Next Up at City Council, 1/9/08

This coming week’s Portland City Council’s Agenda already carries a Resolution setting Special Election dates to fill Commissioner Erik Sten’s seat (Position # 2), just one week after he announced his intent to resign in April.

65 Call Special Elections to fill the unexpired term of Commissioner, Position No. 2, on May 20, 2008 and, if necessary, July 15, 2008 (Resolution)

It is very disappointing that this seat will likely be contested without Public Campaign Financing. I am wondering if the rules for Special Elections timing allow delaying the first ballot until September, which would allow time to set up a process for Public Campaign Financing in all Special Elections.

The biggest issue on the Agenda:

WEDNESDAY, 2:00 PM, JANUARY 9, 2008

66 TIME CERTAIN: 2:00 PM – Amend City Code to provide funding to address Portland street maintenance and transportation safety needs including at intersections and around schools, reduce traffic congestion, expand the bicycle network and improve freight mobility as companion to Multnomah County efforts to secure funding to replace the Sellwood Bridge (Ordinance introduced by Commissioner Adams; add Code Chapter 17.21)

It is unfortunate a hearing to discuss a fee to be imposed monthly on almost every Portlander is not scheduled in the evening, when more hardworking people could attend. I plan to post comments on the substance of this ordinance later, either here or on my other site.

I pity anyone who wants to testify on an item scheduled later that same afternoon:

TIME CERTAIN: 3:00 PM – Create a joint city-county taskforce to study options to provide animal services in the City (Resolution introduced by Commissioner Leonard)

“Time Certain” means it won’t start before 3 p.m. Unless there is much more consensus than I’ve heard up to now on the transportation fee, scheduling this item at 3 p.m. seems optimistic at best.

The Task Force being formed will discuss whether the City should take over the County function of picking up road-kill, amongst other things. This continues the current Council’s disregard for Resolution A, identifying and separating roles and responsibilities of the two jurisdictions. How about allowing old urban renewal districts to expire on schedule? That would return revenue to the County and allow funding of its assigned services, instead of continually patching together give-backs after the take-aways.