In all fairness, Adams is an expert on what hurts children.

Does anyone else feel a little bit backstabbed by the Library, which rewarded us for passing its latest operating levy by instituting Monday closures and other restrictions on hours.

mk +1

As to the library district, NO! Once that's established, what keeps them from increasing rates at will? At least now there is a measure of accountability, in that they have to come back to the voters every few years...

Until it is broken free of the County, new levies will only give the County another excuse to siphon off regular $$ to other purposes. Same with Parks.

Distantly related question: Is the per pupil $$ figure we are given for PPS vs other school districts the number before the 25% rake-off to PDC, or after? Because, if it is all approved levies divided by pupils, it is inflated by at least that 25%.

Cogen, instead of complaining after the fact about the impacts of urban renewal on the County, why don't you fight it before it is implemented?

They just created another one. So you let them "kick sand in your face" one more time? Why? When do you stand up? After they do it once more? Twice?

Every other local jurisdiction should loathe the City, and if the library levy cuts in the city budget, I say good. They'll just waste that money anyway.

165 days and counting.

Sammyboy on the revenge rampage again, First with his charge for an arts head tax, then having to pay more for the increased price tag of a replacement Sellwood Bridge even though slacker bicyclists can continue to freeload and have more room on the bridge deck than cars, and now this. Adams is just a spouting horn and like a burnt out light bulb with no substance or financial rational. Vacuum head is a good description.

As for library funding: Multnomah County could have reinvested a quarter of that one million cut directly into services for the library users by getting rid of the library director and her exorbitant salary.

But it's OK to institute LID after LID after property tax break left and right for all of his developer buddies?

It's OK to impose some stupid fee on TriMet, while will result in less service (which our youth use), so that PPS students (but not Portland high school students east of I-205) get a "free" ride.

It's OK to abandon the successful prostitution-free zone on 82nd Avenue, resulting in an increase in crime on the east side.

Just attended the last session on the Library district, held at the Hollywood Library. According to information from this session, the library tax rate would not change, and the library director seems to think there would be sufficient funds, at the rate proposed (around 1.25/1000) for 15 or more years. The library levy, as currently set up, is at the top of the heap when it comes to property tax compression - the library actually will lose about 36% of this year's money due to compression.

The question about closures even with the passage of the levy came up. Seems most everyone was surprised at that. I admit I was surprised, and as a former public employee, have kept up on all things money-related. David Austin and the Library staff claim it was on the web site and included in materials. Must have been very fine print.

It was also noted that URA's currently cost Multnomah County about 24 million a year. About time to take some $ back from Sammy boy.

No I don`t care if they are droping kittens into a shredder no more money taxes or fees untill the house is in order

Sammyboy on the revenge rampage again,...

Is it that he is going down, so wants to take our city with him?
165 days of rampage left?

Even with compression, the Multnomah County Library has one of the most generous budgets in the country. The current tax rate is .89/1000. An increase to 1.25 /1000 is an increase approaching 50%. Remarkable.

The current tax rate is .89/1000. An increase to 1.25 /1000 is an increase approaching 50%. Remarkable.

Even more remarkable is that the library budget will only increase slightly, probably to add back Mondays. The County is planning to reduce their own General Fund spending on the library almost dollar for dollar once the new money is coming in. This is really a tax increase to help the County's General Fund, not the libraries -- but they're not exactly selling it that way.