Voter-approved programs · City of Portland
Portland Clean Energy Fund
Everything the Record publishes about this program, in one place: the tax, the ballot measure, the money by fiscal year, council votes, what was promised next to what was reported, the auditors' findings, and outcome measures. Each figure carries its source and date. Sections with nothing verified yet say so.
1 · What it is
The Portland Clean Energy Fund pays for climate and clean-energy projects in Portland.
- Who pays
- Large retailers, through a 1% surcharge on their Portland sales. Surcharge on Portland sales of large retailers ($1B national / $500,000 local revenue). Not billed to individuals.
- Who runs it
- The City of Portland.
as of 2026-10-15 · source 1
Rates, as published
| PCEF surcharge on large-retailer Portland sales current | 1% | source as of 2026-10-15 |
In plain terms
The Portland Clean Energy Fund pays for climate and clean-energy projects in Portland. Its money comes from a 1 percent surcharge on the Portland sales of large retailers, meaning those businesses pay an extra 1 percent on qualifying sales made in the city. The fund's 2024 Climate Investment Plan, which lays out how the money will be spent, totals approximately $1.6 billion.
AI-drafted plain-language summary, reviewed by an editor — not the verbatim official record. See the sources for the exact wording.
Summary as of 2026-06-24
2 · What voters approved
The ballot measure
-
Measure 26-201
November 6, 2018Ballot title: “Imposes surcharge on certain retailers; funds clean energy, job training.”
Voters approved Measure 26-201, 65–35 (Nov 2018).
as of 2026-09-25 · source 1 · source 2 · full result on Voters and the Council →
3 · Money over time
Revenue, spending and fund balance by fiscal year
- Clean Energy Surcharge revenue (audited)
- Spending, actual (budgetary basis)
- Restricted fund balance (audited)
FY2018-19
FY2019-20
FY2020-21
FY2021-22
FY2022-23
FY2023-24
FY2024-25
| Fiscal year | Measure | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018-19 | Clean Energy Surcharge revenue (audited) | $6,382,669 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2019-20 | Clean Energy Surcharge revenue (audited) | $62,655,771 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2020-21 | Clean Energy Surcharge revenue (audited) | $116,321,343 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2021-22 | Clean Energy Surcharge revenue (audited) | $135,017,328 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2022-23 | Clean Energy Surcharge revenue (audited) | $183,451,304 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2022-23 | Restricted fund balance (audited) | $472,889,074 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2023-24 | Clean Energy Surcharge revenue (audited) | $199,044,455 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2023-24 | Restricted fund balance (audited) | $655,159,383 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2024-25 | Clean Energy Surcharge revenue (audited) | $167,217,977 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2024-25 | Spending, actual (budgetary basis) | $108,427,227 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2024-25 | Restricted fund balance (audited) | $738,124,530 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
All series are from the City of Portland's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. Spending is in the Record's data for one fiscal year only; per-project disbursements are published by the City only behind a Power BI dashboard, which the pipeline flags rather than scrapes.
Other published money figures
Figures that are not part of a year-by-year series — multi-year totals, plan commitments, and one-off amounts — each with its own period and source.
4 · Council decisions acting on it
Council votes linked to this program
-
Amend the FY 2026-27 Budget to appropriate $13,076,892 in Portland Clean Energy Fund interest income, $5,491,002 other fund resources, and $335,000 in County IGA revenues to restore frontline positions and services reduced in the approved budget and to provide transition support for affected employees
On Jul 22, 2026 the council voted 6–6 on ordinance 2026-222; recorded outcome: failed.
Why it is listed here: Paired with Measure 26-201 through the program it created.
6–6 6 Yea · 6 Nay- Angelita Morillo voted Yea
- Candace Avalos voted Yea
- Dan Ryan voted Nay
- Elana Pirtle-Guiney voted Nay
- Eric Zimmerman voted Nay
- Jamie Dunphy voted Yea
- Loretta Smith voted Nay
- Mitch Green voted Yea
- Olivia Clark voted Nay
- Sameer Kanal voted Yea
- Steve Novick voted Nay
- Tiffany Koyama Lane voted Yea
-
Amend Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund Code to allow a transfer of interest earned in FY 2024-25 for the FY 2026-27 budget (amend Code Section 7.07.060)
On May 27, 2026 the council voted 10–2 on ordinance 2026-158; recorded outcome: passed.
Why it is listed here: Paired with Measure 26-201 through the program it created.
10–2 2 Nay · 10 Yea- Angelita Morillo voted Nay
- Candace Avalos voted Nay
- Dan Ryan voted Yea
- Elana Pirtle-Guiney voted Yea
- Eric Zimmerman voted Yea
- Jamie Dunphy voted Yea
- Loretta Smith voted Yea
- Mitch Green voted Yea
- Olivia Clark voted Yea
- Sameer Kanal voted Yea
- Steve Novick voted Yea
- Tiffany Koyama Lane voted Yea
5 · What was promised, and what was reported
Promised vs. delivered
Promise records quote the promising document and render only after the editor verifies them. Delivered figures are the program's own reports and audited statements. Each is shown as recorded; the Record computes no percent-of-goal and draws no conclusion.
Portland Clean Energy Fund
What voters were told
$44-61 million
2022-03-10 · auditor restatement Editor-approved in batch
$30,000,000 campaign claim — not an official estimate Editor-approved in batch
What the audited books show
$167,217,977
FY2024-25
Across 7 years reported: $6,382,669–$199,044,455/yr .
source · source · source · audited figures
Administrative cost cap — promise changed by law
Promised (ballot)
5% ballot text Editor-approved in batch
Current (city code)
12% (ongoing)
The cap was raised, not exceeded.
Other promise records on file
- allocation 50-75% projects / 20-25% jobs training / 5% innovation ballot text Editor-approved in batch * source
* The ballot summary's own approximate shares of Fund proceeds across the three grant categories.
On the accountability ledger
-
PCEF: $1.6B Climate Investment Plan commitments
In progress“The Climate Investment Plan commits approximately $1.6 billion in Portland Clean Energy Fund revenue to climate projects”
The record:The CIP total is published; per-project disbursement detail is published only behind a Power BI dashboard our pipeline flags rather than scrapes, so project-level delivery cannot be independently tracked here yet — that coverage gap is stated on this dashboard.
as of 2026-07-22 · source 1 · source 2 · on the ledger →
6 · Audits and recommendations
What the auditors found
-
Portland Clean Energy Fund: Additional steps needed to implement voter-approved program
2022-03-10
The finding, as recorded from the report
"We found that the program had made progress with some elements, but others were not yet fully implemented or needed direction from City Council." The audit concluded the program began developing accountability systems but needs timeframes for completion, needed guidance from its volunteer committee and Council on climate goals/capacity-building/oversight, and identified challenges managing the administrative cost limit due to unpredictable revenues; not addressing these elements could jeopardize the City's ability to meet the legislative intent of the voter-approved program.
Figures the report states
- $185,000,000 — Grant tax revenue generated since inception (as of end of last fiscal year covered)
- $8,600,000 — First grant portfolio approved by Council April 2021 (awards total)
- 45 grants — Grants in first approved portfolio (April 2021)
- $63,000,000 — Actual tax revenue Fiscal Year 2019-20
- $116,000,000 — Actual tax revenue Fiscal Year 2020-21
as of 2026-06-24 · audit report
The Record carries each audit's headline finding and the figures it states. Recommendation-by-recommendation status is not in the Record's data yet; where an auditor reported a count of recommendations by status, it appears above in the auditor's own words.
7 · Outcomes context
What the program and others report
Reported counts sit here beside the money, not as its result: the Record draws no causal line between a program's spending and any outcome.
| Reported figure | Period | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCEF administrative cost cap in current City Code | ongoing | 12% | source as of 2026-08-03 |
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