Portland makes big cuts to parks budget

(MAY 25, 2019) Every city has a budget. It is a plan for money coming in from taxes. And it is a plan for paying for city services.

The Portland City Council recently approved a new budget for 2019-2020. The Council is a group of 5 leaders who manage the city. One of them is the mayor.

The new budget is $5.6 billion. It pays for about 6,000 workers.

The new budget has big changes. One of the changes is money for parks. In the past, the parks department had a shortfall. That means it spent more money than its budget. The shortfall was $6.3 million.

Now the parks department must change. It will cut 50 jobs from the parks department. Also Portland parks and community centers will have fewer programs.

Four members of the city council voted "yes". The other member, Jo Ann Hardesty, voted "no." Hardesty tried to change the budget several times, but the other commissioners and the mayor did not agree.

“I would not be true to myself and my value system if I didn’t do everything in my power to make sure we had a public conversation about whether or not we are investing based on my values,” Hardesty said.