Portland leaders promised a fiscal watchdog for the most expensive municipal project in Portland history, the Bull Run water filtration plant, two years ago, when projected costs of the project increased by another $300 million. The city's top elected leader, then-Mayor Ted Wheeler, insisted that an external watchdog was needed for the project. Commissioner Mingus Mapps, who then oversaw the Water Bureau, publicly pledged to launch the watchdog entity. However, a public works spokesperson admitted this week that city leaders never followed through on their promise, following questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive. The cost of the $2.6 billion project, which has been in the works for nearly a decade, is expected to increase by fivefold from its original $2,1 billion in 2021 and $2 in 2024. The project's completion will be delayed by two years and could result in higher water and sewer bills for residents already hit by high water and electricity bills.