Quick! Before the public catches on!
The people jamming Milwaukie light rail down everyone's throats have been busy of late:
A regional committee that controls transportation spending in the Portland area today approved spending additional money to fill a budget hole for the Milwaukie light rail project. After an hour of heated discussion, the panel also agreed to borrow $12 million to speed public transit planning in two more corridors."A regional committee that controls transportation spending in the Portland area"? Who the heck is that? Nobody knows. We didn't vote for them -- the Goldschmidt gang's shadow government probably just appointed them. "Regional Flexible Funds"? It's straight outta George Orwell.With the unanimous vote by the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation, the region will borrow against an expected $2 million to $3 million a year in Regional Flexible Funds to generate $27.4 million for the Milwaukie project, $6 million for planning mass transit between Portland and Lake Oswego and $6 million for planning along the Oregon 99W/Barbur Boulevard corridor. That adds to $72.5 million already allocated to the Milwaukie project from the flexible funds program, and helps make it possible for construction to start next summer.
Borrow, spend on worthless crap, borrow, spend on worthless crap, borrow... The beat goes on. The fall of this region, and of our country as a whole, is going to be spectacular. Pity our poor children.
| Posted at 8:49 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (12)
"the region will borrow against an expected $2 million to $3 million a year in Regional Flexible Funds"
Because we can never just pay for something. We have to borrow for it at X interest for 40 years. Otherwise, how would bankers make their money?
Jack, JPAC meets at Metro. There are a few groups like this which are made up of the elected officials or staff from the different cities and counties in Metro. They meet at metro to "advise" the Metro council on this and that. I think JPAC has various mayors or city councilors on it. So they are elected in theory.
But still no one knows that they are doing this stuff. Metro is a black box and 99% of the people who pay for it don't know what it's for.
Posted by Snards | September 4, 2010 10:11 AM
In my NIMBY selfishnous I can only hope that the Barber,99W Corridor can avoid being on the list of the light rail vortex.
Posted by dhughes609 | September 4, 2010 10:46 AM
"Regional Flexible Funds"
Funny, we never have those for sewers or schools.
Another honeypot, I am never voting for a tax increase (yes, I have before) again.
Posted by Steve | September 4, 2010 11:05 AM
Just what does JPACT stand for exactly, and who exactly is on this committee?
Posted by portland native | September 4, 2010 12:45 PM
never mind...I just googled it and made my self ill!
Posted by portland native | September 4, 2010 12:46 PM
Gee, golly. Those Regional Flexible Funds are nowhere to be found when the Sellwood Bridge is being discussed. You see the Sellwood Bridge is made out of red money, and the Regional Flexible Funds are blue money. And Like an Alabama lunch counter, you can't mix the colors.
Posted by Garage Wine | September 4, 2010 12:48 PM
Those "regional flexible funds" are ONLY for trolleys and trains! And of course to "promote fitness by walking and bicycling in a safe environment"....honest that what the web site says!
If you want to tear your hair out in small clumps and get ulcers, go to the Meto web page and read on!
And the list of the 17 members...and the numerous alternates...Sam is of course there, and the other Goldschmidt cronies.
This could turn a lib-dem like me into a Libertarian, as this is a prime example of too much government.
Posted by portland native | September 4, 2010 12:57 PM
The roster of the committee is here(not safe for digesting your lunch). Sam Adams, the head of Tri-Met, Bill Wyatt, Deborah Kafoury, Lynn Peterson from Clackamas County, Psychedelic Rex, the whole crew... bankruptcy, here we come.
Posted by Jack Bog | September 4, 2010 3:29 PM
JPACT and it's membership is exactly why we need to begin voting on major transportation issues. They don't represent those of us paying for it. Using urban renewal to fund a large portion of transportation and taking those funds from schools, fire, police, human services has got to stop.
Posted by Lee | September 4, 2010 8:32 PM
"The roster of the committee"
At least be honest and call it the rubber-stamp bunch. Committee makes it sound like they actually think about things.
Posted by Steve | September 5, 2010 8:32 AM
Lee:
JPACT and it's membership is exactly why we need to begin voting on major transportation issues.
Bob T:
You mean to begin voting again on such issues. The light rail elitists reacted to the North/South defeat in 1998 by deciding to take light rail votes off the ballot. It was fun so long as the majority was approving what they were going to do anyway. Since then it's been back room wheeling and dealing, phony open houses for public input, and so on.
Bob Tiernan
NE Portland
Posted by Bob Tiernan | September 6, 2010 12:33 AM
JPAC is the Joint Policy Advisory Committee. It, not the elected commission, makes the real decisions at Metro. Under federal law, every urban area of 50,000 people or more must have a "metropolitan planning organization" and it must be run by a board that includes elected representatives of every major city in the region.
JPAC is the board for Portland. The elected commission is really just a puppet. That may sound extreme or paranoid, but federal law prevails over state and local laws and rules.
Posted by antiplanner | September 6, 2010 12:48 PM