The URA is just one step in a city-wide approach to increasing educational opportunities in Portland in order to make this city more prosperous, connected and healthy. The Education URA will help Portland State University increase its position as a major research university and help the city continue to accelerate the region’s growth and instructional excellence. As Commissioner Nick Fish said before he voted: “The ultimate question is: are we prepared to make some targeted investments in our community to grow family wage jobs, to create prosperity so that down the road the pie is bigger for everybody? Are we willing to make tough decisions today for a better tomorrow? I have concluded on balance that the formation of this district is in the best interest of the city as a whole and so today I proudly cast my vote: aye.”

VIDEO ABOVE: Portland City Council testimony on the Education Urban Renewal Area with Mayor and Commissioner votes.
 
More than ever, it has proven imperative for the City to step in where the state cannot when it comes to education. In our upcoming City budget, we plan to provide an unprecedented amount of money--$7 million–-to Portland-area public schools. This, and our support of Portland State, are part of the education spectrum that are a priority for the city.

An investment in Portland State is an investment in the city and our overarching education goals. Currently, only 62 percent of Portland Public School students graduate and move on to post-secondary education. Through our Cradle to Career initiative, we aim to change that and we have already improved the graduation rate, up from 54 percent. But much more needs to be done. Students from immigrant families and low-income families need a robust, affordable university in the city that allows them to live at home and further their studies. Currently 58 percent of PSU’s student body is from the tri-county area.

Through our Future Connect Scholarship program, we are able to help students move on to community college while providing on-going support for them once they get there. We have partnered with Portland State to offer scholarships for these students once they finish two years of community college. If we are successful in our goal of sending more Portland youth to college, Portland State currently doesn’t have the capacity to handle it. This URA will help.

The PSU URA will also create mutually beneficial partnerships between the city and business community, attract investments and jobs and develop an educated workforce. It is projected to provide up to $169 million in tax increment financing for investment in educational facilities, affordable housing and private taxable development. As Commissioner Randy Leonard said before he voted yes: “This is a natural, wonderful partnership between the City and Portland State University that I, on a variety of levels, am not only proud of, but am particularly proud of being a part of.”

In a testimony hearing last week, Portland State University president Wim Wiewel summed up the virtues of the URA: “What this is really about is providing access to education for Oregonians, for people in the Portland region. And it’s about economic development in the region. That’s the purpose of Portland State and the purpose of this Urban Renewal Area is to make it possible for Portland State to pursue that twin mission.”

PSU has experienced dramatic growth in the past decade and is anticipating growing their enrollment from 30,000 in 2011 to 50,000 students in 2035. For a campus already straining to meet the needs of current students, strategic investments and planning are necessary. The funding PSU will receive from the URA is just a piece of their overall expansion plan -- a vision that includes almost $1.26 billion of total investment.

The URA will fund new buildings and infrastructure, not just for PSU but for Multnomah County Department of Human Services and school improvements in the Goose Hollow neighborhood. Housing needs -- both student and low income -- will be funded by $46 million (30%) of financing set-asides.

The URA funds will stimulate private investment and philanthropy in PSU and the region: this will add additional capacity to the tax base in the area. It is estimated that this investment in the Education URA will nearly triple the size of the existing tax base in the region from $608 million to $1.7 billion in 32 years. As the Oregonian Editorial Board noted in its recent Op/Ed: “The proven contributions of programs such as the PSU Business Accelerator show that these investments indirectly would boost jobs and incomes -- and thus income taxes. The increase in income taxes should, at worst, partially offset the forgone property tax revenue.”   

While the URA will benefit PSU, it will also help Portland Public Schools (PPS). In fact, the district will see a $5 million benefit from the URA. While PPS may forgo $5 million tax dollars over the 28 year life of the URA, it will receive $10 million in funding from provisions in the URA: a net gain of $5 million.

Mayor Adams said before he cast his aye vote: “I think that Portlanders will look back on this day as a real watershed moment -- a turning point in making a good university great. I would say to New York University: look out because that’s PSU close on your heels in becoming the best urban university in North America.”

More info.

Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner, Portland Police Chief Mike Reese, and Police Commissioner Mayor Sam Adams stand for the national anthem.

Over the course of Portland's history, 30 Portland Police Bureau Officers have met violent and untimely deaths in the performance of their duties. Mayor Adams recognized these 30 officers, and the spouses and children they left behind.

The Mayor noted that Portlanders value the important contribution the men and women of the Portland Police Bureau make every day as they put their lives on the line to keep our community safe.

Reduction in Garbage

Since the new service began, garbage haulers have reported a 44 percent decrease in the amount of residential garbage collected curbside. By composting food scraps, recycling more and avoiding items with bulky packaging, Portlanders have diverted almost 1,800 truckloads of garbage from our landfills—enough trucks to stretch eight miles long.

Increase in Yard Debris and Food Scraps

The new curbside collection service has contributed to a large increase in the material collected from Portland residents for composting. We estimate that Portland residents will compost 89,000 tons in the first year of the program. That's nearly three times more than previous years.

Recycling Increases by 12 Percent

Portlanders are also recycling more. We’ve seen a 12% increase in recyclable material collected at the curb. According to waste studies conducted by the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability during the month of April, Portlanders are recycling 90% of the materials that are possible to recycle curbside.

While Portland has one of the best recycling rates in the country, employees that sort Portland's recycled materials have reported finding increased contamination, notably bagged household garbage, at local recycling facilities.

While most Portland residents continue to do an excellent job properly sorting their waste materials, even a small amount of garbage in the recycling system can pose serious health and safety concerns for the workers who collect and process Portland's recycled materials.

The City is working with garbage and recycling companies and we have identified households with garbage in their recycling and composting containers; these households have been notified with a cart tag informing them of the contamination.

Since March, the City has mailed over 1,200 reminder letters to households where garbage has been found in the wrong roll cart on collection day. That's 1,200 out of 140,000 subscribers. While the safety concerns from such contamination can be serious, the households with improperly sorted waste represent less than one percent of Portland's residential customers.

Community Outreach

The City of Portland is committed to helping people succeed in making the program work for them. As part of the ongoing community outreach on the new services, this Spring, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability teamed up with community volunteers and knocked on over 14,000 doors, answering questions about what can go into the green roll cart and sharing tips with thousands of households in neighborhoods across Portland.

For more information and tips on reducing waste, the following resources are available:

Online - www.PortlandComposts.com
Hotline - 503-823-7202
Email - wasteinfo@portlandoregon.gov

In addition, the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability can send a representative to your house to help if you need tips on composting and recycling. Contact the hotline above for more information.

Today, the federal Department of Transportation awarded a non-stop flight from Portland International Airport to Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC for Alaska Airlines. This is a milestone as the Portland-Vancouver region is the second largest market to Washington DC, in terms of passengers per day, this is the first non-stop flight from Portland to our nation’s capital’s closest airport – currently there is one non-stop flight per day from Portland to Dulles Airport, which is about 30 miles outside of Washington, DC.

This flight will provide families and business travelers direct and easy access to our nation’s capital, in a way that saves time and money. I’d like to thank Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood for recognizing the need for this level of service, and I’d like to thank Oregon’s congressional delegation for their work to support the needs of our region’s families and business travelers.

Sincerely, 

Mayor Sam Adams

Have you ever thought about where the City of Portland keeps your tax dollars when they’re not in use?

It’s a fair question and you should know the answer: just like many of you, we invest and put our money in deposits that generate a fair return. This week, Portland City Council considered my responsible banking resolution.

VIDEO CAPTION: The Responsible Banking and Investment Policy Resolutions at City Council.

After several months of input from stakeholders, community advocates, large and small banks, credit unions and trade associations (with the addition of researching a similar program at Multnomah County), we developed a new framework for the City’s Investment Policy and banking services. The proposed responsible banking resolution is a thoughtful approach, it’s a balanced approach and ultimately, I think it’s good for taxpayers.

Here’s what it does:

• Creates more flexibility for deposits by the City’s Treasurer; it allows deposits in smaller financial institutions with localized decision-making. This includes credit unions. Deposits in financial institutions with localized decision making have been correlated with positive impacts on local economies and job creation; this happens through an increased proportion of loans made to local businesses and a focus on local customer needs. We think it is important for the City to walk the talk when it comes to supporting the local economy so we are creating the flexibility to do localized deposits.
   
• Aims to increase competition in the market for the City’s banking services. Now we can include lending practices and policies as well as community investments of banks as part of the bid evaluation criteria. I think this will ultimately result in better competition and hopefully provide better services at  better rates for taxpayers.
   
• Increases transparency by reaffirming the City’s commitment to take in public comment on its Investment Policy on an annual basis. We’ll also publish where City funds are invested or deposited every month online.

Council considered the proposal this week and will vote on it next week: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at approximately 2:30 p.m. If the proposal passes, the City can explore the possibility of shifting a portion of its assets from federal securities to smaller financial institutions and credit unions. We are closer than ever to achieving the City’s goal of creating economically sustainable local and regional communities.

Find out more by reading our Frequently Asked Questions, Responsible Banking Resolution, and Investment Policy Resolution.

Sincerely,
 

Mayor Sam Adams

Commissioner Leonard, Commissioner Saltzman, Corey Brunish, Kim Bogus, Mayor Adams, Robyn Williams

When Mr. Brunish learned recently from Robyn Williams how many local theatre companies were taking advantage of the rent-free space (there are no rental fees for Brunish Theatre but some fees for production and ticketing services do apply) he offered an additional gift to outfit the space as a fully functioning theatre. Adding draping, extending the lighting grid and other updates have made this a space that will dramatically increase its functionality at no cost to local taxpayers. Local business Stage Craft Industries also contributed materials and time to the project.

In acknowledgment of this generous gift and upgrade, Council voted to approve the small but significant name change of Brunish Hall to Brunish Theatre to reflect the space's upgraded capabilities. Council expressed their appreciation to Mr. Brunish for his many kind gifts to the Portland arts community and Robyn's Williams stewardship of the PCPA.

The hearing will be held on Thursday, May 17, 2012, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at David Douglas High School, in the south cafeteria located at 1500 SE 130^th Ave.

Testimony will be heard on the City of Portland and Portland Development Commission budgets. Anyone who cannot attend the hearing is encouraged to comment online.

City Council will vote to approve the City of Portland and Portland Development Commission budgets on May 30. All events will be filmed by Portland Community Media and can be viewed later online or on community access television.

Information on testifying:

• Sign-in at 6:30 PM. Testimony on the proposed Portland Development Commission (PDC) budget begins at 6:30 PM. Testimony on the Proposed Budget for the City of Portland immediately follows.

• Testimony will be a maximum of two minutes, based on the number of people testifying. Testimony order will be by random drawing.

• If you wish to testify, but your name is not drawn, you can submit comments in writing.

• Online comments are accepted and can be accessed from the budget website listed below.

For more information on the City’s budget, Budget Hearing, or submitting online testimony visit www.portlandonline.com/communitybudget.

Portland’s first Sunday Parkways event of the 2012 season is coming to Northeast this Sunday, Mothers Day, on May 13, 2012. The 8-mile route will pass through several different neighborhoods and participants will have the chance to walk, bike, jog, and roll some of the city’s newest neighborhood greenways completely car-free.

Sunday’s event will run from 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM and feature food, refreshments, bike polo games, DJs, children’s events with magic shows and a bouncy castle, and free bike repair at various parks along the route.

ABOVE: Participants cool off at 2011's Sunday Parkways in Southeast

Sunday Parkways is the result of a public-private partnership between the City of Portland and Kaiser Permanente. At the City Council meeting on May 9, 2012, Kaiser Permanente presented the City with a check for $100,000 to support this year’s Sunday Parkways. “It's our pleasure to participate in this amazing program," said Sue Hennessy, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Health Services for Kaiser Permanente Northwest. "It gets people out with their neighbors promoting health!"

2012 marks the first year with a Sunday Parkways in Southwest Portland outside of the downtown core, with a route through Multnomah Village scheduled for Sunday July 22. Check out this year’s full Sunday Parkways schedule:

May 13, 2012 (Mother’s Day): Northeast Portland

June 24, 2012: North Portland

July 22, 2012: Southwest Portland

August 26, 2012: Southeast Portland

September 30, 2012: East Portland

Looking to get involved? Volunteering is fun and a great way to support these events by being part of the action. Every Sunday Parkways Volunteer will receive a free event t-shirt, drinks and snacks, and all the training and support you need. Event coordinators are looking for volunteers to help out this Sunday as well as the upcoming events throughout the summer. For more information on volunteering, click here. 

In the last nine months the program has seen some early successes-not only in arrests (400 criminal cases, 267 felonies and 133 misdemeanors) but in gathering data that show that the majority, 79%, of defendants lived outside the IDIA. This shows that drug traffickers are specifically entering the affected neighborhoods-including Old Town, Downtown, and Holladay Park to sell drugs. With the IDIA in place these convicted drug offenders are excluded from being in these neighborhoods unless they have a court-approved exclusion for entering the IDIA for work, school, essential social services or housing.

City Council members heard testimony from Amreet Sandhu, the Mayor’s Public Safety and Peacekeeping Policy Adviser, Billy Prince, Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney, Austin Raglione, Portland Police Burea Program Manager and walking beat Officer Brian Hubbard. Each testified to the successes of the program outlined in the District Attorney’s report.

VIDEO ABOVE: Deputy District Attorney Billy Prince shares a story of his work with vulnerable recovering addicts and the need for this program.

In addition several key neighborhood partners testified to both the need for the IDIA’s and the positive outcomes of the program. Howard Weiner, Old Town/Chinatown activist, Jamie Dunn, owner of GILT Club and Gary Cobb, Program Manager of the Sally McCracken building each gave compelling testimony regarding the problems of open air drug dealing in their neighborhoods. Mr. Cobb’s testimony also revealed that many recovering addicts also see the value of the program-the residents at his building have expressed an urgent need to keep drug dealers out of their stoops and streets as they are struggling to recover from addiction.

Read the District Attorney’s report here.

Mayor Sam Adams revealed the winners of the 20th Annual BEST (Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow) Awards on April 25, 2012 at the Nines Hotel in downtown Portland. The event showcased our region's unique business talent and honored ambitious, creative, and sustainable business solutions.

The keynote addresses featured reflections from three local leaders about Portland's sustainble business efforts: Nik Blosser of Celilo Group Media, Aneshka Colas-Dickson of Colas Construction, and Renee Spears of Rose City Mortgage.

BEST award recipients were selected based on their leadership and innovation in the following several categories, including: Best Practices for Sustainability, Sustainable Food Systems, and Sustainable Products or Services.

And the 2012 winners are…

BEST Practices for Sustainability - Large companies

Purdy, the Portland paintbrush and roller manufacturer, is dedicated to being a zero-waste-to-landfill facility under the enthusiastic leadership of their "Green Machine" Team and offers free English as a Second Language (ESL) traning for their employees. 

BEST Practices for Sustainability - Medium companies

Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance sited their new office close to the bus mall and offers transit benefits to encourage alternative transportation. Employees also use a carbon tracking platform for travel, commuting and various office practices to help measure and reduce their carbon footprint. 

BEST Practices for Sustainability - Small companies

Capital Pacific Bank provides financial services to underserved local businesses and non-profits, and boasts an impassioned green team that got the entire company excited about sustainability, both in their own operations, and in the businesses they choose to work with. 

BEST Practices for Sustainability - Very small companies

FMYI (For My Innovation) has a triple-bottom-line business model, helps their clients become more sustainable, and goes above and beyond to support employees and the community. FMYI minimizes travel emissions by offering 100% subsidized Trimet passes, Zipcar memberships, and by meeting with clients in a virtual space -- which has reduced corporate travel by over 40%. 

Sustainable Food Systems

NatureBake (Oregon Grains bread) partners with local farmers and food producers to create bread made almost entirely from ingredients sourced within 100 miles. Almost no waste is generated in production, with dedicated staff to facilitate food donation, and a contract with an animal feed company to divert food scraps from the landfill. 

Sustainable Products or Services (Tie)

GO Box solves the problem of disposable food cart and take-out containers by providing bike-delivered reusable containers for customers and food cart vendors. 

Sustainable Northwest Wood partners with local growers and mills, providing the building community with a steady supply of local, sustainable wood. 

The BEST Awards are presented by Sustainability at Work, a program of the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. For more information about the awards program and the winners click here. 

Prosperous. Healthy. Educated. Equitable.

Last week, as part of the Portland Plan, the City Council adopted these as the official goals for the City of Portland.

The Mayor's Proposed Budget, which I am announcing today, invests in achieving these interlocking goals: To help businesses create jobs to boost family incomes, keep people safer and healthy, maintain the momentum of local education reforms by preventing deeper school teacher layoffs, and lay the groundwork and provide action towards a more equal Portland.

In terms of the city's fiscal fundamentals, during tough times like this, it may be tempting to draw from the City's General Reserve fund. But that would be a short-sighted maneuver that would increase the City's risk and decrease the City's development. By prudently avoiding using the General Reserve fund, the City has saved taxpayer dollars by maintaining its AAA credit rating, a rating shared by less than seven percent ofU.S.cities.

When the global recession hit in 2008, we acted early and decisively, the cuts the City of Portland face today are not as steep as they might have been had we not addressed the downturn head on.

Compared to requested Bureau Budgets, this Mayor’s Proposed Budget trims overhead and administration to better preserve frontline services. The Office of Management and Finance, the City’s central service administrative department, sees the largest single city bureau program reductions.  OMF takes direct General Fund Discretionary reductions of 8%; I also propose overhead and administration reductions in the operating bureaus themselves. OMF cut $5.1 million in Internal Service Fund programs which resulted in additional savings to the General Fund of $3.4 million.

I also propose overhead and administration reductions in most other bureaus. I worked hard to save Portlanders money on utilities. The Water Bureau requested an 11 % increase this year; I am proposing 8.1%. The Bureau of Environmental Services asked for a 5.9 % utility increase; I am proposing 5.35 %.

These moves are necessary: We are experiencing prolonged and widespread property value declines for the first time under our voter-approved property tax system set by Measures 5 and 50 in the 1990s. This is resulting in a spike in what is known as property tax compression, which essentially means that property tax collections to the City will grow at a slower pace than it has over the last 15 years, and, more importantly, not keep up with expected growth in City expenses.

Due to these factors, the General Fund budget for FY 2012-13 needs to be reduced by $14.7 million dollars of the City’s discretionary budget.

PROSPEROUS

As the Portland Plan's strategies demonstrate, many of our important actions are intertwined. If we increase our focus on economic development, we increase our tax base and then we have the resources to increase our outreach to vulnerable communities. If we increase our focus on education, we have more high school and college graduates and that creates more skilled workers, which also increases our tax base and helps education fund itself.

• The Portland Development Commission helps our city grow and prosper. Because economic development is the base of what ultimately will makePortlanda prosperous, healthy, educated and equitable city, I have met many of PDC's funding requests.
  • The Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative, which strengthens the economic competitiveness of targeted neighborhood business districts through community-planned and community-implemented actions and projects, is fully funded.
  • The proposed budget provides $2.3 million in new one-time economic development dollars to bring jobs to the City, invest in workforce readiness, and support neighborhood businesses.
  • I've proposed$1.7 million each for traded sector and neighborhood economic development initiatives and $1.6 million for the Economic Opportunities Initiative which helps propel people out of poverty.
• Bureau of Development Services program revenues continue to recover from the economic downturn, allowing the bureau to hire back an additional 16.6 FTE and improve its overall service level.
• In the Office of Government Relations, a Federal Assistant position is fully funded with one-time appropriations. This position is essential to the City's efforts to advocate for additional federal funding forPortland's priorities and partnerships and against unnecessary federal regulations.
• My proposed budget includes one-time General Fund resources of $51,018 to finish the West Hayden island project, which will establish land use guidelines as a precursor to its possible incorporation into the City.
• To protect our city’s most vulnerable citizens and keeping our safety net, I am proposing $4.1 million of one-time funding for shelter services, rent assistance, and housing access services.

HEALTHY

One focus of my budget has been on healthy, connected, complete communities. Communities where Portlanders have access to what they want and need to thrive. Communities where Portlanders are safe.

In my proposed budget, I've protected frontline services in our parks, our housing programs, and our public safety bureaus whenever possible. Some of our bureaus that focus on administrative needs saw the largest cuts so that we can keep staff on the street.

• Portland Police Bureau stands front and center in keeping the peace in the city, many of our other bureaus—such as Portland Fire and Rescue--contribute to protecting our people, streets and parks. During my State of the City address, I pledged to work with my colleagues to keep all sworn public safety positions. My proposed budget reflects this pledge.
• To keep more police officers on the street, I've had to cut twelve non-sworn administrative and management positions totaling $857,000. Eight of these positions are currently vacant.
• Internal Portland Police Bureau efficiencies, such as tightening overtime, a decrease in our risk insurance costs and reduced printing, creates close to $2.5 million in savings.
• My proposed budget includes $150,000 in programs to combat human trafficking
• Additionally, the Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) budget includes one-time funding to keep a station open and four employees to staff the rapid response vehicles.
• We will continue funding for services that partner with the County, including Service Coordination Team, CHIERS van and Hooper Sobering Station.
• This budget reflects continued support of youth violence prevention efforts. The Office of Youth Violence Prevention (OYVP) within the Mayor's Office will fund community partner agencies at a level that supports the employment of ten gang outreach workers. Additionally, OYVP will continue its current level of funding for programs that provide positive activities forPortlandyouth to reduce violence and increase opportunity throughout the city.
• Front-linePortlandParksand Recreation (PP&R) staffing is largely preserved to ensure the maintenance and amenities in all parks Citywide. Management and support functions are reduced, saving $1 million. There will be a $606,000 decrease in landscaping and maintenance services.
• PP&R savings of $194,000 are generated through streamlining of recreation programming including the closure of Buckman Pool and theFultonCommunity Center. TheFultoncenter will continue to function as a community asset with Parks leasing the facility to various stakeholders.
• In the Bureau of Development Services (BDS), one-time funding to help prevent the deterioration of existing housing and contribute to safe and healthyPortlandneighborhoods is preserved. Specifically, $310,392 of funding will support four positions in the Improved Neighborhood Inspections, Enhanced Rental Inspections, and Extremely Distressed Properties Enforcement Programs.
• The tax exemption for property owners with nine or less residential rentals units is proposed for elimination, producing new revenues of $198,000.  The revenues will fund two additional BDS housing inspectors.
• One time funding in the amount of $144,882 and 1.0 FTE, is preserved for the continuation of the Citywide Tree Project.
• In the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI), ongoing funds for Neighborhood Small Grants ($99,318) are eliminated, but $93,855 in one-time funds are awarded for the same purpose.
• The ONI Graffiti Abatement Program is funded again one-time with $447,232.
• The East Portland Action Plan is again receiving a one-time infusion of $279,692 for an advocate position and grants to the community. This budget action will help the residents ofEast Portlandto be more actively engaged in the City's affairs, helping to fulfill the Portland Plan’s goal to improve involvement.
• My proposed budget restores or adds 10.5 of front line Portland Bureau of Transportation staff by eliminating 8.5 management/administration positions. The position add backs reinstate a street sweeping crew, a street paving crew as well as adding 3 more parking enforcement officers.

EDUCATED

In order for all Portlanders to gain success for themselves and the City, education is a fundamental element that we must improve on. My proposed budget offers a significant contribution to Portland schools for essential services. It is essential to the economic well-being of this city that we have an educated workforce, and as mayor of this city, I can not allow these awful economic times for our area schools derail the success of the next generation of this city's citizens. And as I said in my State of the City speech, when it comes down to it, Portlanders are less concerned with which government agency is responsible for which service—they just want it done right. And educating our city's youth is something we must get right.

• Approximately $7.5 million will go to help Portland schools, with $5 million going to Portland Public Schools and the rest going proportionately to the other Portland school districts. Seven million of these funds are proposed to come from the General Fund (specifically Business License Fee revenue) and the balance from other funds.
• Critical programs supporting the Portland Plan strategy of thriving educated youth are included in the PP&R budget, including funding of $300,000 for Teen Programming and $70,000 for Summer Lunches.
• SUN Schools were also preserved in the PP&R budget, maintaining all Parks-managed sites and the pass-through to the County for the schools that they operate
• There is also SUN Program atDavidDouglasHigh Schoolfunding of $100,000
• My proposed budget also funds the Youth Planning program in the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability at $53,726, to support career paths for hired youth planners.
• Finally, my proposed budget includes $450,750 for the Mayor's Education Program, $235,000 for the City's contribution to the county-wide Cradle-to-Career Strategy, and $100,000 for the Right Brain Initiative arts education program.

EQUITABLE 

For the city to succeed, all Portlanders—regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, neighborhood, age, income or where they were born—must have access to opportunities to advance their well-being and achieve their full potential. Equity not only makes individual lives better, it uplifts the whole city. Despite a tough budget year, I have kept equity at the forefront.

• The Office of Equity budget was spared reductions, which reflects the City's commitment to moving a meaningful equity agenda forward in FY 2012-13 and beyond.
• The funding supports the Portland Plan's equity framework and the action items related to closing gaps, engagement, partnering, racial issues, disability issues, and City accountability. 
• In order to increase the PF&R bureau's workplace diversity, the budget funds a bureau recruiter dedicated to outreach to underrepresented communities and communities of color.
• My proposed budget includes $368,000 to fund phases II and III of the Citywide compliance assessment project related to the Americans with Disabilities Act. This effort supports the implementation of the Disabilities Transition Plan stated in the Portland Plan.
• My proposed budget includes $118,526 to continue funding for the Minority Evaluator position in Procurement Services.  This is part of the effort to improve evaluation methods and mitigate disparities in the procurement process, as part of the Portland Plan.
• A model for fairly realizing full cost recovery on large and small athletic events will be developed and implemented. New revenues of $365,000 are projected and will offset related expenditures in Police and the Revenue Bureau.
• Though the City Attorney's office budget has been cut six percent, the office will continue to provide legal advice on Equity in Contracting, Civil Rights Act, and American’s with Disabilities Act compliance, among others.

As mayor, you never want to have to face budget cuts. Because of our contracting budget, some very good people who have worked very hard for our City will be losing their jobs. I thank them for all they've done to help Portland be a better place. I look forward to hearing the community's input on my proposed budget, and working with my council colleagues to adopt a final budget that makes Portland a more prosperous, healthy, educated, and equitable place. 

Budget Documents with More Information:

FY 2012-13 Proposed Budget: Bureau General Fund Reduction Summary
FY 2012-13 Proposed Budget: Citywide Detail
FY 2012-13 Proposed Budget: General Fund Forecast
FY 2012-13 Proposed Budget: Utility Rates

PDF version of this message:
Mayor's Proposed Budget FY 2012-13

Are you…

• Detail-oriented with experience in event planning or logistics/project management
• Passionate about helping youth connect with future opportunities
• Interested in working in youth development or public policy

If so, you may be a good candidate for an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate as a Logistics Coordinator for Worksystems, Inc.

Job Duties

• Help coordinate approximately 200 college and career site visits for over 750 students
• Maintain project management calendar to ensure timely and smooth program execution
• Provide ongoing support, answers, and problem-solving to program staff and site hosts
• Participate in policy conversations related to Worksystems youth workforce system.

Essential Skills

• A self-starter with a strong work ethic
• Good communication, organization, and problem solving skills
• Interest and experience in public policy and/or youth development preferred

Application Process

Interested candidates should email a resume and cover letter to rlord@worksystems.org. Associates eligible for a living allowance and education award. Additional requirements as well as orientation and training provided by Oregon Campus Compact and AmeriCorps VISTA.

Position is open until filled and serves June 18th through August 17th, 2012. For more information...

Visit: 

http://bit.ly/SummerYouthConnect or http://bit.ly/SummerVISTA

Contact:

Reese Lord, Partnership Development – Youth Services
503.478.7340
rlord@worksystems.org

About Summer Youth Connect

Summer Youth Connect (SYC) is a series of summer academic supports and career/college experiences sponsored by the City of Portland, Multnomah County, Portland Schools Foundation, and Worksystems, Inc. SYC is partnering with Ninth Grade Counts to target at-risk, incoming 9th graders with the support they need to start high school on the right track. Through affiliated, community-based programs, students receive academic support and build high school readiness skills. Weekly hands-on tours and interactions with adults at a broad range of career and college sites connect the classroom with the world of work.

About Worksystems, Inc.

Worksystems, Inc. is an experienced non-profit agency that accelerates economic growth in the City of Portland, Multnomah and Washington counties by pursuing and investing resources to improve the quality of the workforce. The agency designs and coordinates workforce development programs and services delivered through a network of local partners to help people get the skills, training, and education they need to go to work or to advance their careers. Partners include employers, labor groups, government, community colleges, high schools, community-based and economic development organizations. Since 1998, Worksystems has invested nearly $300 million in our community.

The head of the United States Department of the Treasury, Secretary Timothy Geithner, visits Portland to tour Oregon Iron Works and United Streetcar. He reviews how advanced manufacturing and our new streetcar industry has boosted our local economy.

Featured in this video: Secretary Timothy Geithner (US Treasury), Chandra Brown (United Streetcar), Corey Yraguen (Oregon Iron Works), and Portland Mayor Sam Adams.

Photos courtesy of treasury.gov

Mayor Adams and Vanna White ham it up on a scouting trip to Portland last May.

Tonight kicks off four winning weeks of beloved game show Wheel of Fortune airing episodes shot right here in Portland.

Mayor Adams and the staff of Oregon State Film Office, the City of Portland Film Office and KATU worked for over two years to bring Wheel of Fortune to the Rose City. This is the only remote location that will host the famous Wheel this year and the production used over 200 local crew members, 120 security staff and purchased over 1800 hotel room nights while filming the four weeks of episodes beginning tonight.

It makes sense that a city that prides itself on fostering a green economy and sustainability innovation would be the home of Wheel’s annual Going Green Week which kicks off the four weeks of airing shows organized by a theme. Even Vanna White showed her eco-friendly fashion savvy as she’ll be wearing designs from local designers EcoSkin, EcoVibe Apparel and Jet Clothing.

Airdates:

Going Green              Apr 30-May 4

Portland  Week           May 7-May 11

College Week             May 14-May 18

Great Outdoors          May 21-May 25

Wheel of Fortune airs on at 7:30pm on KATU.

Dear Portlander,

Do you know what to do in case of an earthquake? Most Portlanders don’t think about earthquakes, so we bring attention to this threat every April during Earthquake Preparedness Month in the city. This April, the City sponsored events to make the public more informed and we also put a focus on policy changes that make the city safer. I even huddled under my council desk during an earthquake practice drill.

Last year’s magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan was a tragic reminder that all Pacific Rim cities, including Portland, are at risk for such major events. The last catastrophic quake in Oregon was geologically similar to the one in Japan, striking off the West Coast in 1700. Scientists say it’s only a matter of time before the next big earthquake occurs. The Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM) is working hard to help us become resilient to such a challenging, potentially destructive event.

Here's how we marked Earthquake Preparedness Month in Portland:

• On April 18, I joined a group of county and state engineers and earthquake experts on a tour of some of downtown’s most vulnerable areas. We learned about the challenges and successes involved in bracing downtown’s key facilities against a massive earthquake in Portland. It was both eye-opening and reassuring.
• On Wednesday, April 25th, I led all City of Portland employees in an earthquake practice drill. We practiced the three simple, recommended actions one should take during an earthquake: drop, cover and hold on.
• Last week, Portland City Council adopted a memorandum of understanding with the American Red Cross to improve their coordination with the City in an emergency.
• PBEM has purchased several emergency shelter trailers for the Red Cross using Federal Homeland Security Grant funds.
• Tonight—Monday, April 30^th—PBEM will co-host a seismic strengthening class with our Bureau of Development Services (BDS).

While we put a special focus on earthquakes in April, it's an issue we care about all year long. Here are some upcoming actions of note:

• This week, Council will vote to adopt changes to the City’s earthquake and emergency communication plans. These updated plans provide a framework for how the City will respond during a disaster. These changes represent the very latest improvements PBEM has made to the City’s Basic Emergency Operations Plan.
• At 7 pm on May 8th, the Portland Earthquake Project (a collaboration among PBEM, Mercy Corps, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Red Cross) will host special guests from Japan who will share experiences from last year’s earthquake and tsunami.
• This October, Portland will participate in the Great Oregon ShakeOut, an event designed to raise earthquake awareness and teach everyone in the state how to prepare for our next, inevitable quake.
• Soon, we’ll officially break ground on the City’s new state-of-the-art Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) in SE Portland.
• As always, we’re continuing to make improvements toPublicAlerts.org, adding partner agencies to this alert service throughout our region.

While the threat of an earthquake in our area is very real, I am heartened by the good work PBEM does to help us fortify ourselves all year long.

Remember: Drop, Cover and Hold On.

Sincerely,

Mayor Sam Adams

During the Occupy movement last fall, I was fortunate to meet with many concerned Portlanders who asked for help when it came to the areas of social and economic inequality. I listened and I took action. Here are just a few of the things we’ve worked on since that time:

• I directed City efforts to support localized bank deposits through its investment portfolio. Public comment welcome here: http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/?c=49519&a=395079
• The Council and I passed a resolution to fight for campaign finance reform and against corporate personhood.
• We called on the Federal Government to spend less money on wars and more on domestic priorities, like education and housing.
• I’m focusing on foreclosures by working with banks on accountability measures; I’ll be bringing something for public and Council consideration very soon.

We’re all in this together,

Mayor Sam Adams

On May 2, 2012, from 10:45-11:00, Portland City Council will hear an update from stakeholders on the success of this project.

Here are some highlights:

• 24% (400 of 1,602) of all county drug arrests involving heroin, cocaine, and marijuana occurred in the relatively small areas that constitute the DIAs.
• 79% (95 of 121) of those arrested in the DIAs for drug dealing resided outside the areas and had come into the areas to sell drugs.
• The court imposed stay-away orders as condition of probation in all 417 cases (381 distinct defendants) where the order was requested.
• In addition to services provided by the STOP drug treatment court as a condition probation department, 40% (152 of 381) of those issued stay-away orders in Illegal Drug Impact Areas qualified for treatment through the Service Coordination Team.

You can read the letter from District Attorney Michael Shrunk here and the Illegal Drug Impact Area Report here.

Today we have all 4,912 lane miles of Portland streets (thanks to trained personnel who inspected and evaluated every road in the city) rated according to a system called “StreetSaver.” The latest ratings are out and you’ll see that 74.1 percent of Portland’s high volume streets (what are termed “arterials and collectors”) are rated fair to very good, with the bulk being “very good.” More than half (53 percent) of all arterials and collectors are good to very good.

For context, let’s see how Portland compares to other cities on the West Coast. The total score, called a “pavement condition index” or PCI, goes from 0 – 100, with zero being the worst and 100 being the best:

• Evidence shows that Portland’s pavement quality is rated similarly to Seattle and rated higher than San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland.

• Portland has a PCI rating of 68.2; Portland has 4,912 lane miles of streets.

• San Jose, California, a comparable city according to the Portland City Auditor, has a PCI rating of 64 and 4,182 lane miles of streets.

• Seattle, Washington, a comparable city according to the Portland City Auditor, has a PCI rating of 67 (from 2006) and 3,745 lanes miles of streets. Note: this is data prior to the implementation of their street fee. Seattle passed something called a “Bridging the Gap levy” five years ago. The $544 million measure has helped the city cover revenue shortfalls in street repair.

• San Francisco, California, has a PCI of 64 and 2,130 lane miles of streets.

• Oakland, California, has a PCI of 56 and 1,963 lane miles of streets.

STREETSAVER RATINGS SUMMARY          (April 18, 2012)

This summary includes the street classifications, rating categories, rating scores, lane miles, and percent lane miles in each PCI range for streets rated as of April 16, 2012.

*A lane mile is one lane, 12-foot wide, one mile long.

The summit drew over 250 people to the Highland Christian Center in Northeast Portland.

While the morning portion of the summit was exclusively for youth to interact with each other on violence issues, the afternoon opened the youth-led discussions to adults including Mayor Sam Adams, Police Chief Mike Reese, Commissioner Amanda Fritz, and Mayoral Candidates Charlie Hales and Eileen Brady.

Mayor Adams listens to youth share their stories about violence.

The Multnomah Youth Commission established a Youth Against Violence Committee last year in response to the growing violence directed at young people in the community. “Youth should have a voice about violence because they can make our community a safer place,” said Violeta Alvarez, one of the co-chairs of the committee.

For more information about the Multnomah Youth Commission, and the Rob Ingram Youth Summit Against Violence, click here. 

For information on the City's Office of Youth Violence Prevention, click here. 

The resolution updating the City’s Investment Policy is a housekeeping update and the Responsible Banking resolution proposes the following (see our Frequently Asked Questions for more detail):

• Creates more flexibility for deposits by the City’s Treasurer by allowing deposits in smaller institutions including credit unions;
• Aims to increase competition in the market for the City’s banking services and include social responsibility practices of banks as part of the bid evaluation criteria; and
• Increases transparency by reaffirming the City’s commitment to take in public input on its Investment Policy on an annual basis and publishing online where City funds are invested or deposited on a monthly basis.

Your input is important; please send it to us by 5:00 p.m., May 2, 2012. Please check out the resolution and our FAQ and then comment on this blog or send an email with your input to Jeana Thayer at jeana.thayer@portlandoregon.gov. 

Background Information:
The City of Portland’s Investment Policy goals are to maintain a portfolio that preserves principal while serving the City’s liquidity needs and also generating a fair return. The City has a substantial amount of money invested in federal securities and on deposit with banks. While the City of Portland recognizes the importance of the federal securities markets, national banks and the indispensable services they provide, the City also recognizes the value of having a portfolio that includes more localized deposits.

In order to better serve these objectives—while still maintaining the stated principal, liquidity, and return goals of the Investment Policy—the City would like to have the flexibility to make deposits in other smaller financial institutions including credit unions up to the current NCUA and FDIC insurance caps of $250,000.  Deposits in financial institutions with localized decision making, have been correlated with positive impacts on local economies and job creation, through an increased proportion of loans to local businesses and focus on local customer needs.

Separately, when requesting bids for its banking and merchant services, the City would like to increase participation and competition in the process and include the proposing banks’ policies and practices relating to our community as part of the evaluation criteria for selection.  The Treasurer will research national best practices and include as part of the selection criteria for banking services other aspects of a financial institution’s operations possibly including, but not limited to, community re-investment practices, small business loan programs, workforce data, and mortgage and interest rates and terms, to the extent they are available at the time of the solicitation process and which provide a reasonable basis of comparison and are allowed under law.

Allowing the City to explore the possibility of shifting a portion of its assets from federal securities to other smaller financials institutions and credit unions and separately, allowing the City to include evaluating proposals for banking services based on community re-investment practices, small business loan programs, workforce data, and mortgage and interest rates and terms, etc. may help achieve the City’s goal of creating economically sustainable local and regional communities.

Find out more by reading our Frequently Asked Questions here.

Responsible Banking Resolution here.

Investment Policy Resolution update here.

Redlined version of Investment Policy here.

A previous blog on this item is posted here.

Based on historic trends and the latest regional forecast from Metro, we are planning for 147,000 new jobs in Portland by 2035. Some may say this is an aggressive number. But I believe that without plans in place that can accommodate aggressive job growth, our goal of a thriving economy and a prosperous Portland will be harder to attain. 

We have been successful in the past at re-using and redeveloping our land for more intensive uses, but the EOA indicates that we will need additional development capacity for industrial land, especially in the Columbia Harbor area and our major institutional campuses. The analysis also indicates that in order to spur innovation and encourage entrepreneurship, we will need more lower-cost incubator space in the Central City, in places like the Central Eastside and Lower Albina districts, as well as Gateway and our neighborhood centers. In addition, Portland’s traded sector economy will need more land for marine terminals, rail yards and airport facilities.

At the same time, we are a landlocked city with few opportunities to add land to the city. In order to address these shortfalls, we will need to be creative and innovative and form partnerships with our higher education and private sector partners. 

As the report says, future job growth is an opportunity, not a certainty. The challenge will be to continue the hard work we’ve done to provide a supportive business climate to create these new jobs in Portland. In 2009, we passed the City’s Economic Development Strategy, which focuses on our strongest traded sector clusters. Recently, we partnered with the Brookings Institution as one of four pilot cities in the Metro Export Initiative to plot a course that will double exports in five years. We will continue this effort in collaboration with BPS, the Portland Development Commission and Greater Portland Inc. And we’ll reinforce our endeavors and track our success through the Economic Prosperity and Affordability Strategy in the Portland Plan.

I invite you to read the Economic Opportunities Analysis, which will be a foundational document for the Comprehensive Plan Update, one of several ways we are implementing the Portland Plan.

If you wish to comment on this analysis, the Planning and Sustainability Commission will be holding a public hearing on Tuesday, May 8 at 6:00p.m.  The hearing will be held on the 2nd floor of the 1900 SW 4th Ave building.  More information will be available on the Planning and Sustainability Commission website.

Dear Portlander,

Yesterday, Portland’s City Council unanimously voted to adopt the Portland Plan. It can be distilled into four goals: prosperous, educated, healthy and equitable.

When I became mayor of Portland, we started the process of creating a strategic plan that adds a critical element to how we map our future: a fresh focus on the success of our people.

This plan wasn’t hatched in City Hall: it’s the product of two years of research, dozens of workshops and fairs, hundreds of meetings with community groups, and 20,000 comments from residents, businesses and nonprofits.

The Portland Plan is based on the facts. Portland is known for being a well-planned city, but the things we love about our city are not available to all. Portland is becoming a more racially, ethnically and age-diverse city, and nearly 40 percent of Portland’s youth are people of color. Greater equity in the city as a whole is essential to our long-term success.

The Portland Plan’s 5 year action items are focused on:

• Meeting the needs of youth so they can work and thrive.
• Creating a stronger business environment to stimulate job growth.
• Aligning our workforce training and higher education institutions to strengthen our workforce.
• Focusing on making Portland more affordable with more equitable access to services and civic infrastructure.
• Linking neighborhood centers and providing connections for people and wildlife.

I encourage you all to check out the Portland Plan to see how it all works: pdxplan.com.

You may be asking yourself how we’re going to afford all of this. The answer is that this, too, is part of the plan.

Currently more than 20 local agencies that operate in Portland’s 146 square miles collectively spend $8 billion annually. How can we leverage these existing dollars so they achieve more? The Portland Plan knits our efforts together so we can be more effective. Foremost, we need to be smarter with the money we do have.

We are all in this together. The Portland Plan is only as good as the sum of us. Thank you for joining me in making the city’s road map for the next 20 years a great journey for us all.

Onward,



Sam Adams

Read what the Plan has in store for us: pdxplan.com
Make the Portland Plan your Plan: myportlandplan.com