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Council presses city administration on budget surprises, oversight and background on $21 million

December 04, 2025 | Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon


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Council presses city administration on budget surprises, oversight and background on $21 million
City Administrator Michael Jordan delivered his monthly report and fielded extended questioning from councilors about several oversight issues, including a previously‑reported $21 million in the Portland Housing Bureau that council members said was not reflected in earlier budget materials.

Jordan said he did not have a detailed timeline for every budget item but promised to follow up with the council and with the chief financial officers. Councilors asked for a structured budget‑variance report that would flag month‑to‑month major changes in revenue and significant unanticipated balances; several asked that the next city administrator be required to protect staff who raise uncomfortable information for council oversight.

Councilors also pressed Jordan on timelines for hiring permanent managers for the Office of Violence Prevention and Portland Street Response, status of an appeal deadline for a land‑use matter, and whether federal grant payments due to PBOT and PBEM posed risks to current programs. Jordan agreed to provide follow‑up documentation and suggested bringing bureau staff to committee for deeper technical explanations.

Separately, councilors urged clearer mechanisms for notifying council when unexpected funds are discovered and suggested exploring ordinance language that would require bureaus to report certain unassigned funds to council within a 30‑day window. Several councilors flagged concerns that prior discoveries created potential imbalance in the administration’s proposed budgets.

What’s next: Administrator Jordan and CFO staff will provide follow‑up documentation on the timeline of funds discovered in the Housing Bureau and the status of appeals, and council members requested a more regular variance or dashboard that flags significant fiscal deviations for public transparency.

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