Memorandum
To:	Office of Neighborhood Involvement Bureau Advisory Committee (BAC) Members,
	Coalition Directors and Chairs, Diversity and Civic Leadership Participants,
	ONI Staff, Neighborhood and Community Partners, and
	General Public
From:	Amalia Alarcón de Morris, Bureau Director
Date:	October 16, 2013
Re:	Invitation to Participate in ONI’s Budget Development for Fiscal Year 2014-15 (FY15) – Budget Orientation online, First meeting on November 18th, 5:30pm. 

It is budgeting time again!  The Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) is starting our annual community process to review our programs and to develop our budget for Fiscal Year 2014-15.  We would like to take this opportunity to:
* Extend an invitation to our staff, community partners and the general public to participate in this very important process. Please attend our first budget meeting on November 18th, 5:30pm, Portland Building, 2nd floor Room C, 1120 SW 5th Ave, Portland OR 97201.
* Extend an invitation to anybody that may be interested to view our budget orientation presentation online. This is an opportunity to learn the basics of our budgeting process and what it means to participate.
* Provide information about how to get involved.
* Provide an overview of current budget challenges and opportunities;
* Outline the expectations of budget work group members; and
* Provide an overview of the budget meetings and timeline.

All are invited to participate
While our ONI Bureau Advisory Committee (BAC) will be at the core of this budgeting effort, we are looking to expand participation to include as many diverse stakeholders as possible to help inform our decisions. Please consider this memo an invitation to join ONI’s FY15 Budget Advisory Committee, and please forward it to any others you believe may be interested. This is an important opportunity to serve your community and we need and welcome your involvement. Please contact Amy Archer to be added to the member list (email or 503-823-2294).

Note that a general budget orientation is available online.  Whether you know you want to participate or are not sure and want to learn more, this orientation is intended to give a general overview of budgeting at the City and what it means to participate in ONI’s process. 

The first full budget kickoff meeting is on Monday November 18th from 5:30-8:30pm in The Portland Building Room C (2nd Floor, 1120 SW 5th Ave).

All ONI BAC meetings are public meetings and anyone is welcomed to attend.  However, if you want to go a step further and become an official working member of this Budget Advisory Committee please let Amy Archer, ONI Business Operations Supervisor know as soon as possible.  This will help ensure that you are on the list of participants and receive meeting announcements and materials. Amy can be reached at Amy.Archer@portlandoregon.gov or via phone at 503-823-2294. 

What we know about the budget development this year: 
* ONI’s base budget for all programs is about $7.3 million. For the past several years ONI has faced cuts, prioritized programs and reallocated funding to maintain programs that were most core to ONI’s mission and community priorities. 
* The City’s financial situation has greatly improved due to difficult decisions made in prior years and economic improvements. 
* The Mayor has released early budget guidance instructing the bureaus to plan for a stabilization budget. In other words ONI does not face budget cuts and will budget for FY15 the same as current year plus adjustments for inflation. 
* The Mayor expects to allow some requests for add packages only in areas identified as the highest priority for the City. We expect to have further guidance regarding add packages in November.
* ONI’s Bureau Advisory Committee has spent the September meeting evaluating challenges, losses and accomplishments and will spend the October meeting identifying programs’ top priorities for the next two years as a foundation for budget. 
* ONI’s budget process should be less complex compared to prior years as the focus can be on potential areas of realignment and add packages (if allowed).
* The ONI BAC makes decisions by a modified consensus model. All participants have the opportunity to ask questions, share information and contribute to the decisions.

The following are the expectations of ONI Budget Advisory Committee members:
* Must be committed to attending and participating in all or most meetings, which typically occur downtown in the Portland Building.  Parking vouchers can be provided for SmartPark locations or TriMet tickets can be supplied to committee members preferring to use public transportation. Food will be served when appropriate. 
* Must be willing to communicate to ONI staff and partners what materials and information they need to best understand ONI’s budget and to make the most informed decisions.
* Must be willing to go back to their constituency group (coalition, neighborhood, community-based organization, staff, contractor, etc.) and if appropriate hold one or more focus group discussions as necessary to incorporate a broader point of view into ONI priorities.
* Must be willing and able to put the interests of their constituency group(s) in a larger context and first and foremost represent the best interests of neighborhoods and communities citywide.

Expected Timeline:
* ONI Budget Orientation is available online. This presentation can be viewed at your convenience prior to the budget kickoff and will provide an important overview for anybody considering participation. View the presentation at http://www.portlandonline.com/oni/budget.
* ONI Budget Advisory Committee kicks off on Monday November 18th, 2013 at 5:30pm. 
* The City budget season goes from the kick-off date through the end of June of 2014. The bureau’s requested budget is typically due at the end of January or beginning of February, so the most intensive meeting schedule is between November and January;
* The workgroup will generally meet on scheduled evenings from 5:30 – 8:30pm. Meetings are located at the Portland Building Room C (2nd Floor, 1120 SW 5th Ave). Following are the currently scheduled meetings:
o Monday, November 18th, 5:30-8:30pm (Budget Kick-off)
o Monday, December 9th, 5:30-8:30pm
o Monday, December 16th, 5:30-8:30pm (tentative, if needed)
o Monday, January 13th, 5:30-8:30pm 
o Monday, January 27th, 5:30-8:30pm (tentative, if needed)
* There may be additional meetings scheduled as needed, most likely between November and January. These may be daytime or evening meetings as determined by the group. 
* Through this process participants will: gain understanding of ONI’s programs and budget; review program prioritization; generate budget ideas that could result in realigning programs/services; present ONI’s final budget to the Commissioner-in-Charge (along with ONI staff); testify about the budget decisions before Council throughout the budget process, both at City Hall and at community budget forums.
* After the Requested Budget is submitted in February, the Bureau Advisory Committee will likely return to meeting on the second Monday of the month from 5:30-7:00pm from February through June 2014. 

Language Interpretation and other Special Needs or Accommodations:
* To help ensure equal access to City programs, services and activities, the City of Portland will reasonably modify policies/procedures and provide auxiliary aids/services to persons with disabilities. Call 503-823-2294, or the City's TTY at 503-823-6868, or the Oregon Relay Service at 1-800-735-2900 no less than five (5) business days prior to the event.
* If you are unable to view the online orientation, please contact Amy Archer to make alternative arrangements for budget orientation.
* Language Interpretation services available upon request. Please contact Amy Archer at 503-823-2294 or Amy.Archer@portlandoregon.gov at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting to make arrangements.
* Although resources do not allow us to provide childcare for the meetings, the meeting room is large enough that your child(ren) may be able to play quietly in the room under your supervision if necessary. ONI can bring some toys/books to the meeting upon request. Please contact Amy Archer at 503-823-2294 or Amy.Archer@portlandoregon.gov at least 2 hours prior to the meeting to make arrangements.