It will only be a matter of time before Portland is sent to the world of privatization of our water. Besides Leonard and other leaders of our fair city, the EPA has helped with all of their requirements. They create expensive requirements, yet fail to enforce any form of protection to those contaminated waters throughout our country. Even scientists within the EPA have spoken out about pressure to create rules that are swayed for the benefits of a few at the cost of everyone. What is more natural than natural purification that the Bull Run provides the Portland Metro area. The biggest contamination appears to be in our local and national government right now.

Forest Park would bring in a nickel or two, as well.

The community has been warning about this since 2003 when our water system was on the table for $100 million, being sold out by our own Portland Water Bureau. Appointing PWB Shaff who has a cozy relationship with the engineer that has a long history of major PWB contracts, and is at the front of the line checkbook in hand did not help.
Front loading an EPA regulation cost, to needlessly build up our debt with East Coast bonds all adds up to only one thing: Andiamo....cold, clear, consistant, cheap, Bull Run water. Look for the overpriced Powell Butte reservoir to serve as a blending center for toxic Willamette, Columbia River, etc water. Look also for carbon filtration materials from China to attempt to "remove" carcinogenic contaminants, with THEIR unknown coal-based contaminants added to our drinking water. We're getting dizy watching these corrupted processes forcing the community to circle the drain... all for a premium price that lines a lot of pockets. It's time for the community to grow a pair and tell City Council....ENOUGH!

I doubt the City will be selling the water/sewer system anytime soon; remember how badly the City wanted to buy out PGE just a few years ago?

I could see the City selling off its street system, though. After all if the city doesn't own the streets, its transportation dollars can go to the Streetcar; and with TriMet no longer able to secure free passage by its buses on city streets, the City can tell bus riders "You 'chose' to live away from the Streetcar...", while gleefully collecting those property tax dollars from those who live and work along 122nd Avenue to subsidize those downtown.

Sell Trimet!

Grow up Erik.... PGE has rate increase constraints, water and sewer provide their own printing presses.

"we have seen the enemy, and he is us!"

Interesting. I wish the water and sewer bureaus were franchised away from cityhall. This would make it harder for cityhall to milk water and sewer rate payers for street dollars, "voter-owned" election funds, "do-it-for-the-children" funds, and other assorted candy funds for politicians to advertize their good heart feinings.

There's kind of a trade off between making it an independent municipality and a privately owned utility. Private utilities are regulated by the Oregon Public Utility Commission as are municipal co-ops. However, the PUC acts to provide private utility's a reasonable rate of return, which is usually ten percent on equity capital. A muni wouldn't have such a margin but they tend to find other ways to exact extra revenues.

Even though I am a capitalist at heart, I think I should favor an independent munipality form so as to reduce the guaranteed rate of return cost.

"It's time for the community to grow a pair and tell City Council....ENOUGH!"
===

Enough what?
-Enough Sam Adams? Get real, Portland is going to have his mug around for at least this term AND another one!

-Enough Randy? Yeah, the Portland electorate is just about, almost ready, pretty soon, nearly going to maybe elect somebody else, instead of Randy. Nah!

-Enough crony developers? Nope, Portland could have dumped them before Vera. But they didn't.

-Enough Bike Lanes and Bike Bridges? Nope, Portland can never have enough of those, especially since they got knocked down to 2nd place in the Miss Bike America contest.

-Enough Weird? Portland is just getting warmed up on the weirdness factor. LOL

What makes you think they'll pay down the debt?

I think the bankruptcy judge is going to require that.

Has anybody else here read "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins? It's about the utilization of the IMF and World Bank to bankrupt nation states in order to claim their resources as collateral for the unpaid loans...

It all sounds so familiar. I guess having milked the rest of the world, they now turn on us? In to economic servitude...lead there by our own greed and stupidity.

Bluecollar Libertarian -

City doesn't own TriMet; its considered gauche to try to sell things you don't own--

Reuben M. -

If PGE had been taken over by the City, Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) control of rates would have ended. Oregon PUC doesn't control rates of a PUD or muni owned utility. PGE taken over by the city could have provided another cash cow, like sewer and water, for Randy and Sam to raid when they needed spare change.

Harry,
Enough of doing nothing watching this train wreck..or you will help pay for it one way or another. It's just that simple.

Nonny,
Thanks, good to know, but even more scary.

Corporations want in and they are well on their way with the city council we have now.

Our Bull Run Water System provides some of the best drinking water in the world. It is a wonderful sustainable system and a gift from past generations to us. This Council is betraying our community. Many citizens have done research on this and they know the truth of the matter.

PWB is in debt and Leonard and the city council are not stopping more debt coming down the pike and we will all be paying dearly for this one way or another. They are on a race and using emergency ordinances to rack up as many expensive projects as they can and we have more debt. Their reasons for the emergency of these unnecessary projects are flimsy. The EPA LT2 rule was based on politics, not science. Leonard and all of Council are using the EPA LT2 rule as a justification to add over a billion dollars more with debt and how insane is it really - for a public health problem that does not exist!!

They are doing their best to keep it all under the radar screen from the public.

Apparently, those without a conscience are making these decisions. Financial irresponsibility and shenanigans - bad enough, but how in the world can Mayor Adams, Commissioners Leonard, Saltzman, Fritz and Fish justify this regarding the detriment of their plans on the health of our community? In the end our drinking water will be degraded with added toxic and cancer causing chemicals - if we cannot stop their plans. Radon and it is a problem in our area will be backed up into homes and schools. Will we in 20 years find we have a community with lung problems because of these horrible decisions?

We cannot let this happen here. It is difficult enough to swallow all the "reasons" for this, but to literally have to swallow "sick" water so that corporations can profit is over the top!

I'm struck by the parallels - on a micro basis - with the article on the front page of the Tribune today, about the elderly African-American woman who has lost her home due to foreclosure. Apparently the weasel scums (though perhaps a different sub-species) have also targeted long-time minority residents in Portland neighborhoods to take out sub-prime loans; take money for mortage fixes they never did; then offer low-ball prices for the residences, so they can "Phoenix" them and sell them for a tidy profit.

Ain't Portland grand - and when are we, Jack's army, going to physically gather, identify some decent candidates for public office, and do the hard work to get them elected?