Steve Schopp asked: Where is the debt service and the rest of the documentation?

Rob Barnard: Cost for debt service is not borne by the tram operating costs. The debt service costs are carried by the private funders of the Local Improvement District, the Tax Increment Financing and Oregon Health Sciences University.

Steve's reply: Why did you mix operating costs with debt service in your answer? Of course debt service is not part of operating costs. Debt service is part of any full life cycle cost. What are you pulling here? You know darn well cost for debt service is borne by the Urban Renewal, Tax Increment Financing, which is paying the city's share. That debt service will devour millions in TIF dollars. The remaining debt service (LID) should not under any circumstances be withheld from the life cycle cost estimate.

Yes I know "Information on financing costs for each type of debt revenue resource is available from the Portland Development Commission and OHSU."

Why is it being withheld from public view including from the South Waterfront Urban Renewal Citizen Advisory Committee and their Budget sub-committee? Why the cat and mouse, hide and go seek game?

Steve Schopp: [Cost of] the design competition, land dedicated to the Tram, etc???

Rob Barnard: The entire tram is within the public right-of-way; the project did not have to pay for right of way costs.

Steve's reply: No the "project did not pay for it, the city provided the land and that is a cost and part of any full life cycle cost.

Rob Barnard: Interest is paid for by OHSU, private property owners or as part if Tax Increment Expenses;

Steve's reply: Interest from "Tax Increment Expenses" is city property tax money and part of the life cycle cost. MIllions inTram interest will be paid with the same TIF property taxes the city's share of constcution is paid with.

Rob Barnard: I am a member of the Office of Transportation committee that developed standards for how to generate and use Life Cycle Costs analysis for the Bureau. We will have an outside consultant review my work.

Steve's reply: Your standards are not fundementally sound. You have mischaracterized "debt service" in order to exclude it. I can only assume you were instructed to do so as part of the continued effort to withhold all SoWa debt service costs from public consideration.

I'll state again, for the multiple time on this blog, the original SoWa 1999 plan anticipated $160 million in TIF debt service costs during the first 20 years of the plan and millions more to retire the TIF debt. That's before the runaway projects cost overruns and rising interest rates.

All of which will be paid with property taxes diverted from basic services general fund budgets just prior to those tax dollars arriving in those cash strapped taxing jurisdictions.

You've straw maned debt service by stating "it's not part of operating costs" and suggested it's not a cost because TIF pays it.

That should not be acceptable to anyone.

Rob Barnard: Commissioner Adams has asked for an outside consultant to review my life cycle cost analysis.

Steve's reply: Can I pick the consultant?

Steve asked: Has Mr. Barnard ever prepared a project life cycle cost before?

Rob Barnard: Yes, I am a member of the Office of Transportation committee that developed standards for how to generate and use Life Cycle Costs analysis for the Bureau.

Steve's reply: I asked if you have ever prepared one. Why would you need to "develop standards"? They are readily available in the industry with professionals and businesses preparing them every day? Again I must assume you wanted standards which eliminated fundamental components such as debt service and land costs. Some standards.

Steve Schopp: Was there an earlier draft or two? Who Ok'd the final draft?

Rob Barnard: The final draft was reviewed by the Director of the Bureau of Transportation Engineering and Development and now the public.

Steve's reply: was there an earlier draft with debt service included? Were you ever provided the debt service numbers?

Rob Barnard: Custom software was not used.

Rob Barnard: The debt service on the LID is shown as $691,035 on Ordinance 179297; PDC should have estimates for debt service on the TIFF bonds.

Steve's reply: The LID is being used to finance all of OHSU's share of $38 million. The LID debt service will be many millions more.

Rob Barnard: Again, Commissioner Adams asked that an outside firm review my analysis.

Will the city release the record of money spent on SoWa?

Will the city provide a list of all SoWa payments to date with names or recipients and what the payment was for?

& a list of other projects in SoWa are over budget?

& the current estimated budget overrun?

& a genuine SoWa budget ?

& the current TIF interest rate the city is paying? & the rate used in the original 1999 SoWa plan estimates?

Rob Barnard: Portland Development Commissioner would be the agency to ask.

Steve's reply: So none of the Commissioners themselves have never seen any of this information? And can't provide it?