Councilors determined eight was too many when it comes to their policy committee load. Come the end of March, they’ll be saddled with just five. by Taylor Griggs Portland’s transition to a new form of government last January bro ught new practices and procedures for the City Council. Among the largest changes, impacting both the Council and members of the public, was the introduction of eight policy committees. The committees, which considered topics including transportation, climate, finance, homelessness, and public safety, were intended to provide a focused venue for councilors to introduce legislation and hold conversations on specific topics, as well as to hear public testimony.  As it turns out, eight bimonthly committees may have been too many. At least, that’s what councilors indicated with their February 19 vote to overhaul the current policy committee structure and reduce the number of committees by three. The new committees, which will meet for the first time at the end of March, could also shake up the City Council power structure.  The restructuring plan, introduced by the newly-elected Council President Jamie Dunphy, created five new committees: Public Works, Housing Permitting, City Life, Community and Public Safety, and a Committee of the Whole, which will tackle finance and governance issues. The first four committees will consist of five councilors each and will meet for three hours on alternating Tuesdays. As its name suggests, the entire Council will sit on the Committee of the Whole, which is set to meet weekly.  What do the new committees do? Dunphy said the addition of the Committee of the Whole—the largest change in the new committee structure—is intended to provide a venue for the entire Council to receive and discuss policy outside the “relatively tight confines of a City Council hearing.” Over the past year, councilors have occasionally voiced concerns about being left out of conversations taking place in committees they don’t sit on, which they say poses a disadvantage when they’re being asked to vote on the items at City Council meetings.  “I want to make sure that all councilors have access to the same information, and the ability to weigh in on big, fraught, important items early,” Dunphy said at the February 19 meeting.  The Committee of the Whole is expected to discuss finance and governance issues generally, as well as internal labor issues, the Small Donor Elections Program, the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability and Independent Police Review, and “citywide items involving major strategic investment,” among other topics. Notably, the 12-person committee will not be led by Dunphy or Council Vice President Olivia Clark. Councilor Sameer Kanal, who was the progressive favorite for Council president during the election earlier this year, has been tasked with chairing the Committee of the Whole. Councilors Dan Ryan and Tiffany Koyama Lane will serve as the vice chairs for finance and governance, respectively.  Of the four other new committees, Housing Permitting and City Life appear the most distinct from their counterparts in the current policy committee structure. Housing Permitting, which will be led by Councilors Candace Avalos and Mitch Green, is expected to tackle issues currently split between the existing Homelessness and Housing Committee, and the Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee. The new City Life Committee, to be chaired by Councilors Elana Pirtle-Guiney and Eric Zimmerman, appears the most broad. The City Life Committee is expected to discuss climate and sustainability, arts and culture, the Portland Children’s Levy, Prosper Portland, and more.  Under the new condensed structure, major legislative topics may get less breathing room. The elimination of the Climate Committee was troubling to some advocates and members of City Council. Over the last year, that committee has provided a forum for elected officials, experts, and advocates to discuss crucial climate issues that have never before received such a public platform. For example, one committee meeting last February was entirely dedicated to discussing the drawbacks of relying on so-called “renewable” fuels, a practice Portland has previously embraced. That discussion may not have had immediate policy impacts, but it helped raise awareness about an issue that doesn’t typically get the spotlight.  Councilor Green noted the loss of the Climate Committee at the February 19 meeting, and promised to consider climate issues whenever possible through the new committees he’s part of. “[This] is a welcome reduction in the number of committees…but in reducing the number of committees, we’ve lost an explicit climate committee,” Green said. “I can tell you, that work must continue.” In addition to the five new committees, Dunphy proposed regular “airing of grievances” meetings, a novel concept introduced by Councilor Steve Novick during the contentious voting process for City Council president in January.  “This is not going to be an opportunity for people to exhibit bad behavior…[or] to attack colleagues or be belligerent in any regard,” Dunphy said. “Rather, it’s an opportunity for us to air problems before they are problems.”  It’s unclear how often the public grievance-airing sessions will occur.  The first Committee of the Whole meeting is scheduled for the week of March 30, with the other committees expected to begin meeting the following week. Dunphy promised his colleagues that if the committee structure seems like it’s not working, there will be opportunities for further tweaks.  The resolution to adopt the new committee structure was approved by eight councilors. Councilors Loretta Smith, Dan Ryan, and Eric Zimmerman voted no, and Councilor Angelita Morillo was absent. ...read more read less