Next Up at City Council, August 8, 2007

This coming Wednesday’s Portland City Council Agenda items will all be heard in the morning. It kicks off with three Time Certain items:

953 TIME CERTAIN: 9:30 AM – Declare support for a United States Department of Peace (Resolution introduced by Commissioner Saltzman)

954 TIME CERTAIN: 10:00 AM – Adopt the Portland Recycles! Plan and direct the Office of Sustainable Development to implement its recommendations (Resolution introduced by Commissioner Saltzman)

*955 TIME CERTAIN: 10:45 AM – Authorize an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Office of Management and Finance and the Portland Development Commission for the potential redevelopment of the 10th and Yamhill Garage (Ordinance introduced by Mayor Potter)

The last one intrigues me. Jack Bog’s blog highlighted a cancelled Public Meeting regarding this site on March 19. Now something is coming forward as an emergency ordinance…. interesting. Clicking on the link to the ordinance (I’m still thrilled to have those each week), we find that the previous negotiations stalled because all the applicants for developing office space on top of the Smart Park wanted to take over ownership of the whole building. The City said no. Two of the four companies regained interest (once they realized No meant No?), and the Office of Management and Finance wants the Council to give permission to the Portland Development Commission to negotiate exclusively with one of them. The matter will go to the Local Contract Review Board to make sure they agree with not re-issuing the project for more competitive bids. That may be well and good. But the “emergency” part (indicated by the asterisk on the Agenda items) still bugs me. I think the Council uses that clause way too often. Here, it’s justified in the ordinance by saying,

“Section 2. Declaration of Emergency. The Council declares an emergency exists in order to expeditiously negotiate a redevelopment agreement to support private investment in the 10th and Yamhill garage and on adjacent private properties. Therefore, this Ordinance shall be in force and effect from and after its passage by the Council.”

Maybe I have particular trouble with this concept on City Council Agenda items because I’m a nurse and mother. “Emergency” to me means not breathing, bleeding profusely, hitting the wall, getting in a car accident, working an extra shift because a coworker is sick or we need the extra money for this month’s bills. It doesn’t include leaving homework until the last minute, running out of gas, or planning to spend or earn money in ordinary circumstances. Maybe there’s no point in waiting a month for many ordinances passed by the Council to take effect, but it rather suggests inability to think and plan four weeks ahead, to have to pass so many things as emergencies.

Here’s an interesting contract amendment: Office of Transportation: *963 Amend contract with Davis Hibbitts Midghall for public opinion polling and research analyses

Leaving aside that amending a polling contract is unlikely to be a true emergency, either, this item suggests more polling by Sam Adams and his staff, on the questions of how to pay for neighborhood transportation infrastructure. Clicking on the link – wow, yes, indeed. First contract $51,000; already amended with $12,750 more for added scope; this amendment adds more work for $100,000. Hey, it’s cheaper than Visioning, and less expensive than going to the voters asking for something that has no chance of passing. Still, that’s a lot of money for polling, perhaps indicating the intent to do multiple polls over an extended timeframe.

Another contract-related item that catches my eye: 975 Repeal Resolution No. 35960 which established an interim policy for vehicle acquisition and for use of Sport Utility Vehicles by the City. That Resolution said City Council has to approve vehicle purchases by ordinance. Turns out if a good policy is established, bureau managers being paid more than the Council members are very capable of making choices on buying cars (even without a Chief Administrative Officer!), and that running all such buys through Council took way too much time and effort. Live and learn, huh? Whoda thunk.

Ok, here are the meaty items, as I see it. 973 Refer amendment to the City of Portland Charter, Chapter 5 Fire and Police Disability, Retirement and Death Benefit Plan to the November 6, 2007 Special election Ballot to provide medical benefits. Read the proposed ballot measure language here, at the end of the ordinance. It appears to correct the illogical problem in the current Disability and Retirement system for public safety officers, such that staff with work-related injuries can’t return to work for fear of losing medical benefits on retirement. This issue, you may remember, is the one the Oregonian and the City Council refused to allow the Legislature to fix earlier this year, saying Portland voters need to decide it. Seemed obvious to me then, and since it’s co-sponsored by all five Councilmen, apparently they now agree.

Commissioner Leonard is sponsoring 977 Establish Code to regulate sales of graffiti materials . When spray paint is outlawed, only outlaws will have spray paint? Background in the Mercury in February, where Amy Jenniges (now Amy Ruiz) used the “outlawed” word but more nobly refrained from making the joke. Update in Willamette Week last week.