Smart Discount Program

Commissioner Mingus Mapps was proud to lead the City of Portland's Water Bureau and Bureau of Environmental Services through the implementation of an innovative new approach to utility affordability. With the upcoming full launch of the Smart Discount Program.

The program starts as a pilot in the Fall of 2024, the Smart Discount program utilizes a cutting-edge, data-driven algorithm to analyze a wide range of financial factors—such as income, household size, and utility usage—to provide eligible ratepayers with discounts up to 80%, all without the need to apply. This also eliminates hard cutoffs which have kept Portlanders who barely exceed the limit for recieving financial aid, from getting the help that they need.

Commissioner Mapps has been instrumental in moving this initiative forward, recognizing the importance of helping struggling households, making the most of a limited aid budget, and balancing the need to continue to invest in and support this critical infrastructure.

The full rollout is expected in summer 2025, which will bring relief to thousands of Portlanders.