Portland, OR. — Portland Mayor Keith Wilson has issued formal FY 2026–27 budget guidance directing every bureau to prepare three detailed financial scenarios, including cuts of up to 10 percent, as the city confronts a volatile revenue outlook, declining business tax receipts, and the end of pandemic-era funding.
In the guidance released November 21, 2025, the mayor notes that Portland enters another challenging budget cycle amid sluggish business-related tax revenue, reassessments of downtown commercial real estate, and the full exhaustion of one-time federal relief funds. These forces, combined with rising costs in police, fire, homelessness response, and violence-prevention programs, contribute to what the mayor describes as a “fiscal cliff,” especially for core public safety services.
To give the public and City Council a clearer picture of tradeoffs, each bureau receiving General Fund dollars must prepare three scenarios:…