Advocating for Riverfest in City budget process

•  The $50,000 request appears in the Bureau of Planning budget as Decision Package 12.

•  The prime time to express support for Riverfest is February through April.

•  Letters written to each Commissioner are most useful (see below).

•  Visits to Commissioners can also be effective, but face-time may be very difficult to schedule.

•  Commissioners Saltzman and Leonard are the Bureau of Planning’s budget team (in addition there will be 2 yet-to-be-named citizens) which will make recommendations to the full Council in late March or early April.

•  There will be two Community Budget Forums in late February (see below) where the public can testify about the budget. The forums feature small group discussions and are intended to address high level budget needs, not necessarily each possible item proposed for funding. Still, having citizens strongly assert that river revitalization is critical would be helpful.

•  Usually the results of budget review are rolled up into the Mayor’s Proposed Budget, which generally comes out in mid-April.

•  There will be one community budget hearing for formal testimony in May.

•  The City Council usually makes a final decision on the budget in mid-June.

The Bureau of Finance and Management has a budget website:

http://www.portlandonline.com/omf/index.cfm?c=26061

It also provides a convenient way to comment on the budget (though letters would likely carry more weight):

http://www.portlandonline.com/omf/index.cfm?action=UpdateItem&category_id=55&c=31318

Community Budget Forums:

Letters of Support

•  Letters documenting why an organization supports Riverfest and how it plans to be involved should be sent to each Commissioner and the Auditor, as well as cc’d to Gil Kelly, Bureau of Planning Director, and Michael Montgomery, River Renaissance. (see contacts below)

•  Letters that specify the supporting organization’s level of commitment (cash or in-kind) are especially valuable, as they demonstrate the City’s contribution will be well-leveraged. Letters that have this sort of commitment should also be cc’d to the City’s Financial Planning Division (see contacts below).

Contacts: