City of Portland Budget Survey  

Opportunity

In spring 2025, Portland’s City Council faced a $93 million budget shortfall. With essential services at risk—including police, fire, parks and recreation, and housing and homelessness support—leaders needed to understand residents’ values and priorities in order to make difficult funding decisions. 

Rather than relying solely on advocacy, departmental input, or political pressure, the Council sought multiple forms of public engagement to ground the budget process in community insight. DHM Research was asked to design and conduct a citywide survey that would complement other outreach efforts and provide a representative snapshot of how Portlanders weighed competing priorities. 

Approach 

DHM surveyed 600 Portland residents using both phone and text-to-online formats, offered in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese to reach a broad cross-section of the city. The survey didn’t ask for abstract opinions—it asked Portlanders to consider real choices: which services should be protected or reduced, how specific program tradeoffs should be handled, and whether new revenue options were preferable to cuts. 

Every question was framed around practical, relatable decisions—helping residents engage meaningfully, and helping Council understand not just what the public valued, but how those values played out under constraint. The survey was one piece of a wider effort to listen to and reflect Portland’s diverse perspectives. 

Outcome 

The survey clarified areas of alignment and disagreement across neighborhoods, income levels, and demographics. Residents strongly opposed cuts to services like parks and fire protection, but showed more mixed views on police and housing-related programs. Though many respondents opposed reductions, their preferences helped city leaders see where limited adjustments might be possible. 

Council members used the results throughout the FY 2025–26 budget process—balancing hard tradeoffs, shaping communication, and advancing proposals that were informed by public sentiment. The survey also identified broad support for increasing the city’s retail tax on large corporations, giving policymakers a clear signal on revenue options. 

In a year of difficult decisions, the research helped Portland’s leaders act with greater confidence and accountability—connecting the final budget to the values and voices of those most impacted.