Shell game at the PDC? (Jack Bog's Blog)

Here's a funky agenda item from this afternoon's Portland Development Commission board meeting. They've been scrambling to comply with the government budget laws by sloshing hundreds of thousands of dollars around among various PDC pots of money to cover overdrafts somehow caused by agreements with other city bureaus. Today they're going to add a new pot to those available to be raided for these "interfund loans."

For a while they were running the overdrafts without action by the PDC board, but apparently their outside auditor blew the whistle and said that prior board authorization was required by law. You wonder how many other municipal finance laws are being broken in Portland. And take a look at the PDC board members. How many of the five of them do you think understand what is going on with the money?

Meanwhile, here's an interesting passage from the board's March 23 minutes:

Wow -- PDC is now an economic development agency, and its executive director's main goal is to find money for it to spend? How pathetic. From a taxpayer's standpoint, there's never been a better time to get rid of this turkey and set up a much smaller economic development shop somewhere in City Hall.

Comments (13)

"You wonder how many other municipal finance laws are being broken in Portland."

All of them?

At least PDC has been shrinking. That's a very very positive sign.

"Chair Andrews stated that Patrick Quinton's main goal is to find new sources of revenue for the agency."

Uh oh.

Posted by Snards | May 11, 2011 1:34 PM

My, the scandals and insults just keep coming! It's getting hard to keep track of them all. I hope it's not a calculated decoy maneuver.

Posted by Mr. Grumpy | May 11, 2011 1:44 PM

Chair Andrews stated that Patrick Quinton's main goal is to find new sources of revenue for the agency.

Looks like Sam the Scam is going to get his urban renewal area for the blight better known as Portland State University.

Posted by Garage Wine | May 11, 2011 3:11 PM

PDC's goal has always been to fine more money.
Too bad the City Club's scathing study of several years ago is now old history now. Nothing has changed there, they like being the 1000 LB gorilla at City Hall. Creeps!

Posted by Portland Native | May 11, 2011 4:00 PM

This city let the wolf in the door when they created the PDC back in the '60s. It made some sense then, but it's a modern day Moloch anymore.

Posted by Mr. Grumpy | May 11, 2011 4:02 PM

Create a government agency, it will never go away.

Posted by dg | May 11, 2011 5:06 PM

I'd be curious to see what the TIF revenues are. He mentions a long term decrease and I don't remember any of the URDs not being renewed.

Really breaks my heart that a lot of this skim (which is diverted from schools) is still not enough for these pigs.

Posted by Steve | May 11, 2011 5:24 PM

Government agencies always judge themselves by the size of their budgets. Did they build a bunch of failed projects? So what. Do they face a lot of critics? Ignore them. Is the budget declining? Panic!

Posted by antiplanner | May 11, 2011 6:03 PM

PDC should declare themselves a "blighted" area and ask for Urban Renewal.

Posted by lw | May 11, 2011 6:18 PM

Here's an idea: let's vote down the PPS bond measure, then shut down PDC and give what would have been their budget for the next 5 years to PPS for construction projects.

Posted by John Fairplay | May 11, 2011 6:43 PM

It's amazing how much rot you uncover (almost daily). They must be laughing down at CoP, nothing ever happens even when this crap becomes public.

There is a great (or horrific) article in the NW Examiner about the Centennial Mills property.

"The Portland Development Commission’s
new executive director, Patrick Quinton,
has added job-creation requirements
that appear incompatible with the concept
laid out by LAB Holding LLC, which
won a competitive bid to develop the site
a year ago.
PDC now expects that half of the project
be leased to “traded sector” companies,
i.e., firms that sell or distribute products
outside the region."

or even more terrifying (visions of Atlas Shrugged):

"There’s another reason Centennial Mills
isn’t receiving “most favored project” status:
Food is not one of five targeted “industry
clusters.”
Those five are clean technology and
sustainable industries, active wear, software
and advanced manufacturing, and research
and development.“

No joke!

Posted by John | May 12, 2011 9:49 AM

PDC is throwing a pizza party for the folks it has just laid off due to budget problems. Would that party be called "the last supper?"

Posted by bigmoney | May 12, 2011 11:18 AM

"PDC is throwing a pizza party for the folks it has just laid off due to budget problems. Would that party be called "the last supper?""

It's more like free lunch for the masses of overpaid underworked remaining staff under the guise of tribute to those layed off. Wasteful wasteful wasteful. Whatever happened to being a good servant with the publics money. I could find 100 homeless in Oldtown who deserve the Pizza and would appreciate it much more. This lunch leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many.

Posted by Disgusted | May 12, 2011 2:22 PM

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Shell game at the PDC?

Comments (13)

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