This week's Portland City Council Agenda is packed, chockablock full, of big issues. If ballots weren't due in 16 days, I would be spending most of today dissecting it for you. But they are. So I can't.

The most important of many important items:

Council to convene as Portland Development Commission Budget Committee

This is important because:

* Due to the Charter change passed by voters last May, the City Council has authority over the Portland Development Commission's budget.

* There are four members of the Portland City Council at this time.

* A 2-2 tie in votes means the motion fails.

* PDC's fiscal year ends June 30.

* If the Council deadlocks and fails to pass a budget for PDC, all work of the agency stops on July 1.

No pressure, gentlemen. Good luck with that.

When the trillium flowers turn from white to purples and pinks, we know summer is on the way.

My son Luke, who just completed his undergraduate degree at Western Oregon University, sent me this link. I almost skipped it - I have over 100 non-spam emails to attend to, plus a full day out in the neighborhoods of Portland.

I am glad I took the time to read it. It's good to have further evidence that some kids in our crazy society are turning out pretty well.

Yesterday it was my birthday
I hung one more year on the line

Paul Simon, "Have a Good Time"

I turned 50 yesterday. I tried to cram as much into my day as possible, doing things that have been significant to me over the years. One of those activities was visiting a Portland school, as I have every school day for nearly 17 years. I was a guest speaker with two of teacher Matt Sten's social studies classes at Madison High School. Two delightful young women made cupcakes to share with everyone, and the class sang Happy Birthday to me. We had a good time talking about issues in Portland and our country. And above is the image I saw when arriving, driving north along NE 82nd Avenue.

Thank you, Madison students and staff. I will treasure that memory.

There are oodles of interesting items on this Wednesday's Portland City Council Agenda. I can only review a few issues today - please check it out yourself.

There are three Time Certain items, at 9:30 am, 10 am, and 10:30 am, so it's likely the discussion of the proposed relocation of the Sauvie Island Bridge to NW Flanders won't start until later. The 9:30 am item,

517 TIME CERTAIN: 9:30 AM – Assess benefited properties for street and stormwater improvements in the SW Texas Green Street Local Improvement District (Hearing; Ordinance introduced by Commissioner Adams; C-10014)

This ordinance represents years of work by citizens and staff, figuring out how to provide both a paved road and environmentally-sensitive stormwater management, on a small segment of a street in SW Portland. Kudos to those involved. We now know that green streets are not only better for water quality and neighborhood aesthetics, but also they cost less than traditional engineered/piped mechanisms of dealing with pavement runoff.

On the Consent Agenda:

Fire and Rescue - 521 Apply for a $1,300,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to purchase a new fireboat (Second Reading Agenda 485)

The City should talk with Multnomah County about whether there is duplication in river patrol services with both Portland Fire and Rescue and the Multnomah County Sherrif's department currently providing coverage.

Wow, applying for an $18 million loan, as an emergency ordinance:

*530 Authorize loan application in the amount of up to $18,000,000 to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality under the State Revolving Fund Program for Columbia Blvd Wastewater Treatment Plant Digester Expansion and Revegetation Program projects (Ordinance)

That's one where I'd like to have time to read more information.

Then here's the most controversial item, probably:

543 Authorize the Portland Office of Transportation to enter into a contract with Max J. Kuney Construction, owner of the old Sauvie Island Bridge, to rehabilitate, relocate and acquire the old Sauvie Island Bridge center span for the purpose of moving it to NW Flanders St over I-405 (Ordinance introduced by Commissioners Adams, Leonard and Saltzman)

accompanied by:

547 Authorize application to the Oregon Department of Transportation, Transportation Enhancement Program for a grant of up to $1,000,000 for Phase Two of the NW Flanders Bike Boulevard, Sauvie Island Bridge Relocation Project (Ordinance)

See my comments here. I expect neighbors from all over the city to take time off work this Wednesday morning, to comment on this proposal.

Steve has been using some of the time open because I'm hardly ever home, to travel outside Portland and take more photographs of our beautiful state.

Woo hoo! This week, my self-appointed task of previewing the City Council Agenda is done with the old promptness:

In this week's Portland City Council Agenda, two Time Certain items may sound dull, but represent many hours of work by citizens and staff.

478 TIME CERTAIN: 9:30 AM - Accept the Urban Forestry Commission 2007 Annual Report (Report introduced by Commissioner Saltzman)

479 TIME CERTAIN: 10:00 AM - Accept the Interbureau Task Force Report (Report introduced by Mayor Potter)

I hope these reports will be read, and their recommendations implemented, rather than sitting on shelves.

On the Consent Agenda:

*482 Authorize an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Portland Development Commission, Housing Authority of Portland and Multnomah County to provide a social housing delivery system evaluation (Ordinance)

Coordination! Jurisdictions talking with each other and collaborating! Yay!

485 Apply for a $1,300,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to purchase a new fireboat (Ordinance)

Happy Tax Day. At least we're getting some back for peaceful and helpful use.

*490 Authorize application of grant funds to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for brownfield sites within the City (Ordinance)

Cleanup of contamination along the banks of the Willamette is one reason our sewer bills aren't going down any time soon.

Aside from the Time Certain items, the rest of the Wednesday morning Agenda is short. Then, yay, a Wednesday evening hearing! Remember, the Code allows the Council to meet in the evening on the third Wednesday, but they seldom choose to.

510 Create a voluntary funding program that provides an opportunity for all Portland sewer ratepayers to invest in making Portland green and improving watershed health (Resolution introduced by Commissioner Adams)

It's been about a year now that the Council Agenda comes with handy dandy links to inform busy people quickly about items up for review. b!X, Frank Dufay, I and others pressed for years for the service, and I appreciate it every week. This link explains the voluntary program will ask ratepayers to round up our water/sewer utility bills to the next dollar, to pay for green projects in natural areas and neighborhoods. If implemented, it will be interesting to see how many people sign up, given the high sewer bills and downturn in the economy. But hey, this would give another incentive to the City to implement monthly billing as soon as possible.

Two Time Certain items on Thursday afternoon:

511 TIME CERTAIN: 2:00 PM - Appeal of Steve Cox against the Noise Review Board decision to grant a noise variance to Portland International Raceway for the National Hot Rod Association National Open Drag Race on August 22-24, 2008 (Hearing introduced by Auditor Blackmer)

I wish this had been assigned to the evening hearing. Many people in North Portland would like to air their opinions on PIR noise.

512 TIME CERTAIN: 3:00 PM - Accept Staff Report and Recommendation and Order of Council for Mattie C. Baker, Measure 49 Vesting Claim (Report introduced by Mayor Potter; PR No. 06-181218)

This is the first Measure 49 claim I've seen. The Report is here. It recommends granting the claim of vested rights under Measure 37 for a site in the Brooklyn Action Corps neighborhood of Southeast Portland. I wish I had time to review it carefully, as the staff has evidently done their usual thorough analysis and detailed explanation. I have been very impressed with the City's handling of Measure 37, and it looks like our response to Measure 49 will be similarly careful.

See this survey on the Portland Bureau of Planning's web site. It seeks feedback on whether to allow cell phone transmitters on regular (or higher) utility poles in residential neighborhoods, by right with no public input.

I worked hard on cell tower regulations during my seven years' service on the Planning Commission, and I've heard the current regulations work in most cases. Further,

* I am concerned about potential health hazards of cell phones and transmitters. Federal regulations don't allow consideration of health in this matter, so Zoning Code limitations keeping cell towers out of residential zones may be the only way to protect citizens.

* Many Portland neighbors would like existing wired utilities to be placed underground, with the poles removed. This would reduce loss of service in storms, improve aesthetics, and free more space for pedestrians. Undergroundng existing utilities would be more difficult if we allow new uses on old or higher poles in neighborhoods.

* The survey talks about increasing the allowed height of poles in residential areas, potentially by right with no remonstrance from neighbors.

As a side note, the survey suggests one way to cover new poles would be to plant roses or ivy to grow up them. Ivy??? Um, isn't that a Prohibited Plant in the Portland Plant List?

If you go to page 42 of the Arts & Entertainment Guide in today's Oregonian, you will see a Steve Fritz photograph illustrating House Bound. It's an interactive performance, this Sunday only, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Performance Northwest, 4625 SE 67th Avenue.

From the web site:

"You are feted, fed, and lulled to relaxation. You move through
installations and films, connect with performers in intimate spaces.
Then the walls start closing in.

Show times are on 4/13, individual reservations between 11 am to 5
pm. Ticket price includes hors d'oeuvres, chocolates, tea, and wine;
$15 advance, $20 at the door. Volunteer opportunities available.
Space is extremely limited, and reservations are strongly
recommended. Discount tickets $10 if you select the 11 a.m. show!"

Tickets here or call 503-475-2306

More information

An easy one - if you know the answer. Where is it?

The Portland City Council agenda for tomorrow is here. The Council will:

* Decide how much Public Campaign Finance Fund money should be allocated to Certified Candidate Jim Middaugh, if he is in a runoff in the July Special Election for the seat Erik Sten vacated.

* Appoint Martha Simpson, Don McGillivray, Lois Chilcott and reappoint Charles Kurtz, Dolores Hubert and Patty Brost to the Elders in Action Commission

(hooray, this is a great cause - thank you for serving)

* Vote on a whole slew of contracts, none of which I've had time to look over

* Adopt a whole year of Council minutes, from January to December 2006

I find this disgraceful. Minutes of each meeting should be adopted within one month, in my opinion.

* Increase taxi cab rates

* Accept the report recommending transfer of 2nd Lt. Sharff U.S. Army Reserve Center to the Oregon Military Department for use by the Oregon Army National Guard and transmit 2nd Lt. Alfred Sharff USARC Reuse Master Plan to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Department of Defense

I've heard many neighbors in North Portland support this use of the current Reserve Center.

* 469 Assess benefited properties for improvements in the Portland Streetcar Gibbs Extension Local Improvement District

Gosh, I wish I had time to look into that.

There are other items on the Agenda on Wednesday morning. Nothing Wednesday afternoon or Thursday. Please post in the comments with more information on the notes above, and on anything I missed.

The huge structure in the top left of the photograph is a crane, being barged to Terminal 6 in Portland. Steve took the image in Longview, WA.

I was going to title this "Early morning, April 4" like the U2 song, but I didn't have a moment to post it until now. It's a tribute by my friend Dave Lister, published in Brainstorm NW magazine in 2003 on the 40th anniversary of President Kennedy's death. It seems likely many people remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with similar clarity, awe, and regret, on this anniversary.

As a third grader in Mrs. Ennis' class at Grout grammar school in Portland much of my daily preoccupation was with lunch. I was a participant in the Federal Hot Lunch Program. Each day my mother would carefully place one shiny silver dime and one nickel in my rubber coin pouch. That was my lunch money. I would pat my pocket several times during the morning to make sure I hadn't lost it. At lunchtime the kids would queue up in the hall outside the cafeteria and hand over those dimes and nickels to the eighth grader assigned to collect them. Upon receiving a chit we would proceed through the lunch line.

The lunch program offered no menu choices and although nutritious, many of the dishes were less than palatable. When I could, I'd try to listen to the radio with my mother in the early morning for the day's menu. Local radio celebrity, Barney Keep, would give a school lunch report during his show. He'd usually improvise a little tune and extend the virtues of meat loaf or tuna casserole in falsetto voice. Knowing the menu ahead of time could either lead to a long morning of anticipation or a quick morning of dread. When we finally did pass through the line, a humorless woman known to us only as the "lunch lady" would load our segmented plastic plates with ladles of khaki colored canned peas and slabs of flavorless meat loaf. When we sat down to eat we were confronted with a teacher or two serving that day as lunchroom monitors. Some of them were relentless in their efforts to make sure we ate at least a little from each of the represented food groups. On the worst menu days, we would surreptitiously consign blobs of casserole or creamed vegetables to the linoleum beneath the tables.

About twice a month, however, there was a menu offering that was coveted by all.

Wiener wraps.

Those tasty franks encased in a golden brown pastry coating were delicious. After dipping them in bright yellow mustard the children wolfed them. We fought over them. We wheedled, cajoled and bargained with one another to try to obtain more. All offers of trade were turned down. No slab of Jell-O, no brownie, no piece of corn bread had the worth of even half a wiener wrap. The normally unapproachable lunch lady was besieged with requests for seconds and, once in a while, some beaming kid would walk away with a second one and gobble it down before he was mobbed by others wanting bites.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was my President. Elected when I was six he was the first President of whom I was aware. His portrait adorned our classroom. He was young. His wife was pretty. He had little kids, just like us. He was what stood between us and that crazy Khrushchev fellow; the one we'd seen on TV beating the desk with his shoe and insisting that he would bury us.

Two weeks before my eighth birthday President Kennedy came on the television. He showed us pictures of missiles in Cuba. He told us he wouldn't allow it.

We were scared.

I still recall vividly those days in October.

My friends and I would study the maps in the newspaper. Maps of Cuba with the location of the missile sites. Maps of the United States showing the concentric rings which illustrated the ranges of the SRBM's and IRBM's. A map of Portland with its own concentric rings surrounding downtown which showed us the zones of fatality should an atomic bomb be detonated. My sister and I huddled with my parents in their bed to watch Walter Cronkite on the black and white Zenith TV. Civil Defense films showed us how to stock our basement and how to duck and cover. Other film showed wood frame houses like ours disintegrating in the blast wave of an A-Bomb test. That film made us cry.

But my President prevailed. The Soviet ships stopped at the quarantine line. The missiles were crated and shipped out. Our lives returned to normal and our attention returned to dodge ball, four square and lunch.

A little over a year later I walked to school with eager anticipation. I'd caught Barney Keep's lunch report and he'd sung about a "wiener in a wrap". It was wiener wrap day. I was light hearted as I splashed through puddles filled with yellow and red fallen leaves on the six block walk to school. I probably checked my coin pouch twenty times before ten o'clock.

Sometime in the late morning things became odd. Mrs. Ennis told us to behave for a few minutes and left the office. Normally this would have resulted in barrages of spit wads and chalkboard eraser throwing but not this time. Something in her tone, something in her demeanor made us uneasy. We sat still and behaved. When she returned she resumed giving our lessons but without her usual cheerfulness.

It was in the lunch line that whispered rumors alerted us to Mrs. Ennis' concern. Someone said that President Kennedy had been shot. Our President. My President.

We heard of a town called Dallas. We heard he was wounded. We heard he was shot in the head. We hoped he would live, but feared he was dead. No one knew yet. No one could say.

And then, at that moment, I felt for the first time in my life a sick, hollow feeling in my stomach. The same feeling I would later feel when my mother wept over my grandmother's death or when my cat had to be put to sleep.

My President had been shot.

We shuffled through the lunch line without appetite. There was little talking. Each of us silently contemplating the uncertainty of a future without our President. Each of us contemplating a world filled with A-Bombs and Castros and Khrushchevs. Each of us contemplating a future without John Fitzgerald Kennedy to protect us.

At the end of the lunch period I witnessed something never seen, before or since.

Mounds of untouched, uneaten wiener wraps accumulating in the trash can as the children filed out of the lunchroom.

Which bridge?

April already.... time flies when you're having fun. The Portland City Council's meeting on April 2nd is Commissioner Erik Sten's last, after serving on the Council since 1996. The Agenda begins with five citizens using the Citizen Communications spots to thank Erik for his contributions to Portland. I'll be covering Public Campaign financing, Patrick Nolen from Sisters of the Road will talk about Erik's work to end homelessness, others will cover his advocacy for seniors, home ownership, and New Columbia. I helped organize similar tributes from Portlanders for Jim Francesconi and Vera Katz, when they left the Council in 2003. My thanks to Erik's chief-of-staff Jim Middaugh for his assistance in identifying potential speakers. Regardless of individual opinions on the policies and practices of individual Council members, most people recognize that holding elected office is arduous and challenging. I hope you will take a moment to send Erik an email and thank him for a particular something he's done over his time on the Council, that you've appreciated. His address is esten@ci.portland.or.us - for five more business days.

An item from the Consent Agenda which concerns me:

417 Authorize an Intergovernmental Agreement with the State of Washington Department of Printing to procure print services and printed supplies (Second Reading)

The ordinance states having the State of Washington do some of the City of Portland's printing is cheaper. I wonder, is it really? Does the bottom line factor in that using printers in Portland would mean supporting Portland residents and businesses, while making payments outside of Oregon helps the Washington state budget, not ours? Does it include the costs both in use of foreign oil, and in emissions/pollution/congestion, of transporting printed materials across the Columbia River from Washington to Oregon?

A few items from the Regular Agenda (not necessarily the most important - please check the link above for yourself):

413 TIME CERTAIN: 10:00 AM - Accept the recommendations of the Schools-Families-Housing Community Grants Proposal Review Committee (Report introduced by Commissioner Sten)

The Schools, Families, Housing initiative is a $1.6m pilot program started by Commissioner Sten to - you guessed it - support schools and families, by helping with housing costs for families, and funding grants for schools. I've heard enthusiastic reviews of the program from parents and educators in several areas of Portland.

427 Authorize acceptance of three parcels of open space known as Johnswood Park located in Charleston Park Place from HOST Development, Inc. for park purposes (Ordinance)

428 Authorize a purchasing process for parcels acquired with 2006 Metro Open Spaces Bond Measure 26-80 funds (Second Reading Agenda 391)

Yay, more public parks and greenspaces!

Here's something you might think would have been done already:

*434 Authorize the Administrator of the Portland Water Bureau to establish a loan program for water system development charges consistent with other City bureaus and establish rules for cost distribution for petition mains and fire hydrants constructed in the public right of way (Ordinance; amend Title 21)

Still, good that it's getting done now, I guess.

Here's another spurious reason for an emergency ordinance, denoted by the asterisk on the Agenda:

*435 Amend contract with Solar Oregon for continued solar energy education and community outreach services (Ordinance; amend Contract No. 37206)

The ordinance is to fund Solar Oregon, a non-profit providing education on the benefits of solar energy, at $50,000 for each of two years. It's an extension of an existing contract. The ordinance says,

"The Council declares that an emergency exists because delaying would prevent Solar Oregon from being able to conduct its outreach activities in a timely fashion and would harm the City’s ability to reach its solar installation goals. Therefore, this ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by Council."

Oh, puhleese. "Harm the City's ability to reach its solar installation goals." Really? If it was that urgent and important, how come nobody thought to put this on the Council's Agenda thirty days ago?

On Wednesday afternoon, a nice land use case to finish up Erik's current City Council stint:

438 TIME CERTAIN: 2:00 PM - Appeal of Dominic and Maria Corrado, applicant, against the Hearings Officer's decision, stating that the zoning code requirements to create an Open Space Tract deprive them of rights protected under the U.S. Constitution for their application for a 2-lot partition at 6917 SW 49th Ave (Hearing; LU 07-179193 LDP EN)

This looks like a reprise of a case covered here on this blog in January 2007, as a Measure 37 claim. The staff report in that case is still on line. Council rejected that claim, and apparently now the applicants are trying a different route. From my coverage last year: "In this case, the land division code regulations are examined, and found not to reduce the value of the property because there was no reduction in the number of homes allowed. In fact, the report states that had Mr. Corrado chosen to pursue the application process recommended by staff, under new Environmental Zone regulations he would be allowed to develop more homes than under the rules when he purchased the property in 1991."

Portland's environmental zone regulations have been found to be not only Constitutional, but also necesssary to meet the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act. I suspect this will be an easier vote for Council than the case in Sullivan's Gulch two weeks ago, where they voted 4-1 to overturn the Hearings Officer's decision and uphold the Neighborhood Association's appeal. In last week's land use hearing for East Columbia, the zone change was approved over the neighborhood's appeal.

OK, so that's tomorrow. And it's after five, on Tuesday. I know of no other site that is providing you with commentary about the Portland City Council's Agenda, so here is the link and a quick review of the information posted on the City Auditor's site for this week.

The item that sounds most interesting to me is:

402 TIME CERTAIN: 2:00 PM - Appeal of East Columbia Neighborhood Association against the Hearings Officer's decision to approve the application of Howard Brandwein and Jeri Geblin for a Zoning Map Amendment to change the base zone from RF to R10 in conformance with the Comprehensive Plan designation for a site located at 9801 NE 13th Ave (Hearing; LU 07-140167 ZC)

RF is Residential Farm/Forest zoning, designated for agricultural uses. Minimum lot size is 53,000 square feet - well over an acre. R10 is one home per 10,000 square feet. The East Columbia neighborhood is in North Portland close to I-5 near the river - a wonderful place that has already experienced significant new home development over the past five years. I would love to find out more about this appeal. Please post in the comments or send me an email if you know the gist or the details.

It's a tad unfortunate that Willamette Week chose to draw attention to this blog last week, under the title "When candidates blog". Readers who have come here frequently since December 2006 recognize I hardly ever have time to post here these days, so new visitors may be unimpressed. I made a commitment several months ago that I will continue to provide at least a cursory Next Up at City Council review of the upcoming Portland City Council meeting Agenda each week, however, so here is this week's. New readers, type "Next Up at City Council" in the handy dandy search feature in the left sidebar, to get a better sense of the service provided here before my daily activity meter went off the scale.

There are many important items on the Agenda this coming week, so please check the link yourselves. Among the most notable:

347 TIME CERTAIN: 10:45 AM - Report on the Performance Review of the Independent Police Review Division (Report introduced by Mayor Potter; Previous Agenda 289)

which curiously is not paired with this:

CONSENT AGENDA - NO DISCUSSION

*349 Create Office of Human Relations and Human Rights Commission; assign Racial Profiling Committee and implementation of the Immigrant and Refugee Task Force recommendations to Office of Human Relations (Ordinance; add Code Chapters 3.128 and 3.129)

It seems to me these items are related, and that public discussion of the purpose and future functions of the Office of Human Relations and Human Rights Commission might be helpful. Anyone present may pull an item from Consent and ask for discussion and public testimony. You have to be there right at the start of the meeting, and it does take guts to yell out the request. I contact the office of the sponsor to tell them I intend to do so - sometimes the Council member then pulls it.

Here's good news on Consent: more security on TriMet, and someone else is paying for it.

*355 Amend an Intergovernmental Agreement with TriMet and the City of Tigard for Tigard to provide an additional officer to the TriMet Transit Police and for TriMet to compensate Tigard for those services

This first item on the Regular Agenda is also encouraging to see:

370 Affirm the City Council's intent to manage stormwater as a resource through the use of green infrastructure techniques using onsite surface vegetated facilities (Resolution introduced by Mayor Potter and Commissioners Adams, Leonard and Sten)

Seventeen years ago, the City bureau referenced as "BES" was pretty much the Bureau of Engineering and Sewage. Thanks to the leadership of bureau Director Dean Marriott, contributions of excellent staff, and the support and policy direction of multiple City Commissioners starting with Mike Lindberg in the early 1990s, it is now becoming truly the Bureau of Environmental Services. And it turns out it's less expensive to manage stormater in green vegetated surface installations instead of pipes, as well as better for the environment.

This item should receive considerable discussion.... and probably won't:

*371 Authorize downtown waterfront urban renewal and redevelopment bonds (Ordinance)

Translation: Borrow more money for an Urban Renewal Area that began in 1974 and has already been extended twice. The bonds being authorized on Wednesday are under the existing program, squeezing in the maximum allowed debt by the deadline of April 24, 2008. Downtown Waterfront is an "Option 3" Urban Renewal Area, which means that all Portland taxpayers are required to contribute to paying off this debt, directly -- see the line item for Urban Renewal on your November property tax statement. Here are some important parts of the ordinance:

3. In City Ordinance No. 172356 the City approved a maximum indebtedness limit for the Area of $165,000,000.

8. The City adopts this Ordinance to authorize the issuance of urban renewal and redevelopment bonds for the Area to finance projects in the Area, to refinance outstanding interim financings for urban renewal projects in the Area, to refund all or a portion of the Outstanding DTWF Bonds, to fund bond reserves and to pay related costs.

I believe it would be helpful if Portlanders were provided accurate, easy-to-understand information about urban renewal funding, to allow meaningful involvement in deciding how much debt the City should take on.

This is an "Emergency Ordinance" as indicated by the asterisk... as if nobody saw the need to put this on the Agenda last month.

OK, moving on. The Council has chosen not to have a Wednesday evening session, even though meeting at 6 p.m. is allowed on the the third Wednesday only. This despite the fact that there are several items scheduled for Thursday afternoon, all of which working Portlanders are likely concerned about. Why are the following scheduled for Thursday afternoon instead of Wednesday evening?

Sigh. The Portland City Council Agenda for this Wednesday, 3/10/08, kicks off with this Time Certain:

323 TIME CERTAIN: 9:30 AM - Recommend criteria for addition of noncontiguous urban renewal areas (Resolution introduced by Mayor Potter and Commissioners Adams, Leonard, Saltzman and Sten)

324 Recommend amendment of River District Urban Renewal Area to add area in east Portland (Resolution introduced by Mayor Potter and Commissioners Adams, Leonard, Saltzman and Sten)

The fact that these resolutions are co-sponsored by all five men on the Council indicates passage is a done deal. No point in showing up, except for the dubious value of being able to say "I told you so" when/if the slam-dunk turns out to bounce out. The Council is apparently going to move forward with this proposal even though their own City Attorney's office recommends against it. The reasons against doing this maneuver go way beyond whether it is legal... but with five votes lined up, my time is better spent skimming through the rest of the Agenda and moving on to the appointments on my schedule.

First on the Consent Agenda:

325 Authorize the donation of a surplus vehicle to the City of Goldendale, WA (Ordinance)

Most people would skip over that item. I clicked on the handy link to find out why we, the citizens of Portland, are giving a vehicle to a city in another state. Here's what the ordinance says:

1. The City of Portland accepted the donation of a “Peacekeeper” armored vehicle from the US Air Force on February 5, 1997, in Ordinance No. 170887.

4. The City of Goldendale, WA, is interested in obtaining the surplus “Peacekeeper” for use by its Police Department.

OK, so we're donating a vehicle that's 11 years old, and can't be sold. I still wonder whether there is a town in Oregon that can use it.

There are many somewhat interesting items on the Wednesday morning Agenda, for those of us who don't find the terms "interesting items" and "Council Agenda" inherently contradictory. On Wednesday afternoon:

341 TIME CERTAIN: 2:00 PM - Portland Plan update (Presentation introduced by Mayor Potter)

The Portland Plan is only going to change the entire Comprehensive Plan, and potentially everything in Portland. The only reason I can think of that this report is not being given next week in an evening Council hearing, as allowed by the Code, is that apparently nobody thinks having citizen input is important. A couple of concerns I have, right out of the starting gate:

* The kick-off event is being held Friday, June 6, from 8 - 6 p.m.

Gee, how many Portlanders can attend an all-day meeting during the work week, while school is in session? I am angry that a weekday was chosen for this opening gala. Is anyone advocating for working citizens on the Planning Commission, in the Planning Bureau, or on the City Council?

* The Planning Commission is proposing to serve as the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Portland Plan.

Usually, a large, representative assembly of stakeholder experts and concerned citizens from all over Portland makes preliminary recommendations to the Planning Commission. Public hearings are held and the Planning Commission amends the proposal before sending it to the City Council. In this, the most important policy project this decade, the nine people appointed to the Planning Commission will provide both proposal and review. How does this make sense? How is it even possible, given that Planning Commissioners are volunteers who have to review many other policies and programs, as well as working on the Portland Plan?

Second on the Wednesday afternoon Agenda:

342 TIME CERTAIN: 2:30 PM - Prohibit marking public property or right-of-way using paint, tape, other methods or objects to reserve viewing space for a parade event (Ordinance introduced by Commissioner Leonard; add Code Chapter 14A.55)

I am proud to have served on the "Parade Access Committee", aka the Duct Tape advisory group, with other "dignitaries" hehehe. I am especially happy that Commissioner Leonard took my advice, and delayed this public hearing to give time for neighborhood and business groups to review the proposal and comment after the committee finished our work. It's a good plan with many factors considered, thanks in part to input from this blog's readers (search for Duct Tape in the left sidebar to review previous entries on this topic). I hope it will be the focus of a warm fuzzy hearing and a 5-0 vote on Wednesday afternoon.

Can anyone identify where this was taken?

I worked from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. yesterday. This morning, my first coherent thought after the first mug of coffee was, "Hey, I get to write Next Up at City Council this morning!", with a rush of enthusiasm rather than tired resignation. Then when I read the first item on the Portland City Council Agenda for March 5, my reaction was, "Cool! The report on Enterprise Zones is done!"

I am clearly not the average Portlander. Each to their own, huh?

The Council meets Wednesday morning and afternoon this coming week. On Wednesday morning:

292 TIME CERTAIN: 9:30 AM - Approve the Enterprise Zone Policy and authorize the Portland Development Commission, on behalf of the City, to act as the E-Zone manager and apply for a 10 year E-Zone designation from the State of Oregon

Enterprise Zones are the lesser-known cousin of Urban Renewal Areas. They promote job creation on industrial sites. From the Report: "The Oregon Enterprise Zone program is a State of Oregon economic development program, as provided by the Act, that allows for property tax exemptions designed to encourage existing and new firms to invest in new capital outlays in certain designated areas. In exchange for receiving the property tax exemptions, participating firms are required to meet certain program requirements as described in the Act and any additional requirements as set by local jurisdictions."

Portland's Enterprise Zone program gives a five year 100% property tax abatement, managed by the Portland Development Commission. The boundaries are mostly along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, west of I-205, east of Forest Park, and north of I-84. Most of the proposed area carries industrial zoning and is contiguous, although there are a few detatched slivers running along specific arterials in North/Northeast Portland.

In the version of the program that ran from 2000 to 2007, thirty-five companies invested $437 million and created or retained 4,300 jobs, in return for a total property tax abatement of about $26 million. Companies receiving the benefit include the Banfield Pet Hospital headquarters on NE 82nd with $22 million investment, $1.57 million tax abatement; and Solaicx solar panels, $57 million expenditure, $3.5 million rebate. I am very pleased that the evaluation study was done, and that it supports continuing the program. This is a Portland Development Commission project that helps neighborhoods outside of Urban Renewal Areas.

From the Resolution:

"The Oregon Enterprise Zone Act, ORS 285C.050 – 285C.250, authorizes the designation of Enterprise Zones in urban and non-urban areas and provides that property tax abatement, job creation, and local municipal incentives are desirable to stimulate economic development in economically depressed areas.

The Portland City Council sponsors the Portland E-Zone program to facilitate investment by predominantly industrial-based businesses in Portland in order to create or retain quality jobs while maximizing the economic benefits for residents of Portland who are currently earning at or below 80% Median Family Income"

The proposed Enterprise Zone is located entirely in a “Distressed Area” as defined by the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department. The unemployment rate within the Enterprise Zone is 10.3% compared with the State wide unemployment rate of 7.9%, and the percentage living below poverty is 16.2% compared with the statewide average at 11.5%.

Two of the goals of the program:

* Ensure that the jobs being created meet basic job quality and retention requirements per the E-Zone Policy and State requirements, and

* Ensure that participating firms are increasing overall employment by at least ten percent (10%) during the first year the firm receives abatement.

The Agreement includes standards that must be met, as well as aspirational goals and specific requirements on child care, transit use, and more. Among them is that companies must provide levels of pay above minimum wage, as well as benefits including health care insurance. Companies receiving the tax abatement are required to contribute to the cost of "the City's basic services such as police and fire" coverage for new facilities. Both a Board and a Technical Advisory Committee are established to oversee implementation. It looks like a good, well-rounded, thoughtful program to me - evidence-based, with appropriate oversight and consequences for success and failure.

Ok, back to the rest of the Portland City Council Agenda:

Jessica Hillenbrand as Lady MacBeth

Wilson High School's drama department was saved from extinction three years ago, by parents fundraising to pay for a teacher. Anyone watching the WHS production of MacBeth this week would surely agree it was well worth it. In addition to Jessica Hillenbrand's inspired performance, Greg Lanton in the title role and Alex Swalwell as MacDuff are outstanding. Director/drama teacher Jamie Miller's casting the witches as sirens rather than crones is delightfully interesting, and the entire performance is amazing. Steve and my only regret is that Bill S. failed to develop the character of Lady Lennox to its fullest potential - the scene with our daughter center stage was entirely too short.

Performances continue tonight and Saturday at 7 p.m., with a matinee tomorrow at 2 p.m. Patrons will be impressed to see what today's teenagers and public schools can do.

Be sure to read this report by Lawrence Maushard in this week's Portland Mercury, about how neighbors working with the police and the Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association turned around an area previously swamped with drug dealing. Nice coverage, Lawrence, and good work, citizens, volunteers, and officers.