City of Portland Alerts

City News Round Up: Friday, March 27, 2026

City News Round Up: Friday, March 27, 2026 

Meetings & Agendas
Please check our agenda center for the full schedule of upcoming Council, Committees, Boards, and Commission meetings, and to view agendas, backup materials, and videos from past meetings. Read a recap of the March 16th City Council meeting. The next meeting is Monday, April 13, at 5:00 PM.

Tomorrow! 4th Annual Egg Scramble at Fitzpatrick Stadium
Join Portland Parks, Recreation & Facilities tomorrow, March 28th, at Fitzpatrick Stadium (new location!) for the 4th Annual Egg Scramble, from 10 AM -12 PM. Enjoy egg hunting, photos with Blossom the Bunny, music, games, and more! 

We’re Hiring! Summer Pool Staff
Be a part of the grand opening of the NEW Rising Eddy Community Pool. Work with us as a Seasonal Lifeguard or Pool Guest Service Attendant. We're offering Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor Courses to get you certified just in time! Bonus: Course participants hired as a Lifeguard by the City are eligible for full reimbursement of the course fee upon completion of 200 hours of work as a Lifeguard within the first year of employment!

Applications Open April 1 for the Hummingbird Grant
The City will be accepting applications for the annual Hummingbird Grant from April 1st to April 15th. This $1,000 award supports Portland cosmetology businesses owned by Maine residents with a gross income at or below 80% of the Area Median Income. Read the full guidelines and apply, or tell a friend!

Spring Curbside Yard Waste Collection ⁠Begins Monday, April 27
Annual spring curbside collection of yard waste will start on Monday, April 27 and continue through Friday, May 8. Leaves must be in large, paper biodegradable leaf bags. Please do not place bags curbside until the collection period begins, to avoid interfering with winter cleanup operations. Once collection begins, bags can remain curbside regardless of the weather or your trash collection day. Yard waste curbside collection MAY NOT coincide with your weekly trash collection day. Due to safety risks, crews will NOT collect bags of mulched leaves, sticks, branches, rocks sod, and/or bags of dirt. Public Works cannot accurately predict when the collection crews will be on your street, as it depends on the volume of leaves they collect each day as they work their way through the city.

Reiche Parent Cafe is BACK!
New and expecting parents are invited to Portland Public Health's free play group at Reiche Community Center, starting Thursday, April 9, at 10 AM. Caregivers of children ages 0-5 are invited! Let your children play while you connect with other caregivers.

Property Taxes Now Past Due
Property tax bills can be viewed and paid on our Citizen Self Service website; the second half of the payment was due Friday, March 20. You can also find a Treasury payment drop box in the City Hall lobby.

Stormwater Online Billing - Payment Processor Changes
Due to a change in our online stormwater payment processor, all stored customer payment information has been deleted, and auto-pay status has been disabled. Beginning in March, customers can set up auto-pay again, and your information will be stored with our new online processor. Because of this change, auto-pay will be in a pending status until your next bill is imported. Please sign in to your account and select "Pay Now" if you have an outstanding balance. Although ACH payments were previously free, the new payment processor charges a fee. This fee goes to the payment processor and not the City. Maine state law allows municipalities to pass this cost on to customers.

Spring Street Sweeping is Underway
Happy spring! Street sweeping is underway and will be ramping up over the next several weeks. In order for this work to be effective and done by the end of May, we ask for your compliance with parking restrictions. These parking regulations are in effect annually from October 1 to May 31. Find parking restrictions by area and to try our web app for an estimated timeframe of when the City's sweepers will be in your neighborhood. On peninsula: Please help our operations team and follow the street maintenance parking restrictions (overnight & daytime, check your zone) to avoid tickets or towing. ⁠Street sweeping is a City regulatory requirement; it reduces water pollution (by removing salt/sand), and prevents materials from clogging our sewer/storm drain systems. ⁠

Portland Unveils Community Survey Results
The City conducted a community survey in late 2025, and the survey results are now available for the public to review! The survey provided an opportunity for Portland residents to share their feedback and insights regarding the programs and services provided by the City. Our staff worked with ETC Institute, a nationally recognized survey research firm specializing in municipal-level resident surveys, on this effort. ETC compiled and analyzed the results and presented them to the City Council at a workshop on Monday, March 23, 2026.

In the News
Visit our “In the News” webpage to find facts and context about recent topics you may have read or seen in the news or on social media.

City Manager Releases Recommendations for FY27 CDBG Allocations
City Manager Danielle West has released recommendations to the City Council for FY27 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. The City Council will hold two public hearings on Monday, April 13 and Monday, April 27 regarding the CDBG funding, with a final vote at the second hearing.

Read the City Manager’s Recommended FY27 Capital Improvement Plan
The City Council’s Finance Committee hosted a public hearing and final review of the City Manager’s recommended FY27 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) at its Thursday, March 5 meeting. Following the committee process, the CIP budget will be sent to the City Council for consideration and adoption in April.

Meet Our February 2026 Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Lillian Luttrell, our February 2026 Employee of the Month! Lillian is a Vital Records Clerk in the City Clerk’s Office, recognized for her exceptional customer service, dedication, and positivity. Lillian is praised for her hard work and strong work ethic. She goes above and beyond every day, assisting customers and is always ready to tackle any challenge. Lillian’s outstanding customer service, thoughtfulness, and genuine friendliness ensure every person feels safe, welcome, and validated. Whether issuing birth certificates or performing wedding ceremonies, Lillian does her absolute best to help everyone. Lillian, thank you! You truly are an asset to the City Clerk’s Office and to the City.  

City Staff Moderates Roundabout Design and Safety Panel
Our Transportation Systems Engineer, Jeremiah J. Bartlett, moderated a recent event hosted by Greater Portland Council of Governments, "All Around Success: Modern Roundabouts for Safer Design," which was held at USM's McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success. Jim Brainard, former mayor of Carmel, IN -the 'roundabout capital' of the United States- was the keynote speaker. The panel shared their experience and perspective on planning, design, community engagement, funding, and construction. 

Lambert Woods Housing Cooperative
This North Deering housing co-op is taking reservations now for move-in Spring 2027. Monthly expenses, including utilities, are: $1,750 for 1 Bedroom, $2,150 for 2 Bedroom, $2,750 for 3 Bedroom -plus $5,000 share cost.

Portland’s Co-op Tree Planting Program Returns
Our Co-op Tree Planting Program is a partnership in which a resident selects and purchases a tree from a local nursery, and Forestry staff completes the pick-up and planting process. Co-op trees can be planted in esplanades, tree wells, or lawns!

P-STEP Applications Now Available
Portland Senior Tax Equity Program (P-STEP) applications have been mailed to those who qualified last year and are now available on our website via an online fillable form, a PDF fillable and printable form, and in-person at the Treasury Department. Please call our Treasury staff with questions at 207-874-8490.

Public Works Updates

We’re Hiring!
We are hiring across several departments, with a variety of open positions: healthcare roles (RNs/CNAs), trades workers, before and after-school recreation counselors, lifeguards, 911 dispatchers, community health workers, and
more. Come make a difference with us! Our wellness benefits are award winning.

Past Alerts