The Ballot Measure

Measure 26-228 proposes that:

  • Portland city council will focus on developing laws and policies, engaging constituents, and increasing community representation in decision-making (source).

  • City council members will no longer manage bureaus or the day-to-day operations of providing City services (source).

  • Portland’s city council will expand from 5 to 12 members (source).

  • City council members will represent 4 geographic districts. Each district will elect 3 representatives who will satisfy residency requirements to qualify for candidacy (source).

SOURCES

Boston, Mass. Charter. Section 11. (link)

City Councils. (n.d.). National League of Cities. (link)

City of Bend. Ore. Charter, Chapter III, Form of Government. (link)

City of Portland. (2022). Notice of Measure Election 26-228. (link)

Detroit Bureau of Governmental Research. (1931). The Form of Government in 288 American Cities. (link)

Eugene, Ore. Charter. Chapter III, Section 5. (link)

FM3 Research. (2022). Portland Voter Views of City Charter Reforms Key Findings of a Survey Conducted (p. 7). (link)

GBAO. (2022). Portland Governance & Electoral Reform Survey (p. 2). (link)

Ginsberg, T., & Shubik-Richards, C. (2011). City Councils in Philadelphia and Other Major Cities: Who Holds Office, How Long They Serve, and How Much It All Costs. In L. Eichel (Ed.), Pew Trust. (link)

Gloden, J., Kaminsky, M., Martinez, N. & Nikiforova, L. (2022). Population, Council Size, and Mayoral Veto Power in the 100 Largest U.S. Cities. North Star Civic Foundation. (link)

International City/County Management Association. (2019). 2018 Municipal Form of Government Survey - Summary of Survey Results. (link)

Johnson, J. E. (2016). Council sizes throughout the United States: Overview for the 2016 Charter Review Committee. In Columbus.gov. (link)

Memphis, Tenn. Charter. Part II - Home Rule Amendments. Ordinance. 4346. (link)

Nashville and Davidson County, Tenn. Part I. Article 3, Section 301. (link)

Portland Charter Reform Commission. (2022). Progress Report #6. (link)

Portland, Ore. Charter. Section 2-102. (link)

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Bend city, Oregon. (2021, July 1). (link)

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Boston city, Massachusetts. (2021, July 1). (link)

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Eugene city, Oregon. (2021, July 1). (link)

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Memphis city, Tennessee. (2021, July 1). (link)

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee. (2021, July 1). (link)

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Portland city, Oregon. (2021, July 1). (link)

A note on citations: Our sources include peer-reviewed academic research, white papers, research from think tanks and universities, public data (such as the U.S. Census or county voter files), news articles, municipal charters and codes, and government websites. In some limited cases, we cite information from advocacy groups.

For simple matters of fact (such as the population of a city) we include a single relevant source. For more complex questions, we cite two or more independent sources.

  • All major U.S. cities have more council members than Portland does, and most have a significantly lower ratio of residents per council member (source), (source). The average city council size among the 50 largest U.S. cities is 13 (source).

    According to the National League of Cities, city councils range in size from 5 to 51 across the nation (source). With nearly 650,000 residents, Portland is the 26th largest city in the country and has one of the smallest city councils (source).

  • Portland: 5 council members represent a population of about 641,000 people (ratio: 1 commissioner per 128,200 people) (source), (source).

    Boston: 13 city council members represent a population of about 655,000 people (ratio: 1 council member per 50,300 people) (source), (source).

    Memphis: 13 city council members represent a population of about 628,000 people (ratio: 1 council member per 48,300 people) (source), (source).

    Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County: 40 council members represent a population of about 679,000 people (ratio: 1 council member per 16,975 people (source), (source).

    Eugene: 8 council members represent a population of 175,000 people (ratio: 1 council member per 21,875 people (source), (source).

    Bend: 7 council members represent a population of 102,000 people (ratio: 1 council member per 14,600 people (source), (source).

  • While most U.S. cities use at-large electoral systems, more are moving to an electoral system based on wards and/or districts. A 2018 Municipal form of Government survey indicated that 1.3% of cities surveyed had moved from an at-large system to a ward/district system between 2011 and 2018. In contrast, only 0.6% had moved from a district/ward system to an at-large system in the same time frame (source).

    For information about multimember districts, please visit the section on Proportional Ranked Choice Voting.

  • Cities have been moving away from the commission form of government since the 1920s (source).

    Only 3.2% of cities that responded to a 2018 Form of Government Survey indicated that they operate under a commission system (source).

  • Polling indicates Portlanders support increasing the city council to 12 members (source), (source).

Helpful Information