Portland city councilors are preparing to adopt a clean elections ordinance that is expected to be in place for the fall election.
The measure was approved by voters last year following the recommendation of a local charter commission.
During a workshop Monday, city officials and outside groups appeared to lean toward the model of the state's clean elections program, under which candidates can receive public funding after they collect enough small, qualifying contributions.
Mayor Kate Snyder said that the city is hoping to finalize the rules by next month so that they could apply to local candidates in this fall's election.
"Our intention is to make sure this program is in place, ideally in April. May 1 at the latest. So that people can really get their heads around it, well in advance of those papers being available on June 30," Snyder said.
Given that tight deadline, councilor April Fournier said that she'd support a similar system for Portland for this year, but said that the program could change in the future.
"Trying to implement it as closely to what the state has available," Fournier said. "So that we have a good roadmap. With the understanding that as we move forward, we have opportunities to adjust and correct."
The council will still need to sort out several questions, including how much money each candidate could receive through the program.
The city is planning to hold another workshop later this month.
