Portland City Council Finance & Governance Committee (Whole) 07/15/26
Home Forward, Portland's public housing authority, is $30 million in the red with vacancies stuck at eight properties — council could vote to dissolve it and take back its powers. Zimmerman said he's not convinced it can recover; Pirtle-Guiney cited drug dealing and prostitution in District 2 properties and wants a safety timeline, not more consultant reports. No decision made.
Agenda
Summary
Three new members were confirmed to the Portland Utility Board — civil engineer Al Haig (District 1), wastewater plant planner and labor representative Joe Robinson (District 4), and Verde water justice advocate Rose Patton, who was added by amendment to fill an unexpected vacancy. Discussion before the unanimous vote focused heavily on the tension between rising utility rates and the need to invest in aging infrastructure, particularly the Bull Run Water Filtration Project now estimated at $2.5 billion. Several councilors urged the volunteer board to be a watchdog rather than a rubber stamp, to make public information more digestible, and to schedule more frequent site visits to the filtration construction site. Councilor Ryan noted that anger about utility rate increases is a consistent theme at neighborhood association meetings across the city.
The bulk of the meeting was consumed by a wide-ranging discussion on Home Forward, Portland's public housing authority. Interim Executive Director Michael Buonocore reported that the organization faces a $30 million operating deficit, that vacancy rates have been improving but remain concentrated in eight urban core properties, and that an organizational assessment consultant will be selected by September with findings expected by January 2027. City Attorney Adrian Del Couto outlined the city's limited legal tools: council confirms board appointments, the mayor can remove commissioners for cause, and council could vote to transfer the housing authority's powers back to itself and potentially dissolve the organization. Interim Portland Housing Bureau Director Quisha Light and Portland Solutions Director Skyler Brock presented the Mayor's Housing Strike Team, which tracks vacancies across the PHB-regulated portfolio with a target of 5.4% vacancy by year-end.
Councilors Zimmerman and Pirtle-Guiney pressed hardest on accountability, with Zimmerman stating he is not yet convinced Home Forward can recover and may need to be dissolved and reimagined, and Pirtle-Guiney detailing specific reports of drug dealing and prostitution in District 2 Home Forward properties and demanding a timeline for concrete safety improvements, not just consultant reports. Councilor Green urged colleagues to distinguish between problems attributable to Home Forward's governance and choices versus broader structural forces — rising operating costs, pandemic-era financial disruption, and a regional housing market where even private luxury units face elevated vacancy rates. Home Forward board vacancies — two Portland seats and one Gresham seat — will come before full council for confirmation in a future meeting, with councilors signaling they intend to scrutinize candidates more rigorously than in the past.
Key Points
- Mayor's proclamation recognized Kasia/Kezia Warner for over two decades of service to the City of Portland across multiple bureaus, declaring July 15, 2026 'Keziah Warner Day'
- Three voting members were appointed to the Portland Utility Board — Al Haig, Joe Robinson (labor representative), and Rose Patton (added via amendment) — with unanimous approval; discussion centered on rate affordability, infrastructure investment transparency, and the Bull Run Water Filtration Project
- The committee heard presentations on Home Forward's financial situation (a $30 million operating deficit), occupancy challenges concentrated in eight urban core properties, the city's legal oversight authority over Home Forward, funding flows between Portland Housing Bureau and Home Forward, and the Mayor's Housing Strike Team; councilors pressed on vacancy causes, safety failures, and whether the organization can recover or should be restructured
Votes (2)
Amendment to Portland Utility Board Appointment (Document 2026-238) — Add Rose Patton
Amendment to add Rose Patton as a third appointee to the Portland Utility Board, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Brooke Berhanu
Portland Utility Board Appointments — Document 2026-238 (as amended)
Refer to full City Council with recommendation to accept the appointments of Al Haig, Joe Robinson, and Rose Patton to the Portland Utility Board
Action Items
- Staff to circulate Home Forward presentation slides to all councilors
- Portland Housing Bureau to provide councilors with a breakdown of Home Forward properties by council district, including vacancy, safety, and deferred maintenance data
- Portland Solutions Director Brock to provide councilors with 911 call data disaggregated by call type for properties tracked by the Tenant Safety Team
- Home Forward to conduct property-level analysis identifying root causes of vacancy (demand, affordability, safety perception, structural issues) and benchmark against comparable non-Home Forward properties
- Home Forward to report to council on outcome metrics — including residents who successfully exit to market-rate housing and those who remain stably housed over time
- Portland Utility Board to schedule a full-board site visit to the Bull Run Water Filtration Project construction site
- Portland Utility Board staff to coordinate a working session with a council committee (likely Public Works), targeting September 2026 to align with the board's annual report and work plan due September 30
- Council President's office noted scheduling Councilor Koyama Lane's visit to a Portland Utility Board meeting in September
- Councilor Kanal suggested Portland Utility Board consider holding at least one meeting outside standard weekday business hours to improve public accessibility
- Moda Arena to present to Finance & Governance Committee of the Whole on July 30 and August 6, with full Council consideration and a scheduled vote anticipated August 12 or 20
- CMI Hub (broader franchise discussion beyond Zenith) scheduled for mid-to-late September committee discussion
- Fall Technical Adjustment Ordinance tentatively scheduled for October 15
- Prosper Portland Board of Directors update, Vision Zero update, and proposed transfer of Zenith franchise agreement to I Squared scheduled for next week's committee meeting
- Home Forward's Gresham board seat candidate, recently approved by Gresham City Council, to be forwarded to Portland City Council for confirmation
- Budget Note Morillo 11 (Transparency and Information Access Framework) deferred to a future Finance & Governance Committee meeting
Issues Discussed (20)
The Finance & Governance Committee received a detailed briefing on Home Forward's $30 million operating deficit, with Interim Executive Director Michael Buonocore reporting that an organizational assessment consultant will be selected by September with findings expected by January 2027. Councilors Zimmerman and Pirtle-Guiney raised pointed questions about accountability and safety conditions in Home Forward properties, with Zimmerman stating he is not yet convinced the agency can recover and may need to be dissolved and reimagined.
Referenced in committee review but no substantive discussion of the Moda Arena franchise or agreement appears in this meeting's proceedings, which focused on Portland Utility Board appointments and Home Forward housing authority accountability.
Referenced during broader committee agenda but no substantive discussion of the Zenith franchise transfer to I Squared or the CMI Hub franchise appears in the meeting summary.
Council unanimously confirmed three new members to the Portland Utility Board, including civil engineer Al Haig, wastewater planner Joe Robinson, and water justice advocate Rose Patton. Councilors urged the board to serve as an active watchdog on the $2.5 billion Bull Run Water Filtration Project, make utility information more publicly accessible, and conduct more frequent site visits, amid widespread community frustration over rising utility rates.
Referenced during broader budget planning discussion but no substantive details, actions, or presentations related to the Fall Technical Adjustment Ordinance were included in this meeting.
Referenced during broader committee business but no substantive discussion of the Moda Center term sheet negotiation appears in the meeting record.
Referenced during broader discussions but no specific action taken on budget geographic distribution mapping by district; the topic was noted as updated but the meeting focused primarily on Portland Utility Board appointments and Home Forward's financial and governance crisis.
Referenced during broader governance and accountability discussions, but no specific action, presentation, or substantive debate on geographic budget mapping by council district is documented in this meeting summary.
Referenced during broader budget and governance discussions but no specific action, testimony, or detail on neutral legislative budget staff capacity appears in the meeting summary.
Referenced during broader governance discussion but no substantive information about the Council President Election Process appears in the meeting summary.
Two vacant Portland seats and one Gresham seat on the Home Forward board were discussed but not filled, with the committee indicating appointments will come before full council for confirmation at a future meeting. Councilors signaled they intend to apply heightened scrutiny to candidates amid broader concerns about Home Forward's governance and a $30 million operating deficit.
Referenced in committee records as under review, but the meeting was consumed by Portland Utility Board appointments and an extensive discussion of Home Forward's financial crisis — no substantive discussion of the Moda Arena Franchise Agreement appears in the meeting summary.
Council unanimously confirmed three new members to the Portland Utility Board, including civil engineer Al Haig, wastewater planner Joe Robinson, and water justice advocate Rose Patton. Discussion centered on the $2.5 billion Bull Run Water Filtration Project and rising utility rates, with multiple councilors urging the board to act as a genuine watchdog, improve public transparency, and conduct more frequent site visits to the filtration construction site.
The Zenith Franchise Agreement Transfer to I Squared is not mentioned or discussed in this meeting summary, which focused on Portland Utility Board appointments and a detailed review of Home Forward's financial and operational challenges.
The Finance & Governance Committee conducted an extensive review of Home Forward's $30 million operating deficit, hearing from Interim Executive Director Michael Buonocore on vacancy rates and a planned organizational assessment due by January 2027, and from the City Attorney on legal options including potential dissolution of the housing authority. Councilors Zimmerman and Pirtle-Guiney raised pointed accountability concerns — with Zimmerman questioning whether Home Forward can recover and Pirtle-Guiney demanding concrete safety timelines for District 2 properties — while Councilor Green cautioned against conflating governance failures with broader structural housing market pressures.
Referenced during committee review but not substantively discussed; the meeting summary contains no information about the Zenith franchise transfer to I Squared or a broader franchise discussion, with the session focused instead on Portland Utility Board appointments and Home Forward housing authority accountability.
The Bull Run Water Filtration Project, now estimated at $2.5 billion, was cited as a key driver of rising utility rates during discussion surrounding the confirmation of three new Portland Utility Board members. Councilors urged the volunteer board to serve as an active watchdog rather than a rubber stamp, calling for more frequent site visits to the filtration construction site and clearer public communication about costs and rate impacts.
Not addressed in this meeting; the session focused on Portland Utility Board appointments and an extended discussion of Home Forward's operating deficit and governance issues.
Not addressed in this meeting; the session focused on Portland Utility Board appointments and Home Forward's governance and financial crisis, with no discussion of the Zenith/I Squared franchise enforcement conditions.
Not addressed in this meeting; the summary contains no discussion of the Zenith Franchise or related third-party enforcement conditions, focusing instead on Portland Utility Board appointments and Home Forward's operating deficit and accountability issues.