Portland City Council PM Session 09/16/26
Council killed the Zenith Energy oil train franchise transfer 5-6 — Morillo, Green, Kanal and others wanted enforcement teeth first and didn't get a 7th vote. Also passed a resolution urging the city not to sign secrecy deals with data centers, but stopped short of the ban/moratorium activists were pushing for.
Agenda
- 2026-310: Appoint Omar K. Salomon to the Steering and Oversight Committee for the Homelessness Response System for a one-year term to expire September 30, 2027
- 2026-307: Create new non-represented classification of City Data and Privacy Officer and establish a compensation range for this classification
- 2026-306: Create new non-represented classification of Council Public Information Officer and establish a compensation range for this classification
- 2026-247: Initiate foreclosure action on 7545 NE Sandy Blvd for the collection of delinquent City Liens placed against the property
- 2026-248: Initiate foreclosure action on 7545 WI/NE Sandy Blvd for the collection of delinquent City Liens placed against the property
- 2026-250: Initiate foreclosure action on N Columbia Blvd for the collection of delinquent City Liens placed against the property
- 2026-253: Initiate foreclosure action on 7101–7103 SE Division St for the collection of delinquent City Liens placed against the property
- 2026-260: Initiate foreclosure action on 5706 SE Lambert St for the collection of delinquent City Liens placed against the property
- 2026-256: Initiate foreclosure action on 2734-2738 NE Alberta St for the collection of delinquent City Liens placed against the property
- 2026-263: Consent to franchise transfer from Zenith Energy Terminals Holdings LLC to ISQ Springer Holdings, LLC (amend Ordinance 188554)
- 2026-277: Appropriate grant award of $207,411 for speed racing street takeover
- 2026-278: Appropriate grant award of $103,069 for expanded traffic enforcement
Summary
A proposed franchise transfer from Zenith Energy to YSC Springer Holdings failed on a 5-6 vote after Council could not agree on accountability measures for oil trains. Several councilors, including Morillo, Green, and Kanal, said they wanted enforcement and public-recourse provisions before approving the transfer and voted no when those amendments did not gain a seventh vote. A lengthy procedural dispute followed over whether an absent councilor could move to reconsider the vote; the presiding officer ruled they could not, and that ruling was upheld.
Two ODOT grants for the Portland Police Bureau advanced to second reading. A $207,411 grant would fund overtime missions against street racing and takeovers, and a $103,069 grant would support traffic crash investigations and enforcement, including drones and mobile citation printers. Councilors raised concerns about racial disparities in traffic stops, drone data privacy, and whether accepting the grants triggers the voter-mandated 5% set-aside for police accountability. The administration will report back before next week's votes. Council also passed a new Council Public Information Officer classification and seven property foreclosure ordinances for delinquent city liens.
A resolution urging the City Administrator to avoid signing data center non-disclosure agreements and to notify Council of large data center applications drew co-sponsorship from all councilors and extensive public testimony. Residents and advocacy groups called for going further with an outright ban or moratorium on hyperscale data centers, citing energy costs, water use, pollution, and surveillance concerns. Councilors noted the resolution uses 'urge' language because the charter limits their authority over the administrator, and signaled intent to pursue a moratorium or zoning restrictions. The data center resolution vote and the two grant votes are expected to return to Council in coming sessions.
Key Points
- Franchise transfer from Zenith Energy to YSC Springer Holdings failed 5-6 amid concerns over accountability measures for oil trains
- Two ODOT grants for police street racing enforcement and traffic enforcement advanced to second reading, with questions about whether they trigger the 5% police accountability set-aside
- A resolution urging the City Administrator to refrain from signing data center non-disclosure agreements received support from all councilors and heard extensive public testimony
Votes (10)
Document 2026-306 - Council Public Information Officer Classification
Create a new non-represented classification of Council Public Information Officer and establish a compensation range
Document 2026-247 - Foreclosure on 7545 NE Sandy Blvd
Initiate foreclosure action for collection of delinquent city liens
Document 2026-248 - Foreclosure on 7545 NE Sandy Blvd (within)
Initiate foreclosure action for collection of delinquent city liens
Document 2026-250 - Foreclosure on N Columbia Blvd
Initiate foreclosure action for collection of delinquent city liens
Document 2026-253 - Foreclosure on 7101-7103 SE Division St
Initiate foreclosure action for collection of delinquent city liens
Document 2026-260 - Foreclosure on 5706 SE Lambert St
Initiate foreclosure action for collection of delinquent city liens
Document 2026-256 - Foreclosure on 2738 NE Alberta St
Initiate foreclosure action for collection of delinquent city liens
Document 2026-263 - Zenith Energy Franchise Transfer
Consent to franchise transfer from Zenith Energy Terminals Holdings to YSC Springer Holdings
Consent Agenda
Approval of consent agenda items
Appeal of Chair's Ruling on Motion to Reconsider (Franchise Transfer)
Appeal of the presiding officer's ruling that an absent member could not make a motion to reconsider
Action Items
- CBO/CFO to determine whether the two police grants require an additional 5% allocation to the police accountability office to meet charter requirements
- PPB to confirm drone brand/model and whether flight or image data syncs to a manufacturer's cloud
- PPB to share drone standard operating procedures and evidence retention policies with councilors
- Data Privacy Office/Smart Cities to review new technology purchases including drones and citation software
- Administration to answer whether the Zenith franchise transfer returns to staff or is procedurally dead
- PPB pursuing an additional ODOT grant to study stop data collection and disparities
- Councilors encouraged to obtain reports on the 855 NE Church St property and review the foreclosure process
Issues Discussed (8)
The proposed franchise transfer from Zenith Energy to YSC Springer Holdings failed on a 5-6 vote after councilors including Morillo, Green, and Kanal withheld support pending stronger enforcement and public-recourse provisions on oil trains. A subsequent procedural dispute over whether an absent councilor could move to reconsider the vote was resolved against reconsideration.
Two ODOT grants for Portland Police Bureau enforcement activities advanced to second reading, prompting councilor questions about whether accepting the funds triggers the voter-mandated 5% set-aside for police accountability; the CBO/CFO was tasked with determining this before next week's vote.
Council received all-councilor co-sponsorship and extensive public testimony on a resolution urging the City Administrator to avoid signing data center non-disclosure agreements and to notify Council of large data center applications; the vote was not finalized, and councilors signaled intent to pursue a future moratorium or zoning restrictions on hyperscale data centers.
The Zenith Energy to YSC Springer Holdings franchise transfer failed on a 5-6 vote after councilors including Morillo, Green, and Kanal insisted on enforcement and public-recourse provisions for oil train accountability that did not secure a seventh vote. A subsequent procedural dispute over whether an absent councilor could move to reconsider the vote was resolved against reconsideration.
Not addressed in this meeting; the summary contains no discussion of chemical weapons or tear gas policy.
A resolution urging the City Administrator to avoid signing non-disclosure agreements with data centers and to notify Council of large data center applications received co-sponsorship from all councilors and drew extensive public testimony, with advocates pushing for a stronger outright ban or moratorium citing energy, water, and surveillance concerns. Councilors explained the "urge" language reflects charter limits on their authority over the administrator, while signaling intent to pursue a future moratorium or zoning restrictions; the resolution vote is expected in a coming session.
Not addressed in this meeting; the summary contains no discussion of chemical weapons or tear gas policy, focusing instead on police grant funding, the Zenith franchise transfer, and data center regulation.
Public testimony and council debate touched on governance transparency through the data center resolution, which limits the City Administrator's authority to sign NDAs and requires notifying Council of large data center applications, with councilors noting charter constraints on their oversight power over the administrator.