November 20, 2021 

Hello Portlanders,

First - I am moving the time of my Monthly Zoom from 4pm on Monday, November 22nd (tomorrow) to 5pm on Tuesday, November 30th. 

I’m sorry for any inconvenience this causes. My husband learned this past week that he could get scheduled for knee surgery on Monday. (Which is welcome news!) However, that means I need to be on call for drop off, pick up, and help. Thanks for understanding, and hope to see you after Thanksgiving on Tuesday, November 30th at 5pm. (As always - if there’s anything urgent - please email me at [email protected].)

Second - if you’d like to forward this email, please do!
And, I am always happy to add anyone to my email distribution. If anyone new wants to join - just email me and I’ll make sure you’re on all future correspondence. 

November has been very busy to-date. As earlier shared, the Municipal Election results for the At-Large Council seat resulted in a numerical tie and required a recount. Following Recount, Rodriguez Declared At-Large City Council Winner. I welcome Councilors-elect Rodriguez, Trevorrow, and Pelletier, and look forward to the Inauguration Meeting on December 6th at 6:00pm. (Meeting Agenda and Link will be here, closer to the date.)

On November 15th, the Council voted 7-1 to approve Shelter Licensing Requirements. Soon after the vote, Reconsideration was requested. (To see the Ordinance Amendments, and the full back-up, click here and scroll to Order 88.)

Among other things, Order 88 establishes licensing requirements and enforcement provisions for emergency shelters to ensure the safety of clients and staff. New requirements include a two-tier fee structure for small and large emergency shelters, a bed density cap of 300 beds within a one-mile radius, a 1,000-foot buffer zone between shelters, a day space requirement, and exemptions for pre-existing emergency shelters. 

A motion to reconsider Order 88 will be on the agenda for the December 6th Council Meeting (after the Inaugural Meeting). If there is support to reconsider shelter licensing and that motion carries, I will support action to postpone a final vote on a licensing ordinance to a date-certain, likely sometime in February. That will allow time for the newly composed Council to have a Workshop in order to dive in and catch up on the work this year's HHS committee did to bring these ordinance amendments forward. 

In my view, Shelter Licensing is an important next step as our municipality continues to work, and partner with the region, the state, and many organizations to address the needs for emergency shelter as well as transitions to programmatic shelter, supported housing, and permanent housing. 

If you live in District 1, 2 or 4 - please attend your upcoming Annual District Meeting!

The City of Portland’s annual District Meetings started this past week and will be held remotely during the months of November and December. These meetings are the public’s opportunity to meet their district councilor, the Mayor, and representatives from the various departments within the city. All district meetings will be held via Zoom at 6:30 PM. 

Districts 3 & 5 happened last week. 

The following meetings remain:

Tuesday, November 30
District 4: Hosted by Councilor Andrew Zarro
Join Zoom here. Passcode: 761482

Wednesday, December 1
District 1: Hosted by Councilor Belinda Ray
Join Zoom here. Passcode: 286069

Wednesday, December 15
District 2: Hosted by Councilor-elect Victoria Pelletier
Join Zoom here. Passcode: 159911

The City of Portland wants to keep you up to date on efforts to unify all Health and Human Services Department programs and services under one roof at 39 Forest Avenue in Portland.
Please join the City of Portland's Health and Human Services Department for a virtual community meeting to share updates regarding the move to 39 Forest Avenue. The meeting will take place via Zoom on December 2, 2021 at 4:30pm. See below for meeting information. We hope to see you there!

December 2nd Community Meeting details: Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89177515084?pwd=Z3ZGZ2hBUmJOdkxlQU9qRU8vakhBUT09 Passcode: 332135

Mayor Zoom Meeting (No formal agenda. Come one, come all.) 
November 30th at 5:00pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86774867902?pwd=YU1QcnFwRWdOR2lhc1l4Y085anN6Zz09
(For anyone new to my email list - I host a monthly “Mayor Zoom” meeting. This is a relaxed, drop-in meeting with no agenda. I’m interested in hearing what’s on your mind. And, I’m happy to answer questions to the best of my ability. This has proven to be a good way to share information, ideas, and concerns. If you can’t make this meeting, please know there will be another next month - always during the last week of the month, but on different days of the week, and at different times of day - in hopes of reaching as many people as possible as the months go.)

With gratitude,

Kate Merchant Snyder

Please see below for general information regarding access to City Updates, and City Council work:

City Council Meetings: 
The Portland City Council meets the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month. In the case of a Monday holiday, we typically meet the next Wednesday. In the case of school vacation weeks, we typically push the meeting by a week. Agendas and Info, go here.

The next City Council meeting is Monday, December 6th.

Council Workshops: Please Check in here to see all upcoming meetings.

Council Committees: Do not meet in December. 

City News & Updates: Sent every Friday afternoon straight to you. Email or Text. 
These are great updates.
If you’re generally curious about City updates and news - please click here to subscribe to the ‘City News’ group. You can also go to that page to click on the latest weekly update - and look back through news, too. The weekly compile has everything from Council decisions to construction updates to news about things happening around town. It’s a fantastic, concise, easy to read resource.