Koyama Lane Secures Budget Wins for Portland’s Tree Canopy, Community Wellness, and Public Space

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Portland, OR - Three budget amendments Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane introduced were passed yesterday, protecting tree health and access to parks services for Portlanders.

Koyama Lane 2: Urban Forestry and Tree Permitting

The Koyama Lane 2 budget amendment for urban forestry and tree permitting restoration passed with an 8-4 vote. In recent years, cuts brought tree permitting staff down from 40 positions to 26. The mayor's budget would have cut them even more, down to 12 staff members total, which risked causing more unpermitted tree removals, canopy loss, development bottlenecks, and a failure to meet legal mandates.

This amendment restores 14 of these positions and adds $3,208,897 in non-General Fund resources to restore proposed reductions to Urban Forestry and the Tree Permitting Program. Funding for these positions was approved by the PCEF Committee through the Climate Investment Plan (CIP) contingency.

"We can't wait to protect our tree canopy - Portland's canopy has declined in recent years...when we lose large-form trees, it takes decades to replace the shade, habitat, natural beauty, and other environmental benefits they provide," Koyama Lane said.

(Yes votes for Koyama Lane 2: Councilors Avalos, Morillo, Kanal, Novick, Green, Smith, and Dunphy, Koyama Lane)

Koyama Lane 7: Preserving Personal Trainers

Koyama Lane 7, which preserves the positions of numerous personal trainers at our public community centers, passed with a 9-3 vote. This amendment was drafted in direct response to the consistent, moving engagement of community members who advocated both in-person and digitally about how life-saving these positions have been for many of Portland's most vulnerable community members. "The community has taught me how incredibly important personal trainers are for those who are denied access to other supports," Koyama Lane said. "Older residents, people on a limited income, people with disabilities and folks struggling with physical and mental health issues rely on personal trainers. These are life-saving positions, and this is an issue of justice and access."

(Yes votes for Koyama Lane 7: Councilors Avalos, Morillo, Kanal, Novick, Green, Smith, Dunphy, Zimmerman, Clark, Koyama Lane)

Koyama Lane 6: Montavilla Park Picnic Shelter

The Montavilla Park picnic shelter was demolished by PP&R in October 2021 due to health and safety concerns. A designed and already permitted replacement was halted due to budget shortfalls, and the project has remained on hold since. As a result, Montavilla Park, a well-loved and well-used park east of 82nd Avenue, an often-overlooked part of Portland, has no standalone covered shelter for community gatherings.

Sara Fischer of Hope and Bread Church testified at the public listening session on Monday. She said, "Building this park is a way to provide hope to our community, housed and unhoused, and show that we are not turning our backs on them. This is particularly meaningful to seniors, people with disabilities, and families with young children."

Constituents have shared that the shelter has been important for community gatherings, for shade on hot days, and shelter from the rain. This amendment passed with a 7-5 vote. This passage reflects the City's commitment to maintaining trust and following through on promises made to the community, and is a way to tell communities east of 82nd Avenue that they are seen, valued, and invested in. (Yes votes for Koyama Lane 6: Councilors Avalos, Morillo, Kanal, Novick, Green, Dunphy, Zimmerman, Koyama Lane)

Together, these three amendments protect Portland's tree canopy, preserve personal trainers who serve some of our most vulnerable communities, and invest in public spaces that belong to all of us.

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Contact: Joon Ae Haworth-Kaufka

Communications Staff for Councilor Koyama Lane's Office

[email protected]