Here, have a bone
Critics of Portland urban renewal, who bemoan the fact that the city's "tax increment financing" schemes take property tax money away from the county and schools: Check this one out. The city's about to fork over $9 million toward the cost of the new county courthouse downtown near the Hawthorne Bridge.
That's $9 million down, $250 million to go... No, that big crane they've just moved into that area isn't for the new courthouse, which is completely unfunded. That's for a nice, new soulless office tower. Hoffman Construction, Gerding Edlen, and some dudes from San Francisco. Seems we can't get enough of that action around here.
| Posted at 6:39 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (6)
Speaking of Hoffman Construction, guess who weaseled their way into building the new U of O basketball arena? Mmmmmm....graft.
Posted by Chris Snethen | April 21, 2008 7:00 PM
Now, now. It's called "consulting fees."
Posted by Jack Bog | April 21, 2008 7:11 PM
Gerding Edlen needs a new nickname. Help me out, people. "Girders and Edsels"?
Posted by Jack Bog | April 21, 2008 7:16 PM
I warned you about two weeks ago that this kind of stuff was going to happen, and this is the first manifestion of it. Hoffman Construction will make sure the area's local governments have plenty of projects to keep it busy during these lean times. This is just one example of that happening.
Do you really think the City Council and County Commissioners are in control of spending and they fairly represent the will of the people? Dream on. If your last name is something like Zidell, Hoffman, Schnitzer or Goodman, you rule. No joke.
Posted by anonymouse | April 21, 2008 7:32 PM
It's always special when Urban Renewal TIF is used a government building.
Not only will it not generate new taxes it will never pay any property taxes to help retire the UR debt. Whichj wil extend and ad cost to whatever the UR plan previously was.
"$250 million to go,,, which is completely unfunded"
No problem. Just use what ever money would have or could have been used to open Wapato or replace the Sellwood Bridge. The later claim there was never any money for either of those.
Good to see leaders like Lisa Naito are
please with the PDC contribution.
Posted by Hal | April 21, 2008 8:10 PM
Good to see leaders like Lisa Naito are
please(d) with the PDC contribution.
"...leaders like Lisa Naito..."
Contact the oxymoron police, we've got a Code 3!
Posted by cc | April 22, 2008 12:59 PM