Portland $93M debt plan: Get rest-of-state to fund them via Legislature

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Portland State Senator is lobbying for SB 684 to include up to $100 million dollars in tax funds to provide cheap loans and other incentives to private housing construction companies to build more homes with the promise that they will sell a portion of the homes at below market-rates to assist poor Oregonians who can’t afford a home.   Portland would expectedly take nearly half of any such fund.

Portland Mayor, Keith Wilson, unveiled his plan to help fix their $93 million shortfall budget problem.  It includes:

• Get the METRO government and the State Legislature to come up with $24 million in new tax funds to pay for Portland’s homeless services.  But wait!  Portland and the tri-counties passed their Homeless Services Tax Ballot Measure which has brought in nearly $700 million in new taxes (both income tax hikes, business tax hikes) exclusively for homeless and housing programs.  Where did the $700 million go?

• Get the State Legislature to give Portland $10 million for the Portland Transportation Bureau.   This comes after voters re-approved a whopping 10-cent gas tax hike last year (something the Taxpayers Association led the opposition).  Where are Portlander’s 10-cent gas tax revenue going if the Transportation Bureau is in debt?

There you go.

Portland wants METRO and State to help backfill their housing, transportation and human service agencies.

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