner paid about $1,700 to retrieve a car after a private-request tow; the office estimated that the tow should have cost roughly $500 under standard contract rates. The ombudsman recommended amending the city towing contract to cover all bureau-initiated tows so community members face standardized, transparent rates. Croft told council she has since learned the tow company identified in the investigation began voluntarily adhering to contract rates after the report was published.

Croft also highlighted a Water Bureau investigation in which the bureau agreed to stop charging return-payment fees and to credit accounts after the ombudsman found the fees disproportionately affected customers of limited means and, for three years, exceeded amounts allowed under state law. Croft said the Water Bureau credited more than 800 customer accounts and ceased the higher fees in the current fiscal year.

The ombudsman’s office said complaint volumes have grown: Croft reported roughly 300 complaints logged about the city in the first half of the year and an approximately equal number of non‑city referrals (cases routed to other agencies or resources). To increase transparency, the ombudsman launched a public dashboard that allows users to view and filter complaint data from the 2024 annual report.

Croft told council the office is continuing to monitor implementation of its recommendations. \"We strive to continue to monitor the implementation of our recommendations when they are not immediately accepted and implemented,\" she said, noting some recommendations receive regular follow-up while others require longer-term monitoring.

Councilors raised questions about how the ombudsman coordinates with council offices and city bureaus, and about the office’s thresholds for referring matters to human resources or other processes. Croft said her office tries to be an office of last resort and may refer complaints to available appeal processes or to bureaus when appropriate; she said personnel matters commonly involve referrals to HR when discipline or employer-employee procedures are the appropriate mechanism.

The ombudsman’s report also noted an ongoing review of towing from private properties and an upcoming focus on the impacts of towing for low-income renters. Croft encouraged council offices and staff to refer complex cases to her office and invited members of the public to use the ombudsman as a resource if they believe the city has treated them unfairly.

Council discussion of the ombudsman’s findings also included requests for further demographic analyses as the office builds out more granular data collection and interest in targeted outreach to communities less represented in complaints.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Portland City Council Regular Session 09/04/25","oneSentenceSummary","City Ombudsman Jennifer Croft told the Portland City Council on Sept. 4 that her office’s midyear work documented lapses in fire-safety plan documentation at the Cherry Blossom Townhomes, widely disparate private-request towing charges, and continuing liens on owner-occupied properties that remain at about $11 million.","taxTitle","Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon","taxId",2765,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6476691,"City auditor: Portland lacks citywide asset-management strategy; audit cites over $1 billion funding gap",477,1785000,2262000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5717622-1f9503ab067bf14c37868452cc99f3bd&start=1785&end=2262","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5717622-1f9503ab067bf14c37868452cc99f3bd/thumbnail_1785000.jpg","/articles/6476691/Portland/Multnomah-County/Oregon/City-auditor-Portland-lacks-citywide-asset-management-strategy-audit-cites-over-1-billion-funding-gap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6476691-5623995e3f5ee3e6f4e32fb5ee89f4e8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770627170&Signature=EJ8AdmJd08OhRAUK2v18QOm1M8npOJe-PMVzPr0lJIdiHe6LMb~Eai8~~2tne152APldzSmhIAk~J7AabXz7BmNQp~LQdVNoYSBcmM~F9xXG9oS7XRGdVmn8GFRWPzVm74axczhQpLtn48-ZO8rUeZU8Aw8MZG5rU-ZOZWetpYseqAp0nRaxku-HapNqjcyrOlWTMxb~mqLzjOVrrdxMs1C4REtw4jLtWPu7ffYZ20ROUOx5qXYwzvXgPu~U1~~tq2DoYakiG7TLWdnbAyZzuFjcGK6tWJvVpIPQCjMk92HKl8lXdlqWjZyKO2GOVroe7PvtjDuR8p9aTJS99qZq5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City Auditor Simone Reddy and Audit Services Director Casey Jones told the Portland City Council on Sept. 4 that a performance audit found Portland has not adopted a citywide asset-management strategy, leaving the city without coordinated governance to address a growing infrastructure funding gap.

\"We found that the city has not adopted a citywide asset management strategy,\" Jones said during the audit presentation, noting that the lack of a single governance structure and long-term decision framework has hampered coordinated planning. Jones described assets owned by major infrastructure bureaus — roads, parks, water systems, buildings and equipment — and said a 2023 estimate put the replacement value of those assets at more than $74 billion.

The audit traces an increase in Portland’s annual infrastructure funding shortfall from an estimated $112 million in 2007 to more than $1 billion in 2024. Jones and the audit team concluded that, without a citywide strategy and governance, the city lacks the decision-making tools to prioritize and fund critical maintenance and replacement to keep services running.

The audit recommended that the city develop a comprehensive citywide asset-management strategy that establishes governance, decision-making processes, and a long-term approach for meeting the city’s infrastructure needs. The report also recommended steps to promote buy‑in from city leadership and the public, such as requiring the city administrator or designee to present the strategy and regular implementation updates to council in public meetings or make the strategy public on a dedicated web page.

Jones noted the citywide asset managers group (CAMG) had long identified capacity gaps and that the transition to Portland’s new form of government presents an opportunity to assign responsibility and build capacity. City Administrator Michael Jordan told council he welcomed collaboration and, in his response to the audit, generally agreed with the findings and said he would direct staff to develop a strategy.

Councilors were told that council earlier this month unanimously passed a resolution citing the audit and directing the city administrator to submit a citywide asset-management strategy to council by Sept. 30, 2026. The audit documents that the city administrator’s office agreed in its official response to lead development of the strategy.

Jones also reviewed the audit division’s annual schedule. He said the division published 11 planned projects for the coming year, with five underway and six not yet started. The parks fiscal-management audit is in the reporting stage and the office is planning a mid‑October release, Jones said. Other projects in progress include audits on climate justice, arts education access, emergency communications, and community safety divisions’ anti‑gun-violence efforts.

Audit Services also summarized two public reports generated from its hotline investigations. One report found waste and inefficiency in Civic Life’s management of a fiscal‑sponsor nonprofit (EPN), which became financially insolvent; auditors found Civic Life paid certain insurance brokers in excess of the existing agreement and did not pursue available remedies. A second hotline report found the Portland International Raceway North Portland Trust Fund — a fee-funded grant program — had not distributed required small grants since 2020; the fund contains over $282,000 in fees and interest and the audit recommended awarding grants and updating the governing policy.

Auditor Reddy and Jones said the audit team will publish an audit impact report in early October that tracks the status of recommendations from prior audits. Jones said the audit office also manages the city’s fraud-hotline investigations and uses public suggestions to shape future audit topics.

Councilors praised the audit work and asked about how the audit office will coordinate follow-up and reporting to ensure recommendations are implemented. Jones said the audit office will continue to monitor implementation, publish impact updates and deliver reports intended to inform council and the public.","City Auditor Simone Reddy and Audit Services Director Casey Jones told the Portland City Council on Sept. 4 that a performance audit found Portland has not adopted a citywide asset-management strategy, leaving the city without coordinated governance to address a funding gap the audit estimated at more than $1 billion.","actionData","errors"]

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Portland ombudsman flags fire-safety gaps, predatory towing and persistent homeowner liens in midyear report

City auditor: Portland lacks citywide asset-management strategy; audit cites over $1 billion funding gap