Priority Budgeting - The Next Step In Portland Progressive Government

Hi Portland City Councilors:

Please consider a more progressive and transparent approach to the budgeting process by adopting a Priority Budgeting process in place of the behind-the-scenes, status quo, “Horse Trading” game. Governor John Kitzhaber introduced innovative Priority Budgeting when reduced funding for his ground breaking Oregon Health Plan required defensible recalibration.

Priority Budgeting works like this:

A. Each councilor is given access to an online list created by the city administrator defined by bureau then itemized by program, services, etc., whatever distinctions are most appropriate. The cost of each line item as determined by the city administrator is included by default.

B. The program will allow each councilor to change the dollar value for each line item and rank each line item in order of that councilor’s priorities.

C. A target budget ceiling will be established by a majority of the councilors. Councilors may submit their budgets of any size keeping in mind the optics of submitting a personal budget which exceeds the target budget established by a majority of the council.

D. The city administrator will collect all the individual councilor’s priority budgets, process them then return a budget which takes into consideration all the councilors’ priorities and spending totals and matches the target budget total.

E. A majority of councilors can amend this computer generated composite budget within the targeted budget limits.

The merits of a Priority Budgeting process:

A. Transparency. Each councilor’s priority budget becomes a public document the moment it is submitted. Hidden, backdoor, behind the scenes “horse trading” no longer obfuscates each councilor’s true budget priorities.

B. Accountability. Councilors cannot hide their individual values and priority choices within an out-of-view, group manufactured, trading fest.

C. Efficiency. Councilor budgets must all be submitted by a date certain. Computer results will produce an on-target budget reflecting the combined preferences of all councilors ready for a vote on that date certain.

Let’s begin this new era in city government with a new budgeting process. We have rightly jettisoned the old government structure and we should do the same to the old budget process. Voters deserve to know exactly what each of their elected leaders choose as priorities. You were elected under computer determined rank choice voting. Computer determined collective Priority Budgeting follows along that same path.

It’s time to address this issue NOW. Someone needs to take the leadership role here and find four votes to immediately put this proposal before the full council and then gather seven votes to pass and fund writing the necessary software. It’s takes time to write and test new software. DON’T PROCRASTINATE.

Good luck and good health.

Richard Ellmyer

Portland resident since 1975.

Oregon Voter since 1971. NAV, Non Affiliated Voter. Citizen Activist.

Campaign manager and legislative assistant to state senator Bill McCoy 1980-1981.

Campaign manager and senior staff to Multnomah county commissioner Gladys McCoy 1981-1984.

Celebrate North Portland award 2016 for Volunteer Work and Service with Political and Social Issues Impacting North Portland.

Certified Oregon Change Agent by Governor John Kitzhaber 2011.

PSU Senior Adult Learner, Spring 2021 - Public Participation GiS, 500 level class

PSU Senior Adult Learner, Spring 2024 - Planning and Housing Markets, 500 level class

Author of more stories on the politics, players and policies of Public Housing in Oregon over the last twenty-three years than all other journalists and elected officials combined.

Project Champion and Data Wrangler - Metro/Oregon Public Housing Location Maps https://www.goodgrowthnw.org/m...

GIS for Activism conference, May 23, 2022, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

Richard Ellmyer - How I, A Citizen Activist, Used GIS To Effectively Tell A Necessary Yet Unavailable Truth About Public Housing

30 minute Video https://media.pdx.edu/media/t/...

Lifelong Learning at PSU by Jennifer Jordan-Wong.

LET KNOWLEDGE SERVE THE CITY [Section] “Richard used a course he audited at PSU to create a citizen activist mapping tool to benefit Oregon residents, stakeholders, and policy makers…His interest in mapping as a tool for change began when he noticed that public housing was not being distributed equitably”

https://psucollegeofed.wordpress.com/2022/09/23/lifelong-learning-at-psu/?fbclid=IwAR3S9Pff0mBGeT6Ha8dQeAqL0nAqU7QzZ-0pJC_oTQJxBWlAb2fdXzdE0w4

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