PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portlanders in Districts 2 and 3 are at odds with those living in Districts 1 and 4 when it comes to potential priorities for the city’s upcoming budget cuts, including spending cuts to police, housing and homeless services, and parks and recreation, but generally found consensus when it came to potential cuts for fire services, according to survey results commissioned by Portland’s City Council.
The DHM Research poll results , which surveyed 600 Portland residents in mid-April, asked respondents how they would prioritize cuts from the city’s General Fund, which predominately funds police, fire, smaller public safety programs, parks and recreation and homeless services, as the city faces a $93 million budget shortfall . The survey’s release came hours before Portland City Administrator Michael Jordan announced a 20% reduction in core services across the city.
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District 1 covers the majority of East Portland, while District 2 covers North and Northeast Portland. District 3 covers most of Southeast Portland; meanwhile, District 4 represents residents living in Northwest Portland, South and Southwest Portland.
Spending cuts to the Portland Police Bureau had the most approval in the survey, with 42% of those surveyed approving the cuts to 55% disapproving; however, the survey found there was higher approval for spending cuts within the police bureau in Districts 2 and 3, with 46% and 51% respectively, compared to those living in Districts 1 and 4, which only approved 32% and 38% of potential cuts…