City of Portland Alerts

City News Round Up: Friday, March 6, 2026

City News Round Up: Friday, March 6, 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 2nd City Council meeting. The next meeting is Monday, March 16, at 5:00 PM. 

Tonight is First Friday Art Walk! Download the map.

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. Read our full update to learn more.

Updated Winter Warming Plan
City staff has updated the winter warming shelter operational plan to include National Weather Service blizzard warnings and ice storm warnings as warming shelter activation criteria. A process to consider opening the facility when severe weather conditions are predicted with less than 48 hours' notice has also been added, and will depend on the availability of staff needed to safely operate the facility. ⁠On March 10, the Health and Human Services & Public Safety Committee plans to discuss winter warming shelter operational expectations, including activation criteria, which will inform planning for the 2026-2027 winter season.

Portland Police To Hold Community Open House March 12
Portland Police Department invites community members to join a Community Q&A followed by an Open House on Thursday, March 12, 5-7 PM, at its headquarters at 109 Middle Street. The Police Chief, Command Staff, and Community Policing Unit will be in attendance to listen, answer questions, and engage in open conversation about public safety, policing in Portland, and how to continue strengthening relationships within the community.

New Podcast: Digging into Portland Harbor’s $25 Million Investment
Hear from Heather Moretti, our new Waterfront Coordinator, in the latest Let’s Connect podcast. Learn more about the Portland Harbor dredging project now underway—why it matters for the working waterfront, what’s being done about contaminated sediments, and how the project is being managed and funded. Tune into future podcasts on Thursdays at 1 PM on WMPG, 90.09 FM.

Watt's Up? Understanding and Lowering Your Energy Bills
Join the City's Sustainability Office for a FREE two-part webinar series, March 11 and 12, designed to give Maine residents practical, actionable advice on how to understand energy usage and save money. Learn more and register here for the series. 

St. Patrick's Day Parade
The annual parade will take place on Sunday, March 15, this year at 12:00 PM, beginning at the Portland Fish Pier parking lot on the corner of Center Street and Commercial Street. The parade proceeds east along Commercial Street, ending at the reviewing stand at Bell Buoy Park between RiRa Irish Restaurant and the Casco Bay Parking Garage by Franklin Street. Email volunteer@maineirish.com for more information.

Portland’s Co-op Tree Planting Program Returns
The City’s 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 -learn more!

Coffee & Climate: What's Powering Your Electric Bill
Join the One Climate Future Team on Friday, March 20th, 9-10 AM,  to discuss rising energy costs. Joined by Charlie Agnew of Competitive Energy Services, the chat will explore factors contributing to these costs and how they impact your electric and gas bill. Learn more and register to join!

Property Taxes Due
Property tax bills can be viewed and paid on our Citizen Self Service website; the second half of the payment is due Friday, March 20, 2026. Find a Treasury payment drop box in the City Hall lobby.

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.

Assessor’s Office Reviewing Nonprofit Tax Exemptions
We understand there are concerns and questions regarding the news that some nonprofit organizations have recently had their property tax exemptions revoked. We want to share information regarding this process and outcome, which is in accordance with State law. There are approximately 560 tax-exempt, privately-owned parcels within the city of Portland, and all are being reviewed by the Assessor's Office. Property tax exemptions in Maine are governed exclusively by state law. At this time, 17 organizations have been notified that parcels they own are no longer qualified for an exemption or will no longer be qualified for an exemption as of April 1, 2026. These organizations are welcome to request a reconsideration, appeal the decision through the appeal process, and may reapply for an exemption by April 1, 2026. Use the link above to learn more about this work.

Cumberland County Adopts New Emergency Notification System
As of February 20, the new Rave Alert system, powered by Smart911, replaces the CodeRed system that had previously been used by Cumberland County. Anyone wishing to continue to receive alerts must subscribe to the new system. Visit their dedicated webpage to sign up, or call 207-893-2810. The new system will alert you with a call, text or email and provide important instructions when a disaster impacts the area.

Greater Portland Region FlashVote Community
Do you have one minute a month to help make the Greater Portland region better? Join your friends and neighbors and make your voice heard on important local issues. You’ll get a short 1-minute survey every few months, and you’ll get to see full survey results within 48 hours! Sign up here, to catch the first survey, coming soon! FlashVote makes sure your feedback is always anonymous, and your input will help leaders in the Greater Portland region make better decisions for everyone in our community. 

Creative Portland Open Call to Artists
Greater Portland artists are invited to submit work for exhibition consideration in Creative Portland's upcoming 9th juried show, Resistance, which will hang for one year, May 2026 - April 2027, at their Free Street gallery space. Apply by March 13th.

Public Works Updates

Parks, Recreation and Facilities 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