The mayor assigns a city commissioner to be commissioner in charge of the Portland Bureau of Transportation. The commissioner in charge appoints a director, who leads the Bureau in its day-to-day business. In June 2013 Mayor Charlie Hales appointed Steve Novick commissioner in charge. Novick appointed Leah Treat director in July 2013 following a nationwide search. She replaced Interim Director Toby Widmer, who had been appointed following the resignation of former Director Tom Miller. Interim director Chris Warner replaced Leah Treat in July 2018 after Treat's resignation. According to the most recent budget, the Bureau is led by the Office of the Director, which directly oversees communication and six division managers as follows:
Development Services and Streetcar
Planning and Capital Services
System Management
Business Services
Engineering and Technical Services
Maintenance Operations
Planning and Capital Services
The Oregonian reports PBOT's then director Leah Treat signed off on hiring Millicent Williams, a candidate with felony conviction for her role in diverting funds from a non-profit she was leading. She started with a salary of $112,000 in January, 2017. Williams plead guilty for "diverting $100,000 intended for youth programs to pay for a 2009 inaugural ball."
Parking Enforcement Division
The parking enforcement division under PBOT enforces city's parking regulations per title 16 chapter 16.10 of city code. A consultant report obtained by The Oregonian reported Parking Enforcement Division's method is "unprofessional and leaves room for “favoritism” and “illegal conduct"
2016 hazing incident
In May 2017, Willamette Week first reported PBOT's maintenance leader had subjected subordinates to various forms of hazing, such as shooting BBs and popcorn kernels at them. The report obtained by the paper which was based on interviews with nine employees characterized the workplace culture at PBOT maintenance shop as a place of "violence, hazing and bigotry inside a shop that prizes loyalty and punishes "snitching." The investigation was focused around a longtime city employee Jerry Munson who was the crew leader for the "liner crew" maintenance branch. After learning of hazing, city officials transferred the "ring leader" and terminated one of the whistleblowers. An internal investigation of the agency later yielded a pattern of "workplace harassment, intimidation, discrimination, dishonesty, retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation and physical violence". One victim, Adam Rawlins, said that between Augusts 2016 and December 2016, he had been subject to numerous pranks by other employees while he was working at PBOT. His lawsuit, which sought $250,000, indicated that pranks included "being locked in a dark shed while being bound with duct tape and zip ties." The city settled with Rawlins for $80,000 citing "risk the city may be found liable."
Budget
Historical budget
The bureau's total FY 2016-17 Adopted Budget is $376.0 million. Of that amount, the Capital Improvement Plan for FY 2016-17 totals $91.1 million During FY 201415, the Bureau employed 749 staff members. The managed assets totaled $8.4 billion in public assets from streets and bridges to traffic signals and street lights at the time Asset Status and Condition Report 2013 was published The Portland Bureau of Transportation has a roughly $309 million budget for FY 201415. The bulk of the money comes from year-to year carryover, bonds and notes proceeds, gas taxes, contracts with other city agencies, fees for permits and other services and parking meters. Remaining sources included parking garages, the city's general fund, parking citations and local parking permits. The budget is then split into two categories: discretionary and restricted. Nearly two-thirds of the budget falls in the restricted category, meaning the Bureau must follow certain spending guidelines depending on where the money comes from. The Bureau's FY 201415 discretionary budget is $108.3 million in all. It was spent as follows: Operations, maintenance, overhead and administration and construction projects. Another $26 million was spent on various bureau programs, contingencies and reserves.
The Bureau convenes a Budget Advisory Committee every year to help guide the budgeting process. Members for the committee are drawn from volunteers and a number of stake holder groups, including businesses, neighborhood coalitions, biking and pedestrian advocacy groups, senior groups and others. The committee also takes public comment into account, which can be submitted at their meetings or by mail and email.
Renewable energy funding
The City of Portland pays $119,000 per month until late 2020 to cover for SoloPower's default on a loan the City guaranteed under Mayor Sam Adams in 2011. The money is taken out of Portland's Bureau of Transportation. The Bureau of Transportation pays because parking-meter revenue was used as guaranty.
Active transportation
The Portland Bureau of Transportation has a specific division tasked with making city streets safer and more comfortable for those who walk, bike or take public transit.
Statistics and assets
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is responsible for:
