Sam Adams's blog

Making a great bridge, even with an airport

Sam Adams — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:41:29 -0700

As The Oregonian noted today, in building a new bridge across the Columbia River that will serve as a gateway between two states and two cities, I am serious about making that bridge something to behold.

It ought to embody everything that our region is and wants to be--ecologically sound, multi-modal and beautiful.

So what could that look like, in spite of air and navigation constraints? Well, PORT's Jeff Jahn sent me to his posting on just what that could look like.

This one stands out, but there are other great inspirations. What do you think?

Prosperity Planner Launched: New Online Tool to Support "Skill Security" Avaliable

Sam Adams — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:31:12 -0700

"There's no long such a thing as ‘employment security'. Now, there's only skill security." -- Greg Newton, Consultant to Worksystems Inc.

This morning Worksystems Inc. released of an important new study, The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Oregon 2008 and launched the Prosperity Planner. This new on-line tool helps individuals to answer some important questions about their economic security and to develop strategies to achieve their career and wage goals.

The Self Sufficiency Standard study and the Prosperity Planner offer the opportunity to reframe how we measure and evaluate poverty and provide the foundation to ensure we are making a difference for the people and the economy of our region.

This progress comes at a crucial time.

During these past couple of years, we've seen a rising trend in regional poverty and a growing disparity between rich and poor. Over this time, we discovered that:
• 1 in 5 full time workers in our region lives in a low-income household -
• 1 in 10 lives in poverty, and
• The "working poor" make up 21% of our workforce.

On the workforce system-side, we learned that we really don't have much of a system. We learned that we have 80 different workforce or related programs within the region with no shared outcomes and an estimated yearly investment of $150 Million

As the Chair of the Worksystems Governing Board, this launch represents the culmination of nearly two years in our work to make substantial gains in our central goal of moving people into "living-wage" jobs through skill development.

With my colleagues and many others in the community, I began this work by trying to better understand what it really means to be economically independent.

The self-sufficiency standard report identifies real costs in each of Oregon's 36 counties and uses those costs to establish the adequate wage in those regions for 70 different family configurations. As a result, the study will be a critical resource in assessing how Portland is fairing in its efforts to help low-paid working families with skill development and career supports.

We sought this information in order to provide tools to help individuals access the resources they need to move up the economic ladder. The Prosperity Planner is intended to do just that.

For an individual, the Prosperity Planner tool will help with budgeting, finding resources & work supports and planning a career path. To access the planner yourself visit www.prosperityplanner.org.

For workforce development staff and program managers, the Prosperity Planner will help with career counseling and evaluating the impact of programs on customer's skill and wage progress.

For policy makers, the study and the Prosperity Planner's ability to track customer progress in a uniform manner will help measure state and regional progress towards closing the wage-gap for working families. It will also guide training and education investments toward jobs that lead to self-sufficiency as well as provide baseline data to drive workforce development strategies and funding decisions

I hope you'll help give us feedback on this first iteration of the Prosperity Planner and look forward to continuing this important effort to help increase economic security for our region's families.

A bridge, yes, but only the right bridge

Sam Adams — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:21:23 -0700

A bridge, yes, but only the right bridge

Wednesday, July 09, 2008 The Oregonian

"In My Opinon" Commissioner Sam Adams

"Interstate 5 stretches 1,382 miles from Mexico to Canada with just one drawbridge, antiquated and unsafe, along its route. That drawbridge is the span you cross today over the Columbia River.

We need a replacement. But it must be the right kind of new bridge. It must be a bridge Portland can be proud of in terms of design, construction, funding and operations. It must:

Reduce automobile reliance. The new crossing must permanently reduce vehicle miles traveled, which is Oregon's primary source of greenhouse gas emissions. We need congestion-priced electronic tolling on both the new I-5 and existing I-205 bridges paired with new options such as light rail. Tolls should be collected in perpetuity, in part to help fund needed improvements south of the bridge on I-5 and I-205.

Produce new federal transportation funding. This project is designated one of six national "Corridors of the Future." That means new federal funding for the region that will not compete against our other local transportation funding requests. Given Portland's $431 million transportation maintenance and safety backlog, this assurance is essential.

Inspire a green, "postcard-worthy" design. This should be the world's most environmentally friendly bridge in design, construction and operation. Any bridge is an icon, and this one must aesthetically enhance the world-class grandeur of the Columbia River and Mount Hood. And it must be sensitive to its neighbors by helping knit together the two halves of Hayden Island and downtown Vancouver.

Be built with local hands. This will be the largest public works project in the region, ever. Portland is the nation's leading incubator of sustainable design and technologies, making local firms well prepared to meet project expectations. Local companies, including emerging small businesses, minority- and women-owned firms, should earn as much work as possible.

The Portland City Council's vote today is not the ultimate or final "yes" to begin building the new bridge. Approval today will only move the bridge project proposal from one phase of evaluation to the next. It will simply establish the assumption for the next phase of study that the existing bridge will be replaced with no more travel lanes than exist today and that it must include an expansion of light rail.

I thank the governors of Oregon and Washington, each state's congressional delegation and local stakeholders for being responsive so far to Portland's concerns and goals for this project. I appreciate the assurance these decision-makers have provided us that Portland's concerns for planning the remainder of the project details will be addressed to our satisfaction.

But to avoid any surprises in the future, let me be crystal clear at this milestone: I will strongly oppose a final Columbia River Crossing project proposal that fails to address Portland's goals. I would rather miss this round of federal funding and live with the challenges and vulnerabilities of the current bridge for the next 10 or 20 years than build a bad bridge that would punish Portland for perhaps another 100 years. "

Sam Adams is a Portland city commissioner and mayor-elect

Click for Oregonian article

Help Wanted: PDC Commissioner

Sam Adams — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:31:07 -0700

Dear Friends,

We must come together as a region like never before -- citizens, labor, business, education and government -- to out-innovate, out-smart and out-produce our global economic competition.

Thousands of Portlanders are counting on us to succeed.

Over 21% of working Portlanders struggle to make ends meet at near-poverty wages, while thousands more are unemployed.
Many area businesses struggle with fewer customers, tougher global competition and anemic access to working capitol.

Increasing the number of living-wage jobs will most readily come from helping to improve the success of our area businesses.

To meet this challenge I will be joining with others to revamp our region's economic development and job creation efforts while furthering the specific priorities I laid out in the Job Plan.

In the short term, in the past three months, we've successfully adopted 13 of the 15 budget-related items as part of our Strategies to Keep Portland's Economy Working through the uncertain times upon us, including:

Expanding Small Business Loan and Technical Assistance Programs
Promoting Local Retail Activity in the Downtown and Neighborhood Business Districts
Establishing a Homeless Employment Program and a Rainy Day Fund

I welcome your comments on the Job Plan and the Strategies to Keep Portland's Economy Working.

Over the next four years the Portland Development Commission will play a critical role in making this transformation happen.

As Mayor-Elect, I am grateful that Mayor Tom Potter has invited me to consult with him in the nomination of appointees to the Portland Development Commission's Board of Commissioners as one of the first steps in our joint transition plan.

That's where I'd like your input. I am casting a wide net in looking for potential nominees to serve in a volunteer capacity on PDC's Board. For the full position announcement click here.

A note: Serving on the PDC Board carries with it significant time requirements in terms of meeting attendance, meeting preparation and public outreach responsibilities. It also requires extensive knowledge or experience in PDC's scope of mission.

If you are not interested or not able to apply for nomination to the PDC Board, please forward this email to others who might.

I look forward to your thoughts and your nominations.

Sincerely,

Sam

Impacts of a massive new transportation challenge facing our City.

Sam Adams — Sun, 18 May 2008 11:21:21 -0700

Friends,

I want you to be aware of the impacts of a massive new transportation challenge facing our City.

Gas prices are up 17%.

Bio-diesel is up 20%.

Yesterday, crude oil went for a record $120 a barrel.

You feel the impact on your household budget of these higher fuel prices. So does the Portland Office of Transportation (PDOT), although in a different way than Portland families do.

The first way PDOT is feeling the pinch of increased oil prices is a new multi-million dollar transportation department budget gap. Why? Oregonians are driving less, in part due to the cost of gas. PDOT's funding for taking care of local streets and bridges comes largely from state fuel taxes. The gas tax is based on the number of gallons of gas sold – not the price of that gas. So, the fewer gallons of gas sold, the less gas tax. For PDOT that means a $2.7 million current service budget hole for the fiscal year starting in July.

Second, the skyrocketing cost of oil has put existing estimates for transportation projects out-of-whack. PDOT has about 40 projects in the pipeline for delivery in the next two years. Most of these projects used inflationary cost estimates that have proven to be low. Higher costs for petroleum–based materials like asphalt and tar and for materials that take lots of energy to produce like concrete and steel mean higher project costs.

In response, to protect basic transportation services like street sweeping, pothole repair and bridge maintenance, I will be asking the Portland City Council to fill the $2 million budget shortfall for next year. And, I have ordered a 30-day review of the cost estimates in PDOT's project pipeline.

If these trends continue, this ongoing budget shortfall also blows a $30 to $40 million hole in the proposed Safe, Sound and Green Street Initiative budget that I have slated to go to the voters in November 2008.

Finally, I have also canceled the Sauvie Island bridge reuse project. I simply do not feel confident that we can bring this project in at the $5.5 million budget I have promised. To insure the integrity of the project, I asked for a rigorous review by transportation staff and outside engineers. On Tuesday morning, it became clear that the $5.5 million budget for reusing the Sauvie Island bridge could no longer be guaranteed. I will continue to pursue the construction of a new bridge over I-405 within the next three to five years.

I believe that canceling this project is the right thing to do given the new financial estimates we have received over the past couple of days. But I want to make some comments about the bridge project before we leave the issue.

The recycling of the Sauvie Island bridge was sadly--and unnecessarily--ensnared by political gamesmanship that did no credit to the critics, and obscured an important issue for the public.

Last week, Mayor Tom Potter wrote an opinion article in these pages saying that we don't need a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over I-405 at Flanders Street. Mind you, this is a project that he voted for on 4 separate occasions. In fact, over the last six years two city councils have voted for this numerous times.

But in his article, Mayor Potter argues that the West Burnside and Northwest Everett and Glisan streets are safe and that bikers and walkers in Northwest Portland do not need a bridge dedicated only to them across the I-405 ditch.

That's flat out wrong. The West Burnside, Glisan and Everett streets injure and kill more bikers and walkers than any other street corridor in Portland: 280 injured and 15 dead over the past nine years. And I believe the Mayor was also wrong to use this issue to pit one part of Portland against the other.

In my three years as transportation commissioner I have lead the council to focus on the top safety issues in each part of Portland, including:

$11 million in city non-transportation funds to fund transportation safety projects, 76% of those projects are along East 122nd and East 82nd avenues – two of the most dangerous street corridors in Portland.
$5 million in regional funds to build three east Portland bridges to connect the Springwater Trail;
$11 million in regional funds to build and pedestrian and bridge over I-5 to connect the South hills to Willamette River; and,
$5.4 million in regional, city, and non-transportation funds to build sidewalks along NE Cully Blvd.

When it comes to saving lives and preventing injuries, I believe that projects should be approved on the merits, community support and a clear picture of the budget. That is why everyone but Mayor Potter supported the Flanders Street bridge: it met all the criteria that we have used to put safety first.

A bike and pedestrian crossing at NW Flanders has always been about safety. And while recycling the Sauvie Island Bridge may not be the means, I am committed to finding a safe way for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross I-405. I have asked transportation to study potential improvements we could make with little cost to address safety issues in the Burnside/Everett/Glisan corridor in the short term.

I want to thank all of those who've supported the vision for this project.

For more information on the actions we're taking in light of the budget shortfalls and increased costs in transportation, visit http://www.commissionersam.com/node/3682.

My best,

Sam

Why the Flanders Crossing will Save Lives, Save Money and Save Our Environment.

Sam Adams — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:56:38 -0700

During the political season some can feel pressured to make inaccurate or misleading statements for perceived gain, and regrettably the current season is no exception. Many inaccuracies have been uttered about the proposed new crossing at NW Flanders Street over Interstate 405 that would reuse the center span of the existing Sauvie Island Bridge. This is a terrific project as the facts clarify.

The Sauvie Island Span Moves to NW Flanders
On Wednesday, April 23 Commissioners Leonard, Saltzman, and I co-sponsored an ordinance that would direct the City to purchase the center span of the bridge currently connecting Highway 30 to Sauvie Island and relocate it to Flanders Street in Northwest Portland. When completed, this new connection between Portland's two most densely populated neighborhoods will save lives, money, and the environment.

An Easy Decision Compared to Others
As the city's transportation commissioner, I am pleased to support such a far-sighted project. Overseeing transportation in Portland is not a task for those who lack clarity in direction or detail. It's a difficult job that combines high public expectations with limited financial resources that are declining in real value everyday. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most difficult decision I make for transportation, reusing the Sauvie span rates a 3.

Priority #1 is Safety
Knowing that expectations dramatically exceed dollars available, I prioritize projects that will save lives. That's why in 2006 I asked Transportation to identify the city's 25 most dangerous corridors and intersections and what could be done to improve their safety. Moving east to west, intersections on 122nd Avenue, 82nd Avenue/Foster Boulevard and West Burnside have the greatest number of crashes.

The Push for New Funding at City Council
That same year we held Transportation's first Safety Summit with the public. Together we prioritized locations for fixes and developed a detailed project list. I took that list to my council colleagues and secured $13 million from the city's general fund. Historically transportation has not received general fund dollars. But council supported my request because we demonstrated the needs were great, alternative funding sources were non-existent, and we had a detailed, transparent project plan approved by neighborhood and business associations that we could execute right away.

East Portland Arterials Come First
Given the concentration of high-crash corridors and intersections in East Portland, it's no surprise that we directed 76% of dollars earmarked for safety improvements there.

West Burnside Corridor is Next
As the data directed, we then turned our sights on West Burnside. Within the last month, some have made a point to dismiss the need for safety improvements in the West Burnside corridor. Apparently for some, the facts don't matter. And the facts are clear.

West Burnside kills.

As recently as October 11, 2007 the unsafe conditions of West Burnside took the life of Tracey Sparling, a 19-year old student traveling by bicycle from her apartment in Goose Hollow to her classes at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in the Pearl District. A cement truck, operating apparently in accordance with the law, ran over her at the corner of SW 14th Avenue and Burnside. She was in the bike lane. The driver never saw her.

It doesn't surprise me that facts are ignored or skewed for perceived gain during the political season. But it does dishearten me that community leaders would tolerate this tragedy by attacking a special opportunity with a uniquely wide range of attributes to improve the street environment. Tracey's plight only personalized for me what the data already show: poor bicycle and pedestrian conditions needlessly jeopardize the safety of those who travel by any mode between Northwest and the Pearl, the city's two greatest concentrations of people.

The Legal Requirement for Bicycles and Pedestrians
West Burnside's dangers immediately became clear when Transportation began to study reconstruction options for the Burnside/Couch corridor. When reconstruction occurs, state law compels the City to provide for bicyclists and pedestrians. I quote from the Oregon Department of Transportation:

"ORS 366.514, aka the bike bill, was passed by the Oregon Legislature in 1971. It requires the inclusion of facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists wherever a road, street or highway is built or rebuilt. It applies to ODOT, cities and counties. It also requires ODOT, cities and counties to spend reasonable amounts of their share of the state highway fund on facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists. These facilities must be located within the right-of-way of public roads, streets or highways open to motor vehicle traffic. The funds cannot be spent on trails in parks or other areas outside of a road, street or highway right-of-way."

Genesis of the Flanders Crossing
In 2002, the Burnside/Couch stakeholder advisory committee debated the best way to meet this obligation while accommodating the other goals for Burnside/Couch. Improving the safety of pedestrians crossing Burnside was their top priority, followed by wider sidewalks on Burnside and on-street parking. The group came to consensus there wasn't sufficient room to accommodate bikes in the Burnside/Couch corridor. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance made a proposal: they would cede the legal right to bike lanes on Burnside and Couch in exchange for the City designating Flanders a "bicycle boulevard" (a street designed to minimize but not eliminate motor vehicle traffic) and building a new 405 crossing at Flanders.

The Current Council Affirmed Support Three Times
City council, including Mayor Potter, has affirmed its support for the Flanders crossing three times: when it approved the Burnside/Couch proposal in 2007, when it approved the crossing as part of the list of priority projects eligible for Transportation System Development charges in 2007, and again in 2007 when it approved the study to test the feasibility of moving the Sauvie center span to Flanders over 405. The previous council also supported the Flanders crossing when it voted for the couplet in 2002.

A Correction to Potter's Assertion
On April 19, 2008 Mayor Potter issued a press statement from more than 6000 miles away while traveling in China to blast the council majority's decision to move forward with the Sauvie center span at Flanders. Potter doesn't support the move because "This bridge will give the Pearl District three overpasses in a three-block span. And while one accident is one accident too many, the N.W. Flanders site is not on PDOT's list of dangerous intersections for either autos, bikes, or pedestrians."

As a review of the Burnside to Glisan crash data map reveals, Potter has identified precisely why Flanders was chosen as a bicycle boulevard. Flanders is the safest reasonable alternative to bike lanes on Burnside and Couch and substandard facilities on Everett and Glisan. A bridge at Davis would be unduly complicated by an on/off-ramps between I-405 and NW 14th Avenue. Everett and Glisan are intended to serve, and do serve, concentrations of motor vehicles at higher speeds between the two neighborhoods as well as access points to and from I-405. The data shows these have been high-crash corridors.

Each Existing Crossing is Dangerous
Burnside, Couch, Everett, and Glisan all provide sidewalks of sub-standard width on just one side of the street due to the collection of ramps connecting to I-405. Even with one substandard sidewalk per side, a pedestrian must avoid motor vehicles traveling at high speeds to or from the freeway. It's intuitively dangerous, and the data confirms that.

Why the Sauvie Span at Flanders
With the need for the Flanders crossing addressed, the remaining question is whether reuse of the Sauvie Island center span is a good fit for Flanders. I base my decision on value and values. Would reuse be a good use of taxpayer money at the projected $5.5 million? And would reuse be consistent with Portland's expectations for itself?

In both instances, reuse comes out ahead of any alternate scenario. Much has been made of the original low-confidence estimate that a brand new span would cost the city $3.5 million. We need to explore that number in greater detail.

$3.5 million represents a low-cost estimate for a 15-foot wide design-unfriendly span that was under contract for construction today. It does not account for real-world provisions like the cost of inflation. Prior to the opportunity to relocate the Sauvie center span, Transportation originally had planned to see the new span built as part of Burnside/Couch reconstruction. Planners estimate the project will break ground in 5 years. Construction costs in transportation have been inflating at a rate of 5% annually. Thus a span estimated in low confidence to cost $3.5 million today would be projected to cost $4,375,000 in 2013.

A new span at 15 feet of width is inferior to the Sauvie's 30 feet of width. Not addressing real world constraints, a new 30-foot span today would be projected in low confidence to cost $7 million. (There is no bulk discount in bridges.) But more realistically, the bridge would more likely be built five years out at a projected cost of $8,750,000.

The Utility of 30 feet in Width for Non-Motorized Uses
Some suggest 30 feet in width for non-motorized uses is extravagant. An analysis of high volume corridors suggests existing widths that vary between 10 feet (Hawthorne Bridge) and 15 feet (Eastbank Esplanade) are inadequate to handle peak travel. Transportation projects 2000 daily crossings between Northwest and the Pearl District, the city's two densest neighborhoods. Bicycle ridership has risen steadily in the last 10 years and risen dramatically in the last 5 years. A 30-foot crossing should better accommodate demand for decades to come.

Funding Sources and Constraints
The Sauvie center span move is projected to cost $5.5 million. Sources are:
• $2 million in Transportation System Development Charges;
• $2 million in River District Urban Renewal funding;
• $1 million in Transportation Enhancement funds from the Oregon Department of Transportation;
• $500,000 from the Safe, Sound & Green Streets program; and
• Private contributions.

Some have suggested these funding sources could be redirected to other parts of town. SDCs must be used to enhance capacity, but otherwise do not have geographic constraints. Growth in the Northwest District has generated $4.3 million in SDCs but Transportation has spent just $740,000 in SDCs there. River District URA funding must be spent within the geographic boundary. ODOT's Transportation Enhancement funds are available only for projects that "enhance cultural, aesthetic or environmental values in the transportation corridor." Routine transportation improvements, like basic sidewalk development, are not eligible for TE funds. As mentioned, the Northwest District targeted the Flanders crossing as its highest priority, which is why it's included in the Safe, Sound & Green program. And finally, it's the specific opportunity to reuse the Sauvie center span at Flanders that has encouraged private citizens to seek private fundraising.

These are the reasons I support the Flanders Crossing. I know that when the facts are available to Portlanders they support strong decisions that make our city safer. This project will save lives, save money and help each Portander do our part to save the environment.

Sam

Related Documents

11 Million in PDOT One Time General Fund Safety Projects

Portland's Most Dangerous Corridors

Facts on Flanders Crossing

Ordinance

Grey to Green: A Comprehensive Approach to Clean Rivers and Watershed Health

Sam Adams — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:51:14 -0700

Portland is blessed with abundant rainfall. With it, our city grows lush and beautiful. But all of this rain comes with a challenge: our annual average of 37 inches creates a staggering 20 billion gallons of stormwater runoff every year.

Without proper management, stormwater runoff can damage our watersheds, rivers, and streams. The good news is that Portland is well past the days of simply funneling stormwater into pipes that release fast-moving, dirty water directly into once-pristine rivers and streams.

In 2005, City Council embraced a holistic approach to watershed health in adopting the Portland Watershed Management Plan. With this new strategy and thanks to on-going help and a steady application of pressure from organizations like the Audubon Society of Portland and the Urban Greenspaces Institute, we are ready to step up our investments in clean rivers and streams to preserve our urban watersheds for generations to come. We're calling this shift in the way we do business "Grey to Green".

Portland is at the forefront of using "green infrastructure" - sustainable stormwater management technologies that mimic natural systems. The city is dotted with parking lot swales, green streets and rain gardens that filter stormwater pollutants and allow water to soak into the ground, replenishing groundwater supplies.

But repairing our urban landscape is not enough. We also need to restore and preserve existing natural areas throughout our city, by fighting invasive weeds, restoring native plants, protecting our most critical natural land, and replacing culverts that harm fish.

These are not new approaches, but shifting our focus and resources from grey to green is a vital step toward improving the health of our watersheds and rivers. With this shift comes the added benefit that we don't get from miles of piped sewers - cleaner air and water, reduced urban temperatures, and increased and improved habitat. And, these approaches often cost less than traditional piped systems.

What excites me most is that this new approach allows every residence and business to be a part of the solution, whether it's installing an ecoroof or simply planting a tree.

Grey to Green is an investment that makes sense. And we are ready to act now.

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Grey to Green FINAL.pdf	2.7 MB

10 Strategies to Keep Portland's Economy Working

Sam Adams — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:13:53 -0700

Dear Portlander,

We've all heard that another economic slow down is upon us. The national economy is currently confronting slow job growth, a severe mortgage lending crisis and credit crunch, and a widening income gap.

In Portland, we are hopeful that the current slowdown won't become a local recession, but too often in recent history Oregon and the Portland region have been among the worst hit by national recessions. With Oregon's unemployment up, and an increase in foreclosures, we need to make sure we're proactive in preparing for whatever happens in the next six to twelve months.

Historically, city government has done little to either prepare for a slowdown or act to recover from one. It's time we do so.

The purpose of this draft economic response strategy is to identify the actions we can take immediately to help mitigate local impacts of the national economic slowdown on Portlanders and Portland businesses.

This discussion draft lays out immediate and short term strategies designed to foster job creation and retention, economic development, and to strengthen our safety net by:

marshalling existing resources and increasing partnerships with the private sector
greenlighting requests put forward by the bureaus
investing in target initiatives and;
increasing certainty wherever possible

For a sense of where these strategies are in the budget process (sorry it's so complicated!) click here.

The total $6 million investment into our economy and community will help individuals and businesses using proven strategies and new partnerships.

As a city and a region, we will clearly need to take additional action to address this economic slowdown. However, these investments will help people stay in their homes, secure family-wage jobs and increase their assets. They will also help small businesses stay open and grow by reducing uncertainty and tax burden, accessing new markets, and securing technical and capital assistance.

I'd like to thank the City, County, State, organized labor, private sector and community leaders who have already added their expertise and advice to this document. I am sending this discussion draft proposal to you for your input before I finalize it and submit it to my colleagues for their consideration as part of the city budget making process now underway.

Yours,

Sam

10 Strategies to Keep Portland's Economy Working

Recognizing that the Federal and State governments have important roles to play in reinvigorating our economy (see complete report for legislative priorities), here are some ideas about what the City of Portland can do to mitigate risk and to seize opportunities that will immediately benefit our vulnerable families and businesses - while we continue to move forward with the long-term strategies that will help our region thrive:

In the next 3 months:

Form a Council of Economic Advisors
Protect Basic Services
Boost Support to Vulnerable Families, Expand Rent Assistance and Increase Capacity of Foreclosure Counseling Services
Support small businesses by placing a moratorium on new fees and taxes, Extending City Building Permit Validation, Easing Permitting Process, Boosting Technical Assistance and Access, Expanding Loan Programs and Promoting Local Retail Activity

In the following 6 months:

Expand Job Placement and Workforce Training Programs
Reduce City Taxes on Small Businesses
Increase Exports of Local Products and Services
Maintain Tourism Support
Support Transition to a Sustainable Economy and Green Jobs Strategy
Integrate Job, Housing, Education and Development Programs

For the complete draft document, click here.

After reading the draft document, please help us prioritize these possible actions and add your thoughts, questions and ideas through a short survey here.

The Silent Invasion

Sam Adams — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:15:47 -0700

Click for more information (PDF)

Please join me for a special screening of "the Silent Invasion".

The City of Portland, Oregon Zoo and other community partners have teamed up with Oregon Public Broadcasting to present this hour-long documentary examining Oregon's battle with invasive plants and animals. A public screening will be held Monday, April 14th at the Oregon Zoo .

The screening is FREE and open to the public, so invite your family and friends. Just remember - space is limited.

I hope to see you there.

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Safe, Sound & Green Intiative Going to the Voters

Sam Adams — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:28:11 -0800

Today, at my request, city council referred the "Safe, Sound & Green Streets" program back to my office with an expectation that we will refer the program to voters in November 2008.

You have heard from me many times that Safe, Sound & Green Streets will be an important step forward for Portland when implemented. For the first time in nearly two decades, Portlanders will have stable funding to meet basic safety and maintenance needs on major streets.

A program of this consequence should be enacted by a unanimous city council. Until last week, my council colleagues were united in supporting safer streets as a matter of leadership. At council proceedings, transportation staff, community leaders, and all who have participated to date appreciated council's acknowledgment of the painstaking analytical and public outreach effort.

That effort has earned support from an 89-person stakeholder committee covering a range of transportation interests, the editorial boards of The Oregonian, The Portland Tribune and The Portland Business Journal, and untold numbers of Portlanders who responded to our citywide notices and attended one of the 21 town hall meetings we hosted in every corner of the city.

In addition, we worked in good faith to reach a compromise to address the concerns of convenience stores and the petroleum representatives.

Regrettably, the influence of oil industry representatives has taken its toll. I no longer have unanimous council support to enact the program.

I now propose that city council refer the Safe, Sound & Green initiative to the November general election ballot.

Portlanders can trust that oil industry representatives will embark upon a monumental misinformation campaign. Watch the money: they will spend much more on television ads and other venues to kill Safe, Sound & Green than they would have spent to simply pay their fair share to return Portland's major streets to working order.

As the champion of Safe, Sound & Green, it's true that I worry about holding onto the factual high ground during this tsunami of misinformation.

This is Portland, however. Portlanders have a proud history of supporting well-articulated, reasonable investments in their community. It's part of what makes us the best city in the country. Safe, Sound & Green will save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and--most importantly--save lives.

The general election in November 2008 is virtually guaranteed to ensure the highest voter turnout in the city's history. As a result, the best possible conversation that engages the maximum number of Portlanders about Safe, Sound & Green will occur over the next nine months. In spite of all the oil industry dollars to be spent, I am confident Portland will prevail.

I want to thank my colleagues for their continued support in addressing the transportation concerns facing our city. And I want to thank all of you.

Links to learn more:

Safe, Sound & Green (Project maps, finances, history)
Safe, Sound & Green Streets Stakeholder List
Street fee will pay off in safety, The Portland Tribune
Moving beyond a gas tax, The Oregonian
We can pay now or pay later, The Portland Business Journal
Recent news articles about Safe, Sound & Green

Two Small Proposed Changes & One Procedural Question for Transportation Funding

Sam Adams — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 18:58:08 -0800

In response to the testimony we heard on Wednesday, January 9 regarding the "Safe, Sound and Green" transportation funding proposal, I propose two substantive changes and a procedural option for council and the community to consider.

Add a "Claw Back" Provision

Paul Romain, lobbyist for the Oregon Petroleum Association and Richard Kosesan, lobbyist for the Oregon Neighborhood Store Association, voiced opposition to the proposal. They said that the City of Portland's $422 million transportation safety and maintenance backlog will be solved with a statewide gas tax increase.

I wish history supported that view. Unfortunately, we've heard this for 15 years. It hasn't happened.

You will recall that the city historically has relied on the state gas tax to fund street maintenance and safety. The legislature last addressed the state gas tax 15 years ago, in 1993. Because of the state's failure to act, the city's maintenance and safety backlog is $422 million, and growing by $9 million each year.

Even if the legislature does act in 2009 for the first time in 16 years, the state's funding formula is such that it would take a 27.5 cent per gallon gas tax increase to address our backlog.

Nobody believes a 27.5 cent gas tax is likely.

Since it's unlikely, it raises a related question: will the state change its funding formula to see that Portland receives a larger share than it currently receives? The forumula is complicated and the short answer is no.

History cautions against both concepts, and I urge council to stay the course. It's the safest choice for the city.

That said, we can accommodate the lobbyists on the remote chance they are correct. To do that, I am proposing a "claw back" provision to the proposal. If the State provides the City of Portland transportation resources sufficient to meet the maintenance and safety needs outlined in the ordinance's exhibits, we will reduce the Street Maintenance and Safety rates proportionately. We will "claw back" our fee.

Eliminate automatic Consumer Price Index fee increases

Our first reading included a provision to automatically add 3.5% each year to the Street Safety and Maintenance Fee to cover inflation. The intention was to avoid the problem of inflation eating away our ability to manage streets and bridges, as illustrated by the state's gas tax.

Notwithstanding our experience with the state, some have stated the increase should not be automatic. I believe that's a fair argument.

Instead, the 3.5% now will be the maximum increase amount and the Portland Office of Transportation will need to secure annual approval from the Independent Oversight Committee and the Portland City Council to adjust for inflation. Inflation adjustments also must include a consideration of the status of the local economic conditions.

An Option to Reduce the Possibility of a "Single Subject" Conflict

Law requires that legislation contain only one subject. The Safe, Sound and Green Street proposal is about one overall topic: raising funds for street maintenance and safety. However, it contains three different fee rates imposed in one ordinance. The three rates are for residential, commercial, and high volume pass-by commercial interests.

The City Attorney has advised that while including all three rates in one ordinance is likely to withstand a legal challenge based on the single-subject requirement, it would be safer if each fee rate was established in its own ordinance.

Why worry about this? The opponents have made clear they will use all available options to prevent the Safe, Sound and Green proposal from being implemented.

Supporters are of mixed minds on how to respond to this issue. Some feel strongly that we must eliminate any vulnerability to legal challenge. The concern is that all of the community's efforts should not be lost to a legal technicality.

On a related side note, splitting the ordinance into three will not affect the chances of this issue being referred to the voters for repeal. With paid gatherers, we have been told by those involved with gathering the signatures to refer this issue last time it was considered by the Portland City Council in 2001 that it is no more difficult for opponents to collect referral signatures for three ordinances versus one ordinance.

Other supporters are concerned that the possibility of three separate ordinances on the ballot will allow opponents to "cherry pick" for defeat the ordinance that affects them, leaving some payer groups paying and others exempt - not an equitable result.

This is a complicated procedural question. I welcome your thoughts and having a discussion about the issue at City Council.

On the regular City Council Agenda for Wednesday, January 16, I have filed a set of three new ordinances (Agenda items 98, 99, 100) that split the original ordinance and include the substantive changes regarding the "claw back" and CPI issues summarized above.

I have also left on the Wednesday, January 16 agenda the ordinance (Agenda item 101) heard and amended on January 9. We can proceed by amending the original ordinance to include the substantive changes regarding the "clawback" and CPI issues.

Having all these ordinances on the same City Council agenda will allow the Portland City Council and the community to discuss and decide procedural options.

Second Reading/Vote Moved to January 23

Because of the proposed substantive changes and the need to discuss the procedural options, next week's council hearing on this issue will be a second "first reading," with the second reading and vote January 23, 2008.

Relevant Docuememts

BLOG: Commissioner Erik Sten's Departure Will Leave Big Shoes to Fill

Sam Adams — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:09:49 -0800

I am sad that Commissioner Erik Sten has decided to resign from the Portland City Council. I understand and support Erik's personal decision to seek new career challenges but I will miss serving with him in City Hall.

I can tell you from years of closely working together that Erik is as smart, open and innovative a leader as they come. When he departs in April, he will leave very big shoes to fill.

BLOG: Portland can help fight to implement Oregon's domestic partnership law

Sam Adams — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:56:46 -0800

Based on an Idaho federal court decision regarding the rights of initiative petition signers, an out-of-state conservative advocacy group has convinced a federal judge to grant at least a temporary delay Oregon's domestic partners law HB 2007 from going into effect January 2, 2008. The judge scheduled a hearing on February 1, 2008 to consider a permanent injunction of HB 2007.

As reported in Willamette Week, Basic Rights Oregon's Executive Director, Jeana Frazzini, expressed optimism in the face of the judge's ruling: "We know it's going to be an ongoing fight - it's not just one battle or one decision... I feel confident in our community and in our organization that we will prevail. We're going to move forward and we're going to succeed."

We can help.

Oregon's domestic partnership law is a matter of basic fairness to all Portlanders and Oregonians.

I will ask the Portland City Council to authorize the Office of the City Attorney to provide legal help as needed to fight off this out-of-state effort to block implementation of Oregon's domestic partnership law.

Welcome to our 2007 Year-in-Review

Sam Adams — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:09:18 -0800

Happy holidays, and welcome to our 2007 Year-In-Review.

This year may go down as the year of transportation funding. By now, I hope you know the story. The amount of resources we have available today for basic street maintenance and safety hasn’t changed in 24 years, despite inflation and significant cost increases.

The cost of transportation, it turns out, is just like everything else. It’s subject to market forces that require periodic adjustment of cost and funding.

After more than a year of study, public input, and refinement, an 89-person steering committee comprised of every transportation interest we could think of unanimously recommended our funding package to city council for a vote on January 9, 2008.

While we still await council’s formal vote, I am confident my colleagues will embrace this package. They understand the amount of public input and scrutiny it has received and the importance of this effort. Although it’s not a done deal until the votes are called, we can celebrate the herculean effort transportation staff, our steering committee members, and so many in the community have put into achieving this recommendation to council.

So transportation has absorbed a lot of time, but we’ve been earning other very significant accomplishments along the way.

Let’s start first with the environment.

The Bureau of Environmental Services’ Eastside Big Pipe project is progressing on schedule and budget. At the same time, we are moving the bureau to even more sustainable management practices.

We call this the “Grey to Green” transition. We manage stormwater as close to the source as possible using nature’s own tools (trees, bioswales, ecoroofs, etc.) instead of channeling it underground in concrete pipes for chemical treatment. This transition will take decades to fully execute throughout the city, but saves taxpayer dollars now and beyond in addition to providing aesthetic and other benefits.

As part of “Grey to Green” we adopted a Green Streets Policy this year, strengthened the Watershed Investment Fund, developed the award-winning Mt. Tabor School rain garden, and awarded a record amount of grant money for community-led sustainable stormwater projects.

All told, “Grey to Green” represents a fundamental change in how we do business and I’m proud of the work BES and my staff have done to get this going.

Of course, economic development remains a core priority for me—it always will.

We eliminated what was the nation’s only local tax on venture capital--the seed money startup companies need to test new ideas in the market. Frankly, it’s exactly the kind of capital that should not be taxed if you want to encourage job growth and productivity. Multnomah County followed suit by eliminating their tax as well.

When you elected me, I promised to establish liaisons from each of my bureaus to neighborhood business districts. I’ve kept my word and we’ve now expanded the liaison capacity to every neighborhood business district in the city. Serving a concierge-like role, our liaisons help navigate the city bureaucracy for busy small business owners so they can focus on their businesses. It reflects my belief that government should help, not hinder, economic development and I’m proud to say the program has been well-received in the neighborhoods.

Arts and culture are still under-funded in Portland, but we’re making headway. The most noteworthy accomplishment in 2007 was launching our Creative Capacity Strategy. More than ever before innovation is key to economic success, but it doesn’t happen on its own. Our challenge is to create a local environment that celebrates—and funds—creativity. This strategy is our blueprint for success.

If 2007 feels like it’s been only about transportation funding in my office, I can certainly understand. However, let the record reflect the broad range of important work we’ve accomplished on behalf of every Portlander.

The work doesn’t get done without the support of great staff in my office and in the bureaus as well as my fantastic colleagues on city council. Thanks to Mayor Tom Potter, City Commissioners Randy Leonard, Dan Saltzman, and Erik Sten. And most of all, thank you for your support.

Thinking ahead about winter weather

Sam Adams — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:54:49 -0700

Chained up for winter!Today, the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation Maintenance is conducting its final exercise in a series of annual winter preparedness exercises. We are chaining up our trucks and sending them out on their routes to ensure that the City is prepared to respond to winter snow and ice events.

Transportation Maintenance is designated as the lead response agency for six of the thirteen types of emergency or disaster events named in the City’s Basic Emergency Operations Plan, and provides substantial operational and logistical support to the response in virtually every disaster type. The six are Landslide, Extreme Weather, Snow and Ice, Water Flood, Volcano, and Levee Failure.

Every year we conduct this snow and ice dry run event to ensure that employees have been properly trained and equipment has been properly serviced, inspected, and tested to be ready for an event. Today is our final exercise in a series of classroom and hands-on training for field employees and tabletop exercise sessions for employees with incident management roles.

The dry run involves chaining up the vehicles, equipping sanders andWinter weather is around the corner. plows, and running each vehicle through an inspection checkpoint. Our employees are prepared to do their job. They know their equipment and their routes, they are prepared to quickly assess the condition of our streets, and they are ready to apply their skills to keep our emergency response routes open and our community safe. Today’s event and the recent rain and wind storm an early advisory to Portland residents to begin to prepare for winter weather conditions.

Neighborhood by neighborhood, we need to join together to prepare for the winter hazards we might face. Essential equipment for property owners is a snow shovel, de-icing granules (available at home improvement stores), and traction devices for their automobiles. We recommend everyone carry chains in their vehicle to be prepared. Our goal is to make our emergency response as effective as possible to minimize threats to public health, safety, and property – and enable people to get where they need to go.

The recent rain and wind storm reminds everyone that following a major weather event, or other major disaster, the City relies on the skills of our real first responders, the community. The last couple weeks, we relied on residents to clear catch basins of leaves and debris near their property while Transportation Maintenance crews worked around the clock to clean streets, clear trash racks in the hills, and clear clogged catch basins on highest priority transportation facilities. As a result, no road closures were declared due to standing water.

In winter storm events, we recommend all Portlanders stay tuned to local weather forecasts to monitor the event and plan accordingly. Take transit to get around the city. If you must drive, consider delaying your trip until road conditions are better. Give yourself extra time to get to your destination. And please drive slowly, leaving plenty of room to stop safely.

Safety is my number one concern.