FILE - People leave a city council meeting at Portland City Hall in July.
Eli Imadali / OPB
Early election returns Tuesday show voters rejecting a ballot measure meant to give Portlanders a bigger say in the city’s budget process.
Measure 26-267 would create a “participatory budgeting program” where the public would be able to vote on how to spend 2% of the city’s annual discretionary budget. The measure’s advocates say the model would improve transparency on how the city spends public dollars and build Portland’s trust in their elected officials.
The measure had collected 67% votes in opposition as the polls closed at 8 p.m.
Supporters admitted defeat shortly after.
“We came up short tonight, but we changed the conversation in this city,” said Jim Labbe, spokesperson for the Measure 26-267 campaign, in a statement. “We look forward to having conversations with all parties to establish meaningful participatory budgeting in Portland.”
Opponents, including Mayor Keith Wilson, say the measure could lead to further cuts to critical city departments at a time when the city’s budget is already strapped for cash. Wilson joined the labor unions and moderate city councilors in campaigning against this measure.
Those critics celebrated the early results Tuesday.
“Portlanders looked at this measure and asked the right question: where would the money for this new program come from?” said Laurie Wimmer, with the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, in a statement. “The answer was cuts to the people who keep this city running, by delivering the basic services we all rely on. Voters rejected locking an unfunded mandate into the charter, and our city and its working families are better off for it.”
Progressive Portland city councilors have backed the measure. The campaign collected more than $1 million, largely from local progressive PACs like East County Rising Action Fund and Next Up Action Fund, which aren’t required to share the names of their contributors.
This story may be updated.
