How Council divides the work
What does each committee handle and produce?
Committees review policy in public, propose changes, and recommend action to the full Council. See who serves, what each body considered, and what it sent forward.
5current committees
Effective March 30, 2026
Resolution 37741 Current committee structure.
City Life
What it handles: Economic development, tourism, and sports; music, arts, and culture; recreational programing including programs within Portland Parks and Recreation; external investments in internships, apprenticeship, and job training programs; workplace and labor protections; community development; equity and human rights; climate change prevention and mitigation; community resilience; and the needs, programs, policies, and Bureaus addressing culture, climate, labor, and economic development.
- Chair
- Elana Pirtle-Guiney
- Effective period
- Mar 30, 2026–present
14 meetings34 matters15 referred
Community and Public Safety
What it handles: Includes efforts to make Portlanders safer, including prevention, intervention, and response; community safety and violence prevention programs including but not limited to Public Safety Service Area; all law enforcement officers of the city; emergency response, violence prevention, and crisis response systems; and the programs, policies, and Bureaus addressing community and public safety needs.
- Chair
- Steve Novick
- Effective period
- Mar 30, 2026–present
12 meetings16 matters5 referred
Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole
What it handles: Governance issues and other internal operational support and recommendations; finance; review of executive appointments; auditor reports that are not related to policy committee areas; internal labor and workforce issues; oversight.
- Chair
- Sameer Kanal
- Effective period
- Mar 30, 2026–present
27 meetings45 matters16 referred
Housing and Permitting
What it handles: Housing investments, permitting, zoning and other land use decisions; the continuum of housing supports; sheltering and the City's role in homeless services; and the needs, programs, policies, and Bureaus addressing zoning, housing, homelessness, and homeownership.
- Chair
- Candace Avalos
- Effective period
- Mar 30, 2026–present
14 meetings44 matters20 referred
Public Works
What it handles: Includes matters related to transportation and utilities; ratepayer-funded programs; parks, urban forestry, and open space; superfund cleanup; and the needs, programs, policies, and Bureaus addressing public infrastructure.
- Chair
- Olivia Clark
- Effective period
- Mar 30, 2026–present
12 meetings23 matters11 referred
January 15, 2025 → March 30, 2026
Resolution 37696 The first Council committees.
These records remain analytically distinct from their successors, even where the names or policy areas overlap.
Arts and Economy Committee
What it handles: Prosper Portland, TIFF districts, Venture Portland, and the Small Business Hub; economic development, tourism, and sports; the RACC, arts and culture, and music; recreational programing including programs within Portland Parks and Recreation; and the needs, programs, policies, and Bureaus addressing Portland’s arts, economy, and business sectors.
- Chair
- Dan Ryan
- Effective period
- Jan 15, 2025–Mar 30, 2026
19 meetings53 matters9 referred
Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee
What it handles: Zoning and other land use decisions; parks, urban forestry, and open space; climate change prevention and mitigation; community resilience; superfund cleanup; and the needs, programs, policies, and Bureaus addressing zoning, environmental justice, and the use of land within the City.
- Chair
- Angelita Morillo
- Effective period
- Jan 15, 2025–Mar 30, 2026
24 meetings54 matters18 referred
Community and Public Safety Committee
What it handles: Includes community safety and violence prevention programs; all law enforcement officers of the city; Fire, BOEC, Portland Street Response and other crisis response systems; and the programs, policies, and Bureaus addressing community and public safety needs.
- Chair
- Sameer Kanal
- Effective period
- Jan 15, 2025–Mar 30, 2026
25 meetings59 matters9 referred
Finance Committee
What it handles: Serves as a subcommittee of the Council in its capacity as Budget Committee in order to make recommendations to the Council on budget amendments and adoption; reviews other financial and investment policies and structures of the City; and oversees the Bureaus addressing the City’s financial systems.
- Chair
- Eric Zimmerman
- Effective period
- Jan 15, 2025–Mar 30, 2026
25 meetings92 matters67 referred
Governance Committee
What it handles: Internal operational support and recommendations; review executive appointments, auditor reports that are not related to policy committee areas, and periodically review Council rules and procedures; reviews other non-policy needs including overseeing the administrative functions of the City.
- Chair
- Tiffany Koyama Lane
- Effective period
- Jan 15, 2025–Mar 30, 2026
21 meetings57 matters15 referred
Homelessness and Housing Committee
What it handles: Housing investments, permitting, and the continuum of housing supports; sheltering and the City’s role in homeless services; and the needs, programs, policies, and Bureaus addressing housing, homelessness, and homeownership.
- Chair
- Candace Avalos
- Effective period
- Jan 15, 2025–Mar 30, 2026
22 meetings58 matters14 referred
Labor and Workforce Development Committee
What it handles: Internal and external investments in internships, apprenticeship, and job training programs; apprenticeship and workforce utilization goals; workforce and workplace policies and worker protections; labor policies.
- Chair
- Loretta Smith
- Effective period
- Jan 15, 2025–Mar 30, 2026
18 meetings51 matters7 referred
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
What it handles: Matters related to transportation and utilities; ratepayer-funded programs; and other infrastructure needs, programs, policies, and Bureaus.
- Chair
- Olivia Clark
- Effective period
- Jan 15, 2025–Mar 30, 2026
22 meetings57 matters22 referred
Council-wide comparison
Open Council analytics See how work moved across every committee.
Compare committee volume, referrals, introducers, document types, motions, votes, and monthly activity across the full new-government period.