City Celebrates Welcoming Week September 13 - 22

For the third year in a row, the City of Portland will proudly celebrate Welcoming Week by hosting a series of interactive events beginning September 14, 2019 to recognize immigrant contributions to our community. Welcoming Week demonstrates that in place...

Join Us As We Kick Off the Maine Bicentennial in Deering Oaks Park

Governor Janet Mills will join Mayor Strimling, City officials, and members of the Maine Bicentennial Commission to launch the commemoration of the State of Maine bicentennial on Tuesday, July 30 at 2:30 PM in Deering Oaks Park. The Portland event, one of...

Mayor's Statement in Response to Governor Mills' GA Rule Change

Mayor Ethan Strimling today released the following statement in response to Governor Mills’ announcement regarding rule changes to the General Assistance program.

"On behalf of the people of Portland, and especially our newest residents, I ...

Volunteer & Donation Information to Support Asylum Seekers

Thank you to those who have expressed a wish to volunteer your time and services in helping us as we support asylum seekers arriving in Portland. Thanks to our friends at the United Way of Greater Portland, we now have a coordinated and secure way to acce...

City Responds to Influx in Asylum Seekers

The City of Portland, in response to an influx in asylum seekers from the southern US border, has activated an emergency operations center and additional emergency shelter at the Portland Expo. Since Sunday, June 9, the City has received roughly 100 new a...

Portland One of Two Cities in Maine Selected for Partnership to Increase Resiliency

City of Portland officials announced today the planned unveiling of High-Water Mark (HWM) signs placed across the city to increase awareness of flood risk. The HWM signs emphasize how high the water has risen or could rise during weather related events an...

City Seeks Interested Applicants to Create MLK Memorial in Portland

The City of Portland announced today that it is seeking qualifications from interested applicants for the creation of a memorial to honor Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Portland. The RFQ is available here and interested applicants have until June 26 ...

Police Participate in May 11 Gun Give Back Program

The Portland Police Department is excited to participate in a gun give back program on May 11, 2019. The event offers an opportunity for the community to become a safer place by offering people a way to safely dispose of unwanted firearms and ammunition.

“...

Updated Schedule for Finance Committee Review of FY20 Recommended Budget

Over the next several weeks there will be nine additional meetings on the FY20 City and School budgets in addition to the six which have previously been held. At last night's Finance Committee meeting, the Committee was unable to complete discussion on th...

FY20 Municipal Budget Currently Under Review by Council

The City Council’s Finance Committee is in the midst of reviewing the City Manager’s Recommended FY20 Municipal Budget. Upcoming Council and public review of the budget will take place at the following times:

Finance Committee Meetings All meetings are in R...

Portland Receives Small Business Friendly Community Award

The City of Portland is pleased to announce that the U.S Conference of Mayors and its Partner America Program selected Portland to receive the Inaugural 2019 Partner America Small Business Friendly Community Award. According to the US Conference of Mayors...

Portland & South Portland Mayors Testify in Opposition to LD 209 Regarding Short-Term Rentals

Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling South Portland Mayor Claude Morgan will testify today in opposition to L.D. 209, An Act To Prohibit Municipalities from Prohibiting Short-term Rentals. The public hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, February 20, began at 10:00...

Mayor Strimling Gives Fourth State of the City Address

Mayor Ethan K. Strimling delivered his fourth State of the City address on January 14, 2019 in the Council Chamber at City Hall. The address focused heavily on the city’s strengths and recent successes as well as the policy goals the Mayor would...

Portland's Disability Advisory Committee to Host Art Exhibition January 7 - 18

The Portland Disability Advisory Committee cordially invites the public to attend Perspectives, an art exhibition composed of work created by The Art Department and Publication Studio at Portland City Hall from...

Spectrum Moves Public Access Programming to Channels 1301 and 1303

Spectrum Cable has moved Portland Media Center's public access programming that used to be on Channels 2 and 5 to channels 1301 and 1303. Portland Public Schools channel 3 will become channel 1302. These assignments follow the PEG Media Acronym; P for pub...

Portland Earns Six Extra Points on Human Rights Campaign's MEI 2018 Scorecard

The City of Portland is proud to announce that it earned six extra points this year on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Municipal Equality Index (MEI), with a total score of 86, the highest score in Maine, and an increase of 11 points since 2015.

The HRC ...

City Bans Plastic Straws in Clock Tower Cafe; Urges Other Businesses to Follow Suit

The City of Portland has made the decision to ban plastic straws from the Clock Tower Cafe, located within City Hall, and is urging other businesses to follow suit. City Manager Jon Jennings made the decision at the July 18 Sustainability & Transporta...

Portland Files Lawsuit in Cumberland County Superior Court Against Opioid Manufacturers

The City of Portland filed a lawsuit today in Cumberland County Superior Court against the manufacturers and distributors of opioid drugs in response to the substantial impact, including the loss of lives, that the opioid epidemic has had on the Portland ...

Live-Streaming of Council Committee Meetings Begins Tuesday, March 6

The City of Portland is excited to announce that it will begin live-streaming broadcasts of all Council Committee meetings starting with the Economic Development Committee on Tuesday, March 6 at 5:30 PM. All live-stream feeds can be found on the City’s we...

City Funds $36,000 Toward Third Oldest African American Meeting Housing in the Country

The City of Portland recently granted $36,000 to the Committee to Restore the Abyssinian Meeting House non-profit toward the restoration project that aims to preserve and revitalize this important part of Maine’s history and the cultural heritage of Afric...

Committee to Discuss Embarking on Collaborative Climate Action Planning Process with South Portland

The City Council’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee will discuss embarking on a collaborative climate action planning process with the City of South Portland tomorrow night, and will consider recommending an ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse ...

Council Approves Pesticides Ordinance

On Wednesday, January 3, the Portland City Council unanimously approved an ordinance prohibiting the use of synthetic pesticides on most City and private property. The ordinance will go into effect for City properties in July 2018 and for private properti...