- illustration by ashley-renee cribbins
One of the loudest complaints in this month’s since-delayed rush by Commissioner Steve Novick and Mayor Charlie Hales to pass a $12 transportation user fee was an overwhelming sense of shock.
Despite a series of town halls on the city’s transportation funding ills—both before and after Hales and Novick held their noses and settled on a regressive utility-style fee—residents and business owners still felt blindsided by the reality of that proposal once the time came for a vote. Sensitive details had been allowed to dribble out in piecemeal fashion, with the final proposal coalescing only a week or so before it was scheduled to go before council. And Novick and Hales only compounded the public’s queasiness with a series of late alterations and tweaks.
Which is partly why (there also was the matter of securing a third vote…) the whole thing was put off until November, in part to hear from surprised residents and smooth out some remaining kinks.
So why rehash the history? The Bureau of Transportation appears genuinely and deadly serious about making sure no one can play the “panicked surprise” card ever again. It’s just announced two more town hall meetings on the two facets of the fee and how and whether to improve them.
• Town Hall on Business and Non-Residential Fee: 8 to 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 24, at Venture Portland, 1125 SE Madison St., Suite 112.
• Town Hall on Residential Fee: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 25, at Kaiser Permanente’s Town Hall, 3704 N Interstate Ave.
The release includes some other notable details.
A comprehensive summary of the proposal, as currently envisioned, now lives on PBOT’s website. And PBOT has added detail to what was a vexingly vague calculator meant to help businesses (based on type and size) estimate their likely fees.
There’s also some cautionary language from Novick and Hales. Yes, you’ll have a few months to suggest ideas and fixes. But, no, in the event no one can agree on what those new ideas and fixes ought to be, this thing won’t go away.
“There’s no question that we need to pay to maintain our streets,” Mayor Hales said. “If someone has a way to improve the Transportation User Fee and still raise $50 million a year, let’s hear it. Our community can no longer pretend that Congress or the state will save us from the need to invest in basic maintenance.”
“Too many children are forced to walk to school in a ditch for lack of sidewalks,” Commissioner Novick said. “I understand that some business owners want to adjust the transportation fee to better protect small businesses. If we can’t find a way to improve it, Mayor Hales and I are prepared to move forward this fall with the proposal on the table.”
“Some business owners…”
Would like to hear from any business owner ok with the commercial fee in its current state. My guess is absolutely no small business owner is ok with it. Sorry to over-parse, but “protect” should be defined as “not want to lose their livelihood” just in case anyone confused it with the notion implied that the fee will just take mere tiny nibbles of profit.
OK sorry, all done. Back to you thoughtful city leaders.
So we’re already at the “Think of the children!” desperation play. Interesting that we’ve built a tram, bioswales, greenboxes, etc. etc. but kids still have to walk to school in a ditch. BUT! If we all open our wallets to Steve and Charlie forever, everything will be ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. PAY AND IT WILL BE ALL RIGHT. If you believe that, support the fee.
Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.
Thomas Jefferson
Go the facebook page of Stop Portland Street Fee many people feel the same.
This cannot pass, the churches does not have the money, the schools just gave or will give 5 million to the city for road repairs or to study maintenance. This is a scam and will be outed sooner or later. Novick should be recalled. The interesting part to this will be watching the concessions that they will have to make to the business and non-profits. This is a battle that I can almost sit on the sideline and eat popcorn as they fight this out.
The first step to fixing the road problems in Portland is to pass a ballot measure that requires the city to use all gas tax dollars to maintain and repair roads belonging to the City of Portland only.
The main reason our roads are in the state they are is that the City Counsel has spent minimal dollars of the gas tax revenues on road repair for over a decade. The bulk of the dollars went to pet projects like Max projects, the Sellwood Bridge, and even art, ( over $130 million just for these and we don’t own them).
The City Counsel is a spoiled child that has wasted all it’s money on toys and things it wants, instead of paying its bills with the money it has. Let’s be good parents and show them tough love. Make them pay their bills first, then if there’s something left, buy a toy.