TL;DR (generated · confidence: high)

This package recommends a $411,626 allocation to fund 3.0 FTE positions in Portland Parks & Recreation's Urban Forestry Permitting & Regulation program. The funding aims to retain tree preservation and care capacity while reducing costs through one-time allocations. Without these positions, service levels will deteriorate significantly, response times will increase, and equity outcomes will suffer as the program becomes reactive rather than proactive in serving historically excluded communities.

Key points (each cites a PDF page):

Fund 3.0 FTE positions in Permitting & Regulation with $392,368 personnel and $19,258 materials and services for total $411,626 (p. 1645)
Service response times for 823-TREE single point of contact improved from 4+ business days (pre-2020) to 1-2 business days; loss of positions will revert to pre-2020 levels (p. 1645)
Tree permit processing improved from 12 weeks to 2 weeks; staffing loss will slow permitting and increase tree violations (p. 1645)
Program is city's sole provider of tree regulation implementation and supports 300+ capital projects' Title 11 compliance (p. 1645)
Loss of positions will trigger staff attrition, institutional knowledge loss, and degraded customer service outcomes (p. 1645)
Staffing reduction will negatively impact equity and anti-racism implementation, shifting program from proactive engagement to reactive service only (p. 1646)

💰 $411,626 · $392,368 · $19,258 · 👥 3.0 FTE · 📋 Single Point of Contact (823-TREE) program · Permitting & Regulation · Urban Forest Management Plan · 🏛️ Portland Parks & Recreation

23,664

Source: PDF pp. 1645-1646 · raw: 1645 · 1646

Breadcrumb: 7 vs › vc-dps_06-03-2025_16-20 › Package Details › 23,664

23,664 - Utilize UFF to Retain Tree Preservation, Planting and Care Capacity in City Projects and Private Property Service Area Vibrant Communities DCA Sonia Schmanski Bureau Name Portland Parks & Recreation Director Adena Long Funding Type Name Realignment Status: Recommended Package Desc Expense Recommended Total Fund 3.0 FTE positions in Permitting & Regulation with a one-time allocation of the Urban Forestry Internal Materials and Services ($19,258) Fund. Provides cost reduction and does not reduce existing services while allowing time for potential Personnel ($392,368) vacancies to open up, e.g., retirement, movement to other positions. ($411,626) The Permitting & Regulation program provides direct customer service to community members through the Single Point of Contact (823-TREE) program, ensures tree preservation and proper tree Revenue Recommended Total care across all property types, and ensures the City's 300+ capital projects comply with Title 11 and support the goals of the Urban Forest Management Plan. Permitting & Regulation is critical to General Fund Discretionary ($411,626) supporting property owners to care for and manage trees on their property. They are essential to the ($411,626) City's storm response operations including communication to the public, inspection and removal of hazardous trees in streets and on private property and ensuring replacement trees are planted. They Expense Recommended Total are the city's sole provider of tree regulation implementation and the new PP&D bureau's successful application of delegated City Forester authority. External Materials and Services ($411,726) Increase in Title 11 code compliance inspections is one of only six outcome areas showing Internal Materials and Services $19,258 improvement in the FY24 PP&R Healthy Parks Healthy Portland Actions & Results Performance Personnel $392,468 Report. $0 Service Impacts Revenue Recommended Total Severe outward facing service level impacts will be felt by the public with the loss of these positions. Prior to 2020, before Portland voters passed the Parks 2020 Operating Levy, Urban Forestry Beginning Fund Balance $0 Permitting and Regulation was plagued with historically low staffing levels which, in-turn, resulted in $0 inadequate and inefficient services to the public. These inadequate services included constituents not receiving a response from the Single Point of Contact (823-TREE) for up to 4 business days after leaving a message, tree permit requests taking up to 12 weeks to be addressed after applying, and a 4-month delay in notifying property owners of emergency tree follow-up requirements after storms have moved through the City. Between 2020 and 2024 those service levels improved to receiving a response from the Single Point of Contact (823-TREE) within 1 to 2 business days, tree permits requests being addressed within two weeks of applying, and emergency follow-up notifications being provided to property owners within two to four weeks after a storm. Service levels will quickly return to that of the pre-2020 levels with the loss of these positions and the public will experience significant delays in both correspondence and tree permitting which will, as has been seen in the past, result in an immediate increase of tree violations. The loss of these positions will lead to attrition as morale suffers and existing staff workloads become unmanageable. Attrition leads to loss of institution knowledge and a noticeable slowdown in service levels while recruitments are carried out and new employees are trained. Attrition will lead to even further reductions in service levels than what was described in the question above and will reduce tree permitting accuracy and speed, overall customer service, interbureau coordination, and result in inadequate forest infrastructure management and an overall loss of overall tree canopy.

Equity Impacts The reduction in staffing will negatively impact the implementation of the equity and anti-racism lens and will result in inequitable outcomes in actions and decision-making processes. Rather than continuing to work towards reaching and engaging with the communities that have been systematically excluded and institutionally oppressed and building programs to create equitable outcomes (e.g., financial assistance, translation services, etc.), Urban Forestry Permitting and Regulation will operate in a reactive manner, responding only to those who proactively engage with the City. This often results in serving the affluent and those who are comfortable communicating with the government.

Parent: Package Details · PDF: pp. 1645-1646