The Agenda for the Portland City Council this coming week shows only a Wednesday morning session. Remember, the following is a skimming of the Agenda, in the short time available to me in reviewing it. Read it yourself, and please post in the comments if there's something that interests you that I don't highlight.

Here's a contract authorization I find intruiging. I clicked the link to see the ordinance from this item on the Consent Agenda:

194 Authorize a contract and provide for payment for the construction of Transit Mall Sewer Rehabilitation Project No. 8620 (Ordinance)

Why did I click that particular link? Because I wanted to know how much the contract is for. Answer: $5 million. And, because I wanted to know where the money is coming from.

Here's the entire ordinance:

The City of Portland ordains:

a. The Commissioner of Public Utilities and Auditor are authorized to execute a contract with the lowest responsible bidder for the purpose described in Section 1.
b. The Mayor and Auditor are hereby authorized to draw and deliver warrants chargeable to the Sewer System Operating Fund Budget when demand is presented and approved by the proper authority.

Quick conclusion: I'm glad to see the funds are already budgeted in existing funds.

Ongoing question: What factors are considered in the "responsible" part of the "lowest responsible bidder" language?

The current answer is "not sufficient", in my opinion. In addition to the price of the bid, the City should consider whether contractors provide health care insurance for their workers, to give just one example. If they don't, taxpayers and people with health insurance will pick up the tab for working families whose employer doesn't provide that benefit, so the "lowest bid" may not turn out to be the lowest cost to the city's economy. It's estimated workers with health insurance pay an extra $100 per month in premiums to cover unfunded emergency health care for those without insurance. I'm hoping to be appointed to join a committee led by Commissioner Sam Adams, addressing this issue.

I also wonder about the relationship and timing of this project with consideration of SW 6th being torn up for the light rail line installation.

Here's another contract I'd like to know more about:

*212 Amend contract with Structured Communications Systems, Inc. for the equipment and software required to implement an enterprise Storage Area Network (Ordinance; amend Contract No. 40890)

The Ordinance says the initial contract in February 2005 for data storage and organization was for a maximum of $1,245,371. That was amended in March 2006 adding another $311,000 and in September 2006 with $1.1 million more. The latest amendments add another $1.1 million now, $655,000 next year and $100,000 the following year. Those increased bring the total Not To Exceed tag up to $4,511,371 - an increase of over three million dollars in three years.

Maybe this is all well and good, if the added services were anticipated in the initial contract. I wonder what the process is for checking to see that amendments get value for money, once the City has chosen the contractor in the original bidding and locked in with a particular vendor.

Commissioner Sam's transportation funding fee ordinances are back on the Agenda for approximately the 20th time. Whether you agree with the proposal or not, the shenanigans of the opposition between negotiating an agreement then promising to refer the measure anyway seem shenanigan-y. Commissioner Randy Leonard has two proposed ordinances in the topic, on the Agenda right after Sam's. Randy's are "objections". I saw something about this in the media and didn't have the capacity to read it carefully. Citizens pretty much have to follow this full time, to keep up with the twists and turns. Please post in the comments if you can inform the rest of us.