"Under Adams' proposal, households would pay $4.54 a month, added to their "water and sewer bills."

Is that a monthly total of $9.08 in Sam speak?

Probably not, but there's a more carefully hidden upcharge in the very complex and obscure formula for taxing businesses based on the vehicle trips they are thought to generate. Ten percent of this tax, and more, will go to the administrative costs of collecting and enforcing it. As opposed to a gas tax hike which, in those terms, would carry no additional costs. Leaving aside for just a second the fact that we are being held up as a result of the city's skewed priorities, are we not shooting ourselves in the foot by resisting the gas tax hike?

"are we not shooting ourselves in the foot by resisting the gas tax hike"

No, because if you vote for a gas tax hike, then you'll have a higher gas tax AND a house-by-house + business "street fee." Do you really not understand how Oregon government works yet?

A good academic project once this is imposed without a vote of the people would be to poll all the businesses in town (shouldn't take long) and ask them how many vehicle trips the City assigned them. Then add them all up and compare them to the hilariously inflated figures Tri-Met claims for ridership.

"headed for city approval".

Shouldn't that read, "headed for city council approval...?"

I just hope this is enough impetus to draw out the moderate and/or fixed income voters and increase turnout. This should prevent Sam from an outright primary win, if people are paying attention.

Good, at least we have a way of getting funds to save the SoWa district. If you don't think he will funnel some of this to the $100M+ shortfall down there, you're naive.

Step 1: give massive tax breaks to incent upscale development and benefit investors and developers.

Step 2: tax everybody (but not development) for the road repair necessary to accomodate growth and increased use.

Step 3: run for mayor.

On more reason to find $5 for Sho Dozono

The plan was developed by a committee of 89 people so what could go wrong? Actually, there was going to be 90 people on the committee, but Sam realized that would be completely insane.

City Council's creative financial moves aren't inspiring confidence for me--especially when the perception is that taxes from the many are benefiting the few (or the one or two.)

all jokes aside, aren't there already several lessons about tax deferment to be learned from South Waterfront?

Do you really not understand how Oregon government works yet?

What makes all you conservative, anti-tax types so crabby? Do you really think that's persuasive?

Never mind that $124 million of it will go to the typical Sam ped/bike/transit enhancments.
When he claims "$340 million, would go for pavement, fixing every major street in Portland"

at least half of that will be used for ped/bike/transit and green street/streetscaping anywhere any loosely associated paving takes place.

All the way claiming to be a "balanced" approach to street repair.

Many millions of this new tax will simply go towards existing Sam plans freeing up existing funds to be directed at will to more of the non street status quo.

If Sam and company had a shred of honesty when it comes to roads and bridges the committee of 89 would be assigned the task of assuring that ONLY street improvements and maintenance would qualify.

But with Sam, the Oregonian and Tribune falsely propgandizing this as a tax for streets the fix is in.

And all the while the agenda and decisions which resulted in decades of infrastructure neglect and the $650 million maintenance backlog is actually picking up pace making things much worse.

Throw in the more extreme examples such as the legislature directing $250 million to a new Milwaukie Light bridge/line ahead of the Sellwood bridge replacement and the future is clear.

Between the CoP, Counties, Metro and the legislature BILLIONS more are being committed to every non road and non vehicle bridge project they can dream up.

It's region wide. Wilsonville has prioritized a new $35 million ped/bike bridge over the Willamette.

Metro has granted Tigard millions in Fed Highway funds for their town center green ped/bike/transit streetscaping.

The list of status quo projects, reasons there's not enough money for streets, is huge.

The recent frenzy of diverting and comitting future money to the car hater's wish list is unpresidented.

And it is set in stone that congestion will grind our transportation system to failure as ODOT warns that severe choke points are imminent within as little as a couple years.

Add another million people to the region over the next 20 years and the vision is not so sustainable chaos.

No get out there and elect Sam as Mayor.

Question: What makes all you conservative, anti-tax types so crabby?

Answer: ...are we not shooting ourselves in the foot by resisting the gas tax hike?

QED

Allan L.: Do you own a business in Portland Allan? How would you feel if you are being asked to pay an additional $80-100.00 every month to the City IN ADDITION to the $7-800.00 annual tax being paid for TriMet? How much money do these people need for their transportation dreams?
Sorry - but if they are going to collect signatures to squash SCAM ADAMS "road" package, we will collect at least a few dozen right here at my office.

Do you own a business in Portland Allan?

Yes. What's your point?

What makes all you liberal, tax-enamored types so crabby?

Never mind.

Allan L.: The point, since you're being so obtuse, is that this entire scheme is just simply one more tax to pay for all businesses in Portland. Do you enjoy paying more for EVERYTHING in Portland?

>>Do you own a business in Portland Allan?

>Yes. What's your point?
--------

How many Allan L. commenters are there?

I thought this one was the Stoel Rives lawyer. Did you buy the firm out?

Or is the business you own some small back bedroom consultancy tax write off?

I took the question to be: Do you own a real, for profit business, with employees, etc, in Portland?

Not some hobby thing tax shelter.

Or, we have multiple Allan L. commenters here.

Some comments on the Oregonian article:

Big O: Most of the money, about $340 million, would go for pavement, fixing every major street in Portland.
JK: Paving means adding bike lanes and bubble curbs. The bubble curbs are so that TriMet buses have an excuse to block traffic every time they stop. Just another case of Trimet NOT caring. And Sam not caring about congestion.

Big O: 50 pedestrian islands, creation of 114 miles of walking and biking boulevards,
JK: Here is Sam’s real reason - a payoff to the bike lobby..

Big O: The fee would also allow police traffic enforcement on freeways within the city, which currently aren't patrolled.
JK: How come I see police stops on Portland freeways?

Big O: Under Adams' proposal, households would pay $4.54 a month, added to their water and sewer bills. Businesses would pay a fee based on the amount of traffic they generate. Officials estimate that most businesses would pay an average of $33 a month, but large companies could pay much more.
JK: And the biggest source of street damage - Trimet PAYS NOTHING.

Big O: McDonough said the business community understands the impact of bad roads and congestion, particularly on the movement of freight.
JK: I’ve got a big surprise for McDonough: Sam, repeatedly refused to say that there would congestion relief except for improved signal timing. Most of the other proposals WILL INCREASE CONGESTION:
Bike lanes take away road capacity.
Bubble curbs increase congestion.
Bike boxes will increase congestion by preventing right turns on red.

Big O: Paul Romain, lobbyist for the Oregon Petroleum Association, ....
said the city wouldn't be in so much trouble if it had spent its money wisely over the past 15 years.
..."You have a $34 million surplus right now. Why aren't you talking about that for road maintenance?" he asked.
...Romain said his group would decide after the council vote next week whether to seek the 18,000 signatures needed to put the fee ordinance on the May ballot.
JK: Finally someone who gets it. Where do I sign?

Big O: "We looked behind the curtain to see if we were being told the facts. Sadly, we were," Spellman said. "The backlog is real. The backlog is growing."
JK: This guy really should look at where the money is currently being spent: Everything EXCEPT road capacity.

Stop the
BILLION$ for BIKE$,
vote no on Sam’s tax.

Thanks
JK

I thought this one was the Stoel Rives lawyer.

Anon: I don't practice law. I'm not sure why this matters, or why the answer to an unasked question is sought to refute arguments that were not made. My original post here complained that the proposed charge would be expensive to calculate and collect, and would indirectly burden individual residents through the obscure business fees. The point was that if more money is needed for infrastructure, a gas tax is a more efficient way of collecting it. If you want to argue, argue with that. And try to be civil.

Why is our water and sewer bill getting taxed for more traffic patrols and asphalt?

If Sam had any cajones, he'd be talking City of Portland Income Tax. Except for that pesky little mayoral election.

The muni credit card game is coming to an end (issuing more bonds), and there's no way that Mayor Adams is going to make do with current revenues. Schools, neighborhood sewer pipes, and parks buildings are all in dire need of upgrades and replacements. They won't fix themselves.

Prediction: it will be an income tax for the CHILDREN.

The point was that if more money is needed for infrastructure, a gas tax is a more efficient way of collecting it.

That may have been your point, but your comment seems to include a tacit acceptance of the need for "...more money for infrastructure...". Hence the discussion opened up as these things will.

I think Jack's posts are meant to foster/provoke dialogue - but they are Jack's posts. Unless I'm mistaken, our benevolent host does read these comments and has shown no reticence in policing them.

And try to be civil.

I'm sure your help is appreciated, though.

Roads need improvement and as noted in this thread, they won't fix themselves. We can all point at the unpaved roads here The City That Works. UNPAVED. Ridiculous.

Lose the goofy rhetoric about bike lanes. The bike-commuter voting bloc (assuming there even is one) is mighty small.

I definitely do not fancy Sam Adams as mayor but why that prospect is getting all mixed up here with the need for road improvements is a mystery.

"a mystery"?

What mystery?

Here we have one of the central figures responsible for the large maintenance backlog clammoring for new tax money to do what he should have been doing all along.

How anyone can not have the past spending of billions while neglecting roads and traffic not front and center in this discussion is a much bigger mystery.

There's no way people can be so oblivious to where the money has been going all these years.
So why doesn't that matter to some?

So why doesn't that matter to some?

Who says it doesn't matter. If you have a way of capturing previously spent and squandered and committed funds for road improvements, please share it with us.

Allan L.; as I and others have posted before, Sam was responsible in lobbying to extract over $138 Million of STIP dollars (dollars from Oregon's gas tax)in this year alone for 140 projects defined as bike paths, pedestrian improvements, trolleys, light rail, shared rider programs, commuter education, etc. The $138M is just for City of Portland alone. These STIP gas tax dollars are stipulated, "committed funds for road improvements". But they are going elsewhere.

Log onto ODOT, Allan, to confirm. Will you answer to this fact, because Sam never has?

Lee, I'm not defending the city's spending priorities up to now. I think that would be a steep hill to climb. But we are at the point where we have some of these lovely amenities, and a neglected infrastructure, with inadequate resources currently on tap (unless I am missing something, which I would hope may be the case) to fix it. We need a bridge where the Sellwood Bridge is; and money needs to be spent to fix our crumbling streets and roads. Where will it come from? It doesn't seem to me to help the situation to point critically at the places where money was spent. That money is gone.

I'm not defending the city's spending priorities up to now. I think that would be a steep hill to climb. But we are at the point where we have some of these lovely amenities...

To the degree that you're willing to blow off the millions spent because of misdirected priorities and not question the officials and policies responsible, I don't sense that we're talking about the same subject. To expect that somehow NOW the same folks, in the same positions, with the same information, won't do the same things with the same results is...

(word deleted due to lack of civility)

I don't begrudge you your skepticism about the incumbents; in fact, I share it. But so what? Are we going to just limp along with declining infrastructure? I don't find it satisfactory to criticize our local government, point to its failures as an excuse for choosing not to address major problems, and stop there. In fact, it sounds more like a pretext for selfishness.

CC is right, we're not talking about the same thing. He's talking about why Sam should be defeated in the upcoming Mayoral race. Allan is talking about whether we need more taxpayer money to fix our transportation infrastructure. The argument against Sam may be relevant to this election, but it's not relevant to getting our streets fixed. If Dozono is elected, do you think he's going to somehow find $400 million over the next 15 years to fix our streets? Maybe if he fired half the police, or only put out half the fires in the city, but otherwise it's not going to happen.

As for those obsessed with how much PDX spends on bike lanes, trolleys, and light rail, don't you think the simplest explanation is that the voters of Portland like those things? There's a simple reason Adams and Sten and the others keep getting elected -- because they're doing what the voters want them to do.

There's a simple reason Adams and Sten and the others keep getting elected -- because they're doing what the voters want them to do.

no, there are two "simple reasons". the second is: there are no better alternatives presenting themselves.

Are we going to just limp along with declining infrastructure?

Sure. The only reason it has become such a big deal now is the election. Sam & Co. would otherwise be pursuing loftier goals.

I don't find it satisfactory to criticize our local government, point to its failures as an excuse for choosing not to address major problems, and stop there.

If the "satisfactory" approach involves the status quo, then you don't even start.

Change won't come without crisis.

Call me hypocritical and selfish.

lin qiao Lose the goofy rhetoric about bike lanes. The bike-commuter voting bloc (assuming there even is one) is mighty small.

I definitely do not fancy Sam Adams as mayor but why that prospect is getting all mixed up here with the need for road improvements is a mystery.
JK: Guess you didn’t notice all those MILLIONS of road money that Sam spent on bikes, buses and reducing road capacity, while ignoring the majority that drives cars because cars are better, more convenient and cheaper than transit.

Sam wasted the money and now wants up to make up for the loss. Reminds one of Stenn’s water bureau.

Then there was the PGE park fiasco.
The tram & Portland feeding city money to OHSU to claim that the city paid less than it really did.

PS, lin, have you noticed that scientists are finally starting to speak out against alarmist warming?
Have you noticed that the USHCN shows cooling since 1998, the year tied with 1934 as the warmest?
Have you noticed that the warmest years in 400 are now spread throughout the 20th century, not in the 1990s. (note to lurkers: 400 years ago is widely recognized as “the little ice age”, so it is natural to warm up after such an event - the question has been wether or not the warming in the latter part of the 20th century has been unusual.)

Thanks
JK

"no, there are two "simple reasons". the second is: there are no better alternatives presenting themselves."

That's because half the population is disqualified because they aren't 100% left.
Any sign of a micro-convservative gene and fagettaboutit.

Right Lister?

Allan L; you may be "obtuse" again. You stated that the $138M in STIP gas tax money "is gone". The $138M was for this tax year only. I thought it was obvious that there are years to come with STIP dollars continuing.

As Sam lobbied for the $138M to go to his non-street pet projects at the state legislature and ODOT, he was lobbying at our neighborhood association, and many others that we had a "transportation infrastructure crisis". He stated that he would lead in "studying" how the city could respond to this "crisis". He disguised the word "taxes" at our Feb. 07 meeting. An obvious solution to Sam's "crisis" is for Sam to prioritize just $27 Million of the $138M (19%) for 15 years for roads. If you factor in increased gas tax revenue because of biofuel requirements(due to reduced mileage per gallon), increase in miles driven and vehicle numbers the money for roads could increase and help the problem in even a shorter time line. But Sam doesn't get it, his policy is different, and that is why a different mayor than Sam is needed.

Miles; most of us are talking about the same thing. Jack's post was about the new transportation tax.

Who lobbied over a year for the tax,

who spent over a $1M in meetings, power point presentations city staff and media,

who determined the priorities,

who is the city commissioner in charge of the bureau primarily responsible for the past and future of roads,

who has been in city hall for 15 years-the same amount of time given to dig ourselves out of the potholes?????

Sam. Sam is the Tax. They are "the same thing". Will Sho Dozono, or any other candidate point this out? What will their priorities be?

Good Grief Allen, get a grip,

Are you not saying attention?

How can you possibly not know, forget or just leave out the most improtant part of this?
That the squandering is ongoing bigger than ever. Even in Sams New Deal.

Come on buddy, wake up and smell the fiscal waste. It friggin everywhere.

Why is the $1 Billion for the upcoming Milwaukie light rail bridge and new line ahead of the Sellwood bridge.

Is it really neccessary to go through the boondoggle frenzy each and every tiime this topic comes up?

Are you and others not comprehending it as it gets posted all the time?
Are you just pretending the squandering is done and nwo we have to fix the raods with new taxes?

What is IT?

Progress, forward movement, please something so we can have a dialogue with everyone familliar with a little more of the story.

Otherwise we might as well just reprint some old blog threads.

Geeeeeeeeze!!!

Maybe if he fired half the police, or only put out half the fires in the city, but otherwise it's not going to happen.

To quote (or, probably, misquote) Barbara Roberts: "People will die."

But we shouldn't talk about those who choose to cut police and fire first and what motivations they may have in doing so.

Should we?

"To quote (or, probably, misquote) Barbara Roberts: "People will die."
----------

That is her best quote ever.

And a few years ago (2002-3?) I saw her interviewed were she said that she was right, "People did die."

Kinda like Clinton insisting that he did tell the truth.

I guess it all depends on what your definition of 'die' is, eh?

Sam was Vera's Chief of Staff for more than a decade, and he's been a City Councilmen (or candidate) ever since.

During that time, we spent BILLIONS on shiny new light rail and trolley lines.

We remodeled entertainment venues and public facilities (City Hall, PGE Park, the Armory, SW Community Center, et al), and constructed the $28,000 per linear foot Esplanade, the $70 million Tram.

We built miles of new bike lanes, and couplets, and traffic calming devices. We even have wireless parking meters and a community bike program made in France.

We have publicly owned art, and segways, and Prius, and biodiesel fueled Jettas. And trips to Europe and Australia. All paid for with taxpayer dollars.

Throughout that entire orgy of public "investment", Sam Adams never bothered to suggest that road maintenace or traffic safety was a higher priority.

Not once.

When the City of Portland has sold off their fleet of automobiles and we no longer invest in public art, THEN I'LL VOTE FOR A NEW TAX.

Until that time, they'll not get one penny more for me.

When the PDC stops lining the pockets of their friends with our property tax dollars and free real estate we'll know the incompetence and corruption may be subsiding.
However, any rhetoric (Allen) that Sam Adams and the current council represent remedies, when they are the genesis throughout the problems, serves only to perpetuate them and avoid any turning of the ship.

No doubt there are plenty of defenders (Oregonaina, Tribune, PortlandTransport.com)
but those who sit silent (BlueOregon) all along the way are the most troubling. Because it wouldn't take much at all to light up the status quo and audit our way to change if some of these loudest activists weren't so missing in action
on the local front.

Dan: Because it wouldn't take much at all to light up the status quo and audit our way to change if some of these loudest activists weren't so missing in action on the local front.
JK: The problem is that some of our loudest activists are probably city or PDC or consultants or contractors or developers – people profiting from all this. Jack has outed a number of city employees here.

Other advocates got hoodwinked by them and a few are true believers that believe the planning “profession” and greens when they FALSELY claim:
* High density reduces congestion
* High density saves money
* Mass transit costs less than driving a car
* Mass transit uses less energy than readily available cars.
A quick look at the real numbers shows that each of the above is untrue.
See DebunkingPortland.com

Stop Sam’s Billions for Bikes
Thanks
JK

Well I know why BlueOregon is quiet
on this.
It's head, Kari is a Sam supporter.
And of course that means all things Sam

http://www.samforpdx.com/2007/12/join_us.php

Kari Chisholm
Vera Katz
Mark Edlen, Developer
John Kitzhaber, Former Governor
Steven Stadum, OHSU's CAO
Brad Malsin, Developer
Amanda Fritz
Erik Sten,
Randy Leonard,
Barbara Roberts,
Maria Rojo de Steffey,
Lisa Naito,
Peter Bragdon
Jim Francesconi,
Kate Brown,
Fred Bruning, Developer
Ginny Burdick,
Jeff Cogen,
Joe D'Alessandro
Peter DeFazio,
Christine Egan Christine Egan, PDC
Abe Farkas, planner
Elizabeth Furse,
Dan Gardner,
Roger Geller
Greg Goodman
Henry Hewitt
Steve Janik
Mike Lindberg,
Jeff Merkley,
Rod Park, Metro Councilor
Norma Paulus,