• improve the public accountability of City government
  
• assist council, management, and citizens in making decisions
  
• help improve the delivery of public services

• historical trends, both 5 and 10 years
  
• targets and goals
  
• six similar cities

• Public safety has improved. Portland has fewer fires and serious crimes, and citizens feel safer in their neighborhoods
  
• City Livability ratings remain high except in Outer Southeast and East neighborhoods
  
• Progress in achieving housing and development results has slowed
  
• Good quality water and cleaner rivers and streams, but environmental mandates increase customer rates
  
• Physical condition of street system is declining and the street maintenance backlog is growing

• Spending on most major City services is about average compared to other cities
  
• Compared with 10 years ago, Environmental Services had the largest per capita spending increase, while spending on Fire and Transportation declined
  
• Operating spending per capita for major City services increased 6 percent over the past five years.

• Overall, 53 percent of citizens believe local government is doing a “good” or “very good” job at providing services, down from 61 percent in 2001
  
• Citizen satisfaction with City of Portland services improved over the past decade but the 2002 survey revealed recent declines in many areas
  
• Problems with customer billing system may account for lower satisfaction with water and sewer services in 2002
  
• Street maintenance received its lowest rating in 10 years

• Citizens are less satisfied with quality of police services

(+) Portlanders experience 53 percent fewer person crimes per 1,000 residents and 23 percent fewer property crimes per 1,000 residents

(+) residents feel safer walking in neighborhoods and downtown

(+) fires per 1,000 residents declined 25 percent, and lives lost per 100,000 residents is down 41 percent

(+) Portland has fewer structural fires than the average of other cities

(+) residents in the North and Inner Northeast feel significantly safer than they did 10 years ago

(-) citizen satisfaction with police service quality has dropped over the past five years

(-) fewer citizens are willing to work with police to improve their neighborhoods than 10 years ago

(-) fire and medical emergency response times remain much slower than established goals

(+) 82 percent of citizens believe neighborhood livability is “good” or “very good” compared with 77 percent in 1993

(+) residents in the Inner Northeast neighborhood believe livability has increased significantly; 62 percent rated it “good” or “very good” in 1993 versus 82 percent in 2002

(+) neighborhoods had fewer nuisances and derelict buildings corrected

(+) citywide, Portlanders are satisfied with accessibility of buses, shopping, and parks

(-) however, residents of Outer Southeast and East neighborhoods are less satisfied with City services and neighborhood conditions

(-) traffic speed in neighborhoods is judged to be “bad” or “very bad” by 39 percent of residents

(-) residents are less satisfied with quality of parks ground maintenance and street cleanliness than 10 years ago

(+) Portland continues to surpass its goal of attaining 20 percent of the housing built in the region

(+) residents are more satisfied with new residential and commercial developments in neighborhoods

(-) residents believe the physical condition of housing has declined, and Outer Southeast neighbors feel much worse about their housing conditions

(-) over the past five years the number of housing units built dropped 36 percent

(-) the number of commercial building permits and construction trade permits dropped 17 percent and 27 percent respectively over the past five years

(-) review of building plans is slower than established targets

(+) City drinking water meets all federal and state quality standards

(+) adjusted for inflation, the average residential water bill is unchanged

(+) revegetation projects, disconnected downspouts, and more sanitary sewer lines should help improve water in streams and rivers

(+) Over 80 acres of floodplain have been reclaimed and over 2,200 acres of watershed revegetated

(+) water effluent from the City’s two treatment plants meets environmental standards

(-) efforts to improve the quality of water in rivers and streams have significantly increased sewer and storm drainage rates

(-) problems implementing a new customer billing system have affected revenues, cash flow, and customer satisfaction ratings

(-) the backlog of unmet street maintenance needs remains at a ten-year high

(-) citizen ratings of street maintenance quality declined by 6 percent over ten years

(-) the percent of City streets in good condition declined 9 percent over 10 years

(-) citizens are relatively dissatisfied with traffic congestion, and pedestrian and bicyclist safety

(-) residents have not changed commuting habits – about 71 percent still prefer driving alone to work

(-) traffic congestion on major streets and thoroughfares is considered “bad” or “very bad” by 40 percent of residents

• Police and Environmental Services are the most costly City services per capita
  
• BDS and Planning services are the least costly

• BDS increases and Planning decreases are due to the merger of Planning’s development review activities into the new Bureau of Development Services
  
• Over the past 5 years, Parks & Recreation had the largest percentage increases in spending and staffing

• the highest rated City services remain Fire, Parks, and Recycling
  
• Recreation and Sewers had the biggest increase in quality ratings over ten years
  
• Street Maintenance had the largest decline in service ratings
  
• the highest rated neighborhood features are: safety during the day and access to buses and parks
  
• the lowest rated neighborhood features are housing affordability, neighborhood traffic speed, congestion on major streets, and safety of pedestrians and bicyclists

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