"The FY 2006-07 Preliminary Financial Plan estimated an average effective rate increase of 3.9
percent for FY 2007-08 primarily for an anticipated increase related to inflation. The proposed retail
water rate increase is 5.1 percent for FY 2007-08 and each of the four subsequent years over the
planning period."

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http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=146387

No need to comment further besides thank god we can still spend money on streetcars and CC hotels.

I wonder if Sam has the votes?

After the Interstate Avenue / Fourth Avenue farces I am not sure that any of our benighted CoP council members or Pappy can count to three.

I foresee a referral for referendum if the Council passes this.

All that this money will go to is streetcars and bike lanes. Is there a way to refer this to the voters? Whatever happens- DON'T VOTE FOR TRAM SCAM FOR MAYOR, he is pure evil!

When will the madness stop?

What's even more depressing is these so called additional safety measures will actually increase road congestion within the city. For example, on SE 12th, going north, just before Hawthorne Boulevard the city has extended the sidewalk out into one of the three lanes of traffic. These safety measures actually reduce road space. I so want to move from Portland. There's little hope for the city's direction changing anytime soon.

I don't think it's worth moving about, but Transportation is certainly one of the city's less effective and more arrogant bureaus.

I'm sure they'll use this money to start paving some of these roads over here in SW. Yep, I'll be on the lookout for the road crews any time now.

I don't see how this can pass constitutional muster. If someone lives on a street that isn't CoP maintained but they hook up to CoP water, how can one justify billing them to pay for street maintenance through a water bill surcharge ?

Just amazing that there isn't an answer to taking action against the more stupid things done here by this city....just TALK!

The city's all funds budget is now approacing three billion (with a "B") annually. Two thirds is spent on inter-agency activity (the notor pool billing the police department, the IT department billing the water bureau, etc. etc.)

I think Sam is trying to come up with nine million (with an "M") per year. That's from my memory... I am trying to confirm it.

As a business person, I would say if you can't squeeze nine million out of three billion there is a major, major problem.

If a street name was changed to Chavez would the CoP then keep it paved?

Let us not forget that CoP received over $139 MILLION of our state gas tax money this last year in STIP dollars, just for bike, pedestrian, trolley, mass transit education programs, share ride programs-not for road improvements as required by gas tax revenue. All this was how Sam the Tram prioritized our "congestion problem" with his lobbying at the State Legislature.

Dave, you would think he could squeeze out $9M a year that he claims we need for keeping up with road maintenance out of the $139M.

It is more about setting the right priorities than raising taxes in any insidious way.

how can one justify billing them to pay for street maintenance through a water bill surcharge ?

Posted by john rettig | December 13, 2007 11:42 PM

ANSWER: Because they can!

Arrogance...pure, gut-wrenching arrogance.

Mr. Lister once sat at my table and made a comment about my "inability" to get a message across on the recall effort.

Let me state for the record, he may have been right...but, the message is still the same,and until a few of us get a pair, do what needs to be done, THAT IS A RECALL OF SAM ADAMS, ERIC STEN, RANDY LEONARD...hell, Dan doesn't scare anybody, we as citizens, we a business people will pay Homer's bill's for along time to come.

Mr.Bogdanski kick's me off here on a reqular basis...(for what,I don't know sometimes) but my message was and still is, until we take back this city ,all you will ever do is "TALK" about it.

Forget my politics(it ain't left) the place we all live is here, if here is bad for all, but the elite, then we all have a problem to face, and something must be done.

What inflation? The snow melt and rain is free, the cost of pumping and chemicals is minimal, and we've already got the 2nd highest water and sewer rates out of the top 49 American cities, thanks to Big Pipe and mismanagement.

The only inflation results from labor (including healthcare, salary, and pensions) deferred maintenance, and Big Ol' phat pet projects.

and mismanagement.

Mister Tee: Help me...Who mismanaged?

What happen's in the real world if you ,"mismanage?"

Katz, Saltzman, Sten, Leonard, Potter and (up next) Adams.

Plus the numbskull legal counsel who advised them to sue the EPA over the clean surface water regulations relating to cryptosporidium.

And the boneheaded city attorney who told them they could add a transportation tax to a water/sewer bill.

We are very lucky they haven't figured out a way to tax people who are leaving town, because the exodus is just beginning.

They will NEVER fix the roads. They've been saying that for decades and it's never been done.

Government seldom performs due to their own bloated bureaucracy and endemic incompetence.

They have no incentive to perform because when ever they fail they just create a new tax. If the public complains of the tax, they simply call it a 'permit' or a 'user fee'.

Katz, Saltzman, Sten, Leonard, Potter and (up next) Adams.

Plus the numbskull legal counsel who advised them to sue the EPA over the clean surface water regulations relating to cryptosporidium.

And the boneheaded city attorney who told them they could add a transportation tax to a water/sewer bill.

Mister Tee said the above:

Once again, if there is no will to change it, then we lay down in the middle of I-5 during rush hour, or better yet get run over by a Max train, if we won't fight what is happening.

I tried it once and failed, I told people that if we didn't stop just one of these idiots in their tracks, it would get worse...MY GAWD, I wish I could pick lottery numbers the way I predicted this mess.

Fellow PDXERS...it would be near impossible, but they said the moon and back was impossible once.

Someone needs to lead, then someone run for which seat we recall.

I can tell you from direct experiance, someone really learned their "craft" well, and it wasn't Sten, Leonard, or Dan.

Mister Tee, the city has figured out a way to tax those who are abandoning the city. They have proposed a tax on the sale of your home. The real estate industry is fighting it strongly, but who knows what will happen. Citizens of all persuasion should join the efforts of realtors and building industry to not foist another tax on us.

Mister Tee, the city has figured out a way to tax those who are abandoning the city. They have proposed a tax on the sale of your home. The real estate industry is fighting it strongly, but who knows what will happen. Citizens of all persuasion should join the efforts of realtors and building industry to not foist another tax on us.

Posted by Lee | December 15, 2007 3:43 PM

Dear Lee: There is another way to fix the problem, but one has to get really mad first.

What do you think that will take to get us there?

I don't think it's worth moving about, but Transportation is certainly one of the city's less effective and more arrogant bureaus.

Jack Bog did the above:

Arrogant....ARROGANT, just a little bit!

When is enough? Is the death of a child enough? (JESSICA'S LAW)

I will not understand why we must get hit a thousand times before we hit back.

I'm scared as my 61st birthday is this Monday, that this cities true citizens have lost the will to fight in more ways then just one.

If we will not fight to save where we live from one arrogant, power crazed elected offical...will we really fight if this country is hit again in ways we all don't want to think about.