PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland City Council is working to figure out how to allocate federal dollars after the city received $114 million in relief due to COVID-19.
On Tuesday morning, the city council finished a work session to talk about how to spend this money. Some main areas include economic recovery, contact tracing and strategic testing, along with business, housing and rental stability.
However, council members shared sticker shock for budget proposals on homeless distancing shelters and motel rooms.
“If we’re going to spend $40 million and we’re going to have nothing at the end of it, there’s something fundamentally wrong with our response,” said Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty.
“I see a lot of overlap, potential redundancies and greater efficiencies across bureaus,” said Commissioner Chloe Eudaly.
They were asked to make decisions on this relief spending by Tuesday to expedite distribution. But, the council said they aren’t comfortable with the current 200 proposals.
Even if they did decide Tuesday, the earliest they could get the money out to people and businesses is a month away.
KOIN 6 News will continue to closely follow the city council’s efforts to distribute these relief dollars.
