The Portland Housing Bureau accumulated more than $100 million in unbudgeted funds because of a “longstanding practice” of excluding money from the public-facing budget and due to communication breakdowns between Housing Bureau and city finance staff, according to investigative documents obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
City Administrator Raymond Lee commissioned Ashley Driscoll, a lawyer who runs a workplace investigations firm in Portland, to conduct the review dated April 20. Driscoll interviewed 15 current and former employees, reviewed more than 8,000 documents and watched relevant City Council meetings, according to a memorandum summarizing the investigation.
The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained the 35-page memo, marked as confidential and covered under attorney-client privilege, through a public records request. (See the memo below.)…