Next Up at City Council, 3/10/08

Sigh. The Portland City Council Agenda for this Wednesday, 3/10/08, kicks off with this Time Certain:

323 TIME CERTAIN: 9:30 AM – Recommend criteria for addition of noncontiguous urban renewal areas (Resolution introduced by Mayor Potter and Commissioners Adams, Leonard, Saltzman and Sten)

324 Recommend amendment of River District Urban Renewal Area to add area in east Portland (Resolution introduced by Mayor Potter and Commissioners Adams, Leonard, Saltzman and Sten)

The fact that these resolutions are co-sponsored by all five men on the Council indicates passage is a done deal. No point in showing up, except for the dubious value of being able to say “I told you so” when/if the slam-dunk turns out to bounce out. The Council is apparently going to move forward with this proposal even though their own City Attorney’s office recommends against it. The reasons against doing this maneuver go way beyond whether it is legal… but with five votes lined up, my time is better spent skimming through the rest of the Agenda and moving on to the appointments on my schedule.

First on the Consent Agenda:

325 Authorize the donation of a surplus vehicle to the City of Goldendale, WA (Ordinance)

Most people would skip over that item. I clicked on the handy link to find out why we, the citizens of Portland, are giving a vehicle to a city in another state. Here’s what the ordinance says:

1. The City of Portland accepted the donation of a “Peacekeeper” armored vehicle from the US Air Force on February 5, 1997, in Ordinance No. 170887.

2. The Police Bureau used this donated vehicle until it was replaced by a new vehicle. This Peacekeeper has been declared surplus property by the Office of Finance and Management through the CityFleet Division.

3. The original agreement with the US Air Force prevents the City of Portland from selling this vehicle, and it must either be returned to the US Air Force or donated to another police agency.

4. The City of Goldendale, WA, is interested in obtaining the surplus “Peacekeeper” for use by its Police Department.

OK, so we’re donating a vehicle that’s 11 years old, and can’t be sold. I still wonder whether there is a town in Oregon that can use it.

There are many somewhat interesting items on the Wednesday morning Agenda, for those of us who don’t find the terms “interesting items” and “Council Agenda” inherently contradictory. On Wednesday afternoon:

341 TIME CERTAIN: 2:00 PM – Portland Plan update (Presentation introduced by Mayor Potter)

The Portland Plan is only going to change the entire Comprehensive Plan, and potentially everything in Portland. The only reason I can think of that this report is not being given next week in an evening Council hearing, as allowed by the Code, is that apparently nobody thinks having citizen input is important. A couple of concerns I have, right out of the starting gate:

* The kick-off event is being held Friday, June 6, from 8 – 6 p.m.

Gee, how many Portlanders can attend an all-day meeting during the work week, while school is in session? I am angry that a weekday was chosen for this opening gala. Is anyone advocating for working citizens on the Planning Commission, in the Planning Bureau, or on the City Council?

* The Planning Commission is proposing to serve as the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Portland Plan.

Usually, a large, representative assembly of stakeholder experts and concerned citizens from all over Portland makes preliminary recommendations to the Planning Commission. Public hearings are held and the Planning Commission amends the proposal before sending it to the City Council. In this, the most important policy project this decade, the nine people appointed to the Planning Commission will provide both proposal and review. How does this make sense? How is it even possible, given that Planning Commissioners are volunteers who have to review many other policies and programs, as well as working on the Portland Plan?

Second on the Wednesday afternoon Agenda:

342 TIME CERTAIN: 2:30 PM – Prohibit marking public property or right-of-way using paint, tape, other methods or objects to reserve viewing space for a parade event (Ordinance introduced by Commissioner Leonard; add Code Chapter 14A.55)

I am proud to have served on the “Parade Access Committee”, aka the Duct Tape advisory group, with other “dignitaries” hehehe. I am especially happy that Commissioner Leonard took my advice, and delayed this public hearing to give time for neighborhood and business groups to review the proposal and comment after the committee finished our work. It’s a good plan with many factors considered, thanks in part to input from this blog’s readers (search for Duct Tape in the left sidebar to review previous entries on this topic). I hope it will be the focus of a warm fuzzy hearing and a 5-0 vote on Wednesday afternoon.