City of Portland burns $40,000 before breakfast
Now the City of Portland can't even give away money without hiring a middleman who takes a cut. Here's a bid solicitation by the planning bureau for a "fiscal agent" who will make a nice commission for handing out $570,000 of city money as community organizer grants:
The successful Proposer will serve as a fiscal agent for BPS to distribute funds to Community Organizations for outreach projects and events. The goal of this contract is to create an avenue of communication and to offer innovative incentives to engage community organizations that may not traditionally participate in BPS programs. By involving neighborhood associations and community organizations, the City builds a positive partnership within the communities, encourages diversity at the grassroots level, and encourages neighbor-to-neighbor interaction. To facilitate this involvement, these Community Organizations coordinate volunteer-based education outreach and events, Through this program the City helps these organizations earn money to be used in their operations.There aren't enough bureaucrats in the planning department to process grant requests without shelling out 40 grand for a paying agent? Unbelievable. And note, they already have some outside outfit skimming this 7% now.The anticipated funds to be disbursed to the Community Organizations for the services described herein are approximately $40,000.00. The incumbent fiscal agent is being paid an administrative fee of 7% of the total disbursement value paid to the Community Organizations to cover their administrative expenses.
To make things even more lame, note that they're already stating in the announcement that the winning bidder will get 7% as its cut:
The successful Proposer would receive an administrative fee based on 7% of the total amounts paid to the participating groups.Shouldn't the bidders be allowed to underbid that percentage? Oh, never mind. That would be good fiscal practice, and this is the City of Portland.
Does anybody know who's got this contract now? It seems a lock that they'll get it again.
UPDATE, 3/11, 11:50 p.m.; Despite the screwed-up bid solicitation, the contract is only for $2,800. It's the grants that will total $40,000. Further details here.
| Posted at 4:57 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (11)
Ding! New winning entry in the Incomprehensible Jargon-Filled Tub O' Verbal Sludge Award!!
Posted by George Anonymuncule Seldes | March 10, 2010 6:19 AM
When did Vito, Guido, and Rocco move to Portland and climb in bed in City Hall?
Posted by LucsAdvo | March 10, 2010 6:24 AM
Sounds a bit like the East Portland Action Plan. the Budget for the coordinator position is $125,000. What percentage is salary I don't know.
The coordinator is Lore Wintergreen.
Posted by Lawrence | March 10, 2010 7:25 AM
Has anyone asked why the city is giving out money to people so they can lobby the city council in return? Isn't that what "community organizers" ultimately are doing? What do you think "avenue of communication" means here? Does not this city give money to the BTA who in turn then lobbies Mayor Creepy for a $600 million dollar bike nirvana? This is just more of the same, IMHO.
If you out there who want to whine about the condo bunker set lobbying the city and PDC for their share of our tax dollars aren't up in arms over this seemingly small turnips heist, then you're not really paying attention.
Posted by LexusLibertarian | March 10, 2010 7:27 AM
Just one more of many signs this city is corrupt.
The entire $570,000 is a waste of tax money by a council oblivious to the notion of fiduciary and fiscal responsibility, especially at a time when a deep recession is hurting basic services.
So what is this about?
Paying off supporters in an election year.
Posted by Ben | March 10, 2010 7:36 AM
The proposal above will surely violate the city's own rules banning racial discrimination. Americans need not apply.
When Maria Lisa Johnson and Amalia Alarcon de Morris direct such funds to someone other than themselves (as in the recent past), likely their anti-American leadership trainees, they can put on a face of being almost not-racially-disciminatory, at least facially.
But: My race is "American" -- not tribe A B or Z.
http://hotair.com/headlines/?p=74725
http://michellemalkin.com/2010/03/09/my-race-is-american/
The City of Portland is instead an official hate group. Tom Metzger did not directly kill Mulugeta Seraw with a baseball. He just had a big mouth, much like Portland's own contemporary official paid big mouths. The hate is palpable, and the tax dollars are being used to fuel it until it becomes a conflagration (. . . like at some Max station, resembling the attack in Gresham, but by a mob with multiple victims.)
Posted by pdxnag | March 10, 2010 7:53 AM
Jack, it sounds to me like you've misread the numbers a bit (emphasis mine):
Unless I'm missing something (I didn't see the $570K quoted anywhere in the bid solicitation) it sounds like the city's giving out about $40K, and the "fiscal agent" gets 7% of whatever is actually disbursed (i.e., up to $2,800).
Or am I missing something?
Posted by David Wright | March 10, 2010 9:43 AM
The bid solicitation says that the fiscal agent contract is for $40,000. If it was for only $2,800, I doubt they'd even put it out for bid. But who knows? Let's hope that's right.
Posted by Jack Bog | March 10, 2010 11:33 AM
What is even more absurd about this is probably CoP had another outside consultant to advise them on how to solicit a "fiscal agent", and went through similar procedures of solicitation to do so.
Solicitations on top of solicitations. The next step for CoP is a third level of solicitations.
Posted by lw | March 10, 2010 1:47 PM
So if I am understanding this right, someone gets hired to hand out taxpayer money, and gets a percentage of the money they give away? Pardon me, but WTF?
And this...
By involving neighborhood associations and community organizations, the City builds a positive partnership within the communities
Sounds to me like they are paying hush money to get the community on board with their nutty ideas...
Posted by Jon | March 10, 2010 9:55 PM
I just get goose bumps all over when Portland is in trouble.I have a VOODOO Witch working on a sunomi or an earthquake next.
Posted by Tom Metzger | March 11, 2010 3:17 PM