PORTLAND, Oregon — Gov. Tina Kotek and the Portland Central City Task Force have released their action plan to revitalize downtown and tackle some of the city's biggest issues.
Kotek and other leaders presented their set of 10 recommendations Monday morning at the 21st annual Oregon Leadership Summit. Watch the presentation below.
The task force was launched in August with the aim of better addressing issues like homelessness, public safety, drug use and crime. The governor spearheaded the group with co-chair Dan McMillan, the president and CEO of The Standard. Each meeting was held behind closed doors, with Kotek saying little about specific ideas that were discussed.
"We have a set of concrete recommendations, some the first of their kind, others that tap into Portland's strengths in innovation, collaboration, art, and culture," Kotek said in a news release on Monday. "The reward for a strong start is more work. I am committed to this effort and excited to see this work unfold."
Here's a summary of the 10 priorities outlined by the task force, which expects to start carrying them out in early 2024.
Declare a tri-government fentanyl emergency
- The state of Oregon, Multnomah County and the city of Portland each declare a 90-day emergency on fentanyl.
- Establish a command center within the Central City where "daily communication, coordination, and triage of the fentanyl crisis will be carried out."
- Leverage community-based providers (i.e. outreach workers) and law enforcement across all three governments to refocus on existing resources, including "expanding hours of operation during which providers can accept clients, to better meet the Central City's needs and carve out a path to exit the emergency."
Ban public use of controlled substances
- Oregon Legislature should consider legislation to ban the public use of controlled substances and "restore law enforcement's ability to prosecute for attempting to deliver controlled substances to another party based on the amount of drugs in possession."
Ramp up infrastructure for implementing a ban on public use of controlled substances
- Pending legislative approval, ramp up Multnomah County's Promoting Access To Health program and be ready for a statewide public use ban on controlled substances.
Focus peer delivered services and outreach workers in the Central City
- Coordinate peer delivered services and outreach workers to focus outreach in the Central City "where the need is most acute to yield better client outcomes."
Increase safe and accessible options for homeless people
- Sustain and increase daytime services for homeless people, and expand access to public bathrooms and hygiene services. (The task force noted that Multnomah County has allocated $3 million towards daytime services to be procured through early 2024).
Expand Central City's homeless shelter capacity
- Sustain and increase shelter capacity.
- Multnomah County is directing $9 million to "improve flow-through from existing shelters to permanent housing," according to the task force.
- The county is also funding 50 additional shelter pods at existing safe village sites and 300 shelter spaces at two Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites that are slated to open in the spring of 2024.
Elevate law enforcement response in Central City
- Extend additional police presence from the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and Oregon State Police in the Central City into 2024.
- Increase the number of City Park rangers assigned to Central City parks through April.
- Request that PPB evaluate opportunities to use Public Safety Support Specialists.
- Immediately amend the Clean and Safe contract to "allow flexibility for staffing and deployment of additional officers in the Central City.
- Ensure that the Department of Public Safety Standards & training maintains class sizes need to train PPB.
Clean up the city
- Map the Central City's biggest trouble spots from the findings of a pilot program developed last fall.
- Activate SOLVE, AdoptOneBlock and Trash for Peace to work through the list of trash and graffiti hotspots.
- Kotek will ask for $20 million in Oregon Department of Transportation funding in the 2024 legislative session for trash and graffiti removal, the task force said.
Bring down fences and plywood
- Prioritize removing fencing and plywood from downtown buildings before the 2024 Rose Festival. "The boarded up condition of the Federal Courthouse, The Justice Center and some downtown businesses send the wrong signal to visitors," the task force said.
Declare a moratorium on new taxes and offer targeted tax relief
- Elected leaders should agree to a three-year pause on new taxes and fees through 2026.
- A tax advisory group should create a study and evaluate improvements to the taxing structure as state and local governments find targeted incentives, including expanding the Business License Tax downtown tax credit.