BUILD IT GREEN! HOME TOUR AND INFORMATION FAIR 2010

for immediate release Thursday, 16 September 2010 CONTACT: Valerie Garrett City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability 503-823-5431 Last call for tickets BUILD IT GREEN! HOME TOUR AND INFORMATION FAIR 2010 Tour Portland’s first-ever permitted straw bale house, and a historic home energy upgrade project by Clean Energy Works Portland Don’t wait until it’s too late to buy tickets for the 9th annual Build It Green! Home Tour and Info Fair happens on Saturday September 25th. Tickets are on sale at Ecohaus (819 SE Taylor St, Portland) and online at www.portlandonline.com/bps/builditgreen. Online sales after September 17th will require will call pick-up at Ecohaus. This year’s tour features twenty-one green remodels and new homes around the Portland metropolitan area. Many of the homes and affordable housing include solar panels, ecoroofs, rainwater harvesting, natural landscaping, water and energy conservation, reused building materials, alternative construction techniques, small footprints and much more.  Homeowners and contractors will be available to share their personal experiences and to answer questions. A FREE family-friendly information fair will follow, with green vendors, demonstrations, food, drink and music. Saturday, September 25th Self-guided Home Tour: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Twenty-one tour stops throught the Portland area. Free Information Fair: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hosted by Ecohaus, 819 SE Taylor Street, Portland Tickets: $15 adults; $10 car-free, students, and honored citizens, FREE for children 14 and under. Purchase tickets (credit card) at www.portlandonline.com/bps/builditgreen or in person (cash or check only) at Ecohaus (819 SE Taylor St, Portland, 503-222-3881). Presented by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability Sponsored by Metro, Energy Trust of Oregon, Solar Oregon, Oregon Home magazine, and City of Portland Bureaus of Environmental Services, Development Services and Water For more info: visit www.portlandonline.com/bps/builditgreen, e-mail greenhotline@portlandoregon.gov, or call 503-823-5431.      ####

Rx Drug Turn-In Event! SATURDAY, September 18th 2010

Turn in your unused prescription drugs!

 Portland Police Bureau and Crime Prevention

Partner to Provide Prescription Drug Turn-In Event

SATURDAY, September 18^th 2010

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Gateway Fred Meyer Store

Northeast 102^nd and Halsey

Look for the Portland Police Bureau Mobile Precinct

The purpose of the one day event is to destroy unused and potentially dangerous prescription drugs in a manner that raises awareness about the abuse of prescription drugs among teens, while protecting our waterways. Community members will be able to turn in unused prescription medications, obtain information about keeping kids safe from the abuse of prescriptions drugs, and interact with Crime Prevention Coordinators and Portland Police Officers. Prescription medications turned in at this event will be incinerated.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE COLLECTION

         ♦       Expired or unwanted prescription medications*

        ♦       Drugs that are no longer used*

        ♦       Medicine from deceased family members*

(Leave all medicines in their original containers if possible)

Please do NOT bring thermometers, needles, or medical waste of any type.

For more information contact:

Jenni Bernheisel at 503-823-2781 or Jenni.Bernheisel@portlandoregon.gov

Katherine Anderson

Southeast Crime Prevention Coordinator

Office of Neighborhood Involvement

1081 SE Oak Street

Portland OR 97214

503-823-3432

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS   Katherine.Anderson@portlandoregon.gov

Visit the Crime Prevention website: www.portlandonline.com/oni/cp   

To help ensure equal access to City programs, services and activities, the City of Portland will reasonably modify policies/procedures and provide auxiliary aids/services to persons with disabilities. Call 503-823-4000, or the City’s TTY at 503-823-6868, or the Oregon Relay Service at 1-800-735-2900 no less than five (5) business days prior to the event.

How do property taxes work, anyway?

Property taxes, like income taxes, can be confusing.  So how are you charged for property taxes here in Oregon?

Real property taxes are based on a fiscal year of July 1^st through June 30^th.  What happens with them?

Real property taxes are a lien as of July 1^st, but are not payable until the county has certified the tax rolls.  Taxes are usually certified in October.  Why are they called Real property taxes?  Real estate is considered “Real” when compared to items such as cars, handbags, mobile homes, all of which are considered “Personal.”  Personal property could be subject to sales tax, and Real property is subject to Real property taxes.

Taxes are considered current if paid in increments of 1/3 as follows:

• July, August, September, October — Due and payable on November 15^th.
• November, December, January, February — Due and payable on February 15^th.
• March, April, May, June — Due and payable on May 15^th.

How does the property tax amount listed in the MLS listing relate to the property?  The amount will change from year to year on July 1st.  A good buyer agent will confirm the amount is correct.  The following year you will get a property tax statement.  If you pay your taxes to your lender, the bill should be mailed directly to the lender, or forwarded.  If there is an overage or an underpayment of taxes based on the accrued amount in your “escrow account,” your lender will send an annual disclosure to notify you of the discrepancy.  A credit or amount due will be disclosed.  The lender may elect within the terms and conditions of the lender agreement to keep the amount due toward the next tax year.  The lender may request payment of an amount owed, or may increase the upcoming mortgage payments to pay back the deficit.

What is an escrow account?  It is the account where your lender collects your tax and insurance payments each month with your principal and interest payment.  It is collected in sufficient amount to pay the tax and insurance bills, when due.

For more information on buying a home or a home buyer packet contact me by email: kathryn@kjkproperties.com, on Twitter: catincluded, on Facebook: kathryn@kjkproperties.com, or by phone at 503-997-9035.  We are conveniently located in Lloyd District at the corner of NE 16th and NE Weidler.  I gladly offer free consultations.

Energy savings with no upfront costs on the improvements!

http://www.cleanenergyworksportland.org/

Mayor Sam Adam’s proposed budget

Dear friends,  

This morning, I presented my proposed budget decisions for the Fiscal Year 2010-2011, a budget focused on meeting Portlanders’ basic needs, fueling a more equitable economic recovery, and assisting those most in need. 

In incredibly challenging times and in the face of decreased revenues, my proposed budget makes strategic choices for Portland. I propose balancing the budget:

1.       Without touching the City’s reserves, a move that protects our city’s highest-possible Aaa Moody’s credit rating;

2.       Without increasing either parking meter fees or general fund taxes;

3.       While protecting the essential functions in public safety, economic development and infrastructure;

4.       By forgoing cost-of-living adjustments for all city employees;

5.       While returning a portion of Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) contract savings to sewer rate-payers. 

This proposed budget illustrates the tough decisions that are being made by the City Council to keep front-line services funded and continue making smart investments for Portland’s future.

In reviewing the cumulative budget requests by the City’s bureaus, I rejected more than half of those bureaus’ requests. Difficult cuts to popular programs, such as the Mounted Patrol Unit, were made in order to make funds available to save priority public safety needs, such as keeping fire stations open, expanding mental health services, and keeping rescue units in action. Rescue units are vital to the city’s public safety, as they have seen increased medical calls for response. The budget strategically invests ongoing and one-time funds to:

·         Ensure public safety, including: 

•  Restoring a fire station from closure and two rescue units from cuts;
• Fully funding the Office of Neighborhood Involvement’s Graffiti Abatement Program;
• Fully funding CHIERS and supporting Multnomah County’s sobering station;
• Funding a prostitution rehabilitation and transition effort; 

• Remain committed to investing in supporting education and academic achievement, which is a proven approach for addressing inequities in our community, by:
• ·         Invest resources to help local businesses grow and create jobs, by:
• Deliver increased housing, hunger and homelessness services, such as:

•  Contributing $500,000 toward the Summer Youth Connect scholarship program, which will help students who qualify to pay for post-secondary education;
• Committing $425,000 to Summer Youth Connect summer jobs , a program that began last year and served 1,650 students county-wide through summer jobs, internships and career and college visits;
• Partially restoring the Parks and Recreation Bureau’s Summer Playground Program and continuing the funding of the Parks’ Teen Programming;

• Directing the Portland Development Commission to reduce operating and administrative costs by 12.5% ($4.0 million); and increase business finance programs, redevelopment loans and storefront grants by $5.6 million in Urban Renewal Areas across the city. 
• Supporting Economic Development initiatives including $500,000 to roll out the Neighborhood Main Street Revitalization program;
• Allocating $388,000 to continue investing in targeted, cluster-driven development and recruitment efforts; 

• Investing $1.3 million to increase shelter bed capacity, especially for the high-demand women’s shelter facilities;
• In addition, allocating $2.5 million for Portland’s Housing Bureau to meet increased demand for shelter services, rent assistance, and access services;
• Contributing $50,000 to the Oregon Food Bank, as they work to combat our region’s record levels of hunger and food insecurity; 

To offset higher-than-anticipated water rates, which will go toward paying for a critically important Westside emergency staging area, the city’s emergency coordination center, and other water health and safety priorities, I proposed reducing the sewer rate increase to keep the combined sewer and water rates lower than forecast. 

A recent study released by the National League of Cities (NLC) reports that the low point for city fiscal conditions typically follows the low point of an economic downturn by at least two years, indicating the low point for cities will come sometime in 2011. This holds true for Portland, as well. Knowing that trend, I started cutting budgets and aligning spending early. At the first sign of a downturn, back in late 2008, I began advocating for immediate cuts, earlier than past city practice.  

Last year, my budget included 5-percent cuts for most bureaus, and 2-percent cuts for public safety bureaus. I called for mid-year budget cuts last year and again called for making tough but necessary mid-year cuts this year. For FY 2010-11, I directed bureaus to prepare 4% cuts to their budgets (and public safety bureaus to prepare 2% cuts). 

That same NLC study shows that city leaders across the nation are responding with deep program cuts and delays and cancellations of capital infrastructure projects. Portland is rejecting that trend; the city has made modest, prudent program reductions and has not canceled capital infrastructure projects. Instead, our local stimulus efforts have resulted in the fast-tracking $500 million of scheduled projects in two years, projects that are absolutely integral to putting to work the unacceptably high rate of unemployed skilled workers in the construction and engineering industries.

LINKS

• Mayor’s Proposed Budget
  
• Decision Package Recommendations
  
• Budget Tracker
  
• Summer Youth Connect: Program numbers

Sincerely,

Sam Adams
Mayor of Portland

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Mayor Adams and Company Call for Reauthorizing Transportation Bill

Mayor Adams, Oregon Congressional Delegation, U.S. House of Representatives Transportation Committee Chair Oberstar, Call for Reauthorizing Transportation Bill Federal bill would drive Portland’s rail, streetcar, and active transportation priorities, creating construction and engineering jobs

 Portland, Ore. – Portland Mayor Sam Adams joined U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon, 4^th District), Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-Oregon, 5^th District), and Congressman David Wu (D-Oregon, 1^st District),  to welcome Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Jim Oberstar (D-Minnesota, 8^th District), to Portland to talk about the need to reauthorize the surface transportation bill and create jobs.  The delegation was joined by Ray Sesma, Vice President of the Western Region of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) and other local government representatives. 

Mayor Adams has been actively working with Portland and Oregon’s congressional delegation to advocate for much-needed federal transportation funding to keep Portland on the leading edge of sustainable, urban transport.

“Portland has talented transportation professionals and a dedicated, experienced Congressional delegation, all working together to deliver jobs and sustainable transportation options for our community,” said Mayor Adams. “I’m proud to stand with Chair Oberstar and my old boss and mentor, Rep. DeFazio, to call for reauthorizing the Surface Transportation Authorization Act. And I will be traveling to Washington, D.C. this month to keep pushing for what Portland needs – federal funds for infrastructure improvements.”

The transportation reauthorization bill provides a vision and a path towards a 21^st Century transportation system. A new transportation bill will make highways safer, reduce congestion, improve efficiency and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Every six years, surface transportation legislation must be reauthorized to set priorities and direct funding for the nation’s highways, bridges, and mass transit system.

“We need to invest in Oregon’s infrastructure, in America’s infrastructure,” said Rep. DeFazio. “These projects will provide jobs today, and countless benefits for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come.”  For Portland, reauthorization includes requests to improve Portland neighborhood connectivity and safety, passenger and freight rail facilities, streetcar expansion, and stormwater management and flood abatement infrastructure.

Portland has requested seven priority projects to be funded by the proposed bill:

 Ø      SW Capitol Highway - $10 million to improve SW Capitol Highway between SW Multnomah Boulevard and SW Taylors Ferry Road, connecting two Portland neighborhood and business nodes, West Portland Town Center and Multnomah Village, to 99-West, I-5 and the Portland Community College Sylvania Campus. Supported by the community for more than a decade, the project includes construction of improvements to an existing 2-lane roadway to make it a multimodal corridor with bike lanes, sidewalks, vehicular travel lanes, improved intersections and innovative stormwater treatment elements. The project will create 168 new jobs during project construction.

Ø      102nd Street Boulevard Improvements/Gateway Phase II - $3 million to implement Phase II of a project targeted at improving NE 102nd Avenue – the main commercial corridor through the Gateway District of East Portland. The Gateway District is a designated Regional Center with a focus on increasing employment and residential growth. Phase I was completed in the fall of 2008. This project serves as Phase II (102nd Avenue from NE Glisan to SE Washington Street) and will widen the existing sidewalks, add additional streetlights and street trees, include additional pedestrian crossings, provide for treatment of stormwater runoff and create or maintain 64 jobs during construction.

Ø      Portland to Lake Oswego Streetcar - The City joins its regional partners in seeking $163 million for the Portland to Lake Oswego streetcar line. The project will extend the existing Portland streetcar line from SW Lowell Street in the South Waterfront district to Lake Oswego. It is anticipated that the project will create an estimated 3,400 jobs and serve more than 10,000 passengers per day.

Ø      Portland Bicycle Boulevard Project- $25 million for over 100 city-wide miles of bike boulevards. Federal funds will fund corridor improvements through traffic signaling, intersection control and traffic-calming devices designed to limit conflicts between automobiles and bikes. The development of this network type will dramatically boost bicycle use beyond the City’s nationally leading levels. The benefits to the City in increasing bicycle use are dramatic: economic (green dividends, tourism and expanding a significant existing bicycle industry), environmental, and transportation congestion relief.

Ø      Portland Streetcar Planning and Alternatives Analysis – $5 million for streetcar planning and alternatives analysis. The City has completed its citywide Streetcar System Plan and must now begin the planning and alternatives analysis for future streetcar lines. This funding would allow the City to move towards an Alternatives Analysis of several of the recommended corridors.  Ø      Division Street Reconstruction/Brooklyn Creek Basin - $3.6 million, roughly one-third of which would construct green-street projects in targeted combined sewer catchment areas to control stormwater runoff from more than eight acres of public streets between Mt. Tabor and the Willamette River. The green street improvements are part of a larger comprehensive set of local green infrastructure improvements referred to as the “Mt. Tabor to the River” project. The remaining funds will reconstruct and repair Division Street between SE 6th and SE 39th Avenues in order to improve pedestrian and bicycle accessibility. The project will create 126 jobs during the construction phase.

Ø      Union Station - $24 million for the next phase of improvements to rehabilitate Union Station. The significance of Union Station, as a multi-modal transportation center in downtown Portland, has greatly increased due to the emergence of a streetcar system in Portland, the Portland Mall Light Rail Project, and the changes to the inter-city passenger bus services over the last 20 years. This request is part of an overall effort to consolidate multi-modal transportation functions along with the existing Amtrak functions into the historic Union Station building.

The bill will also create jobs and stimulate the economy at a time when both are desperately needed.  It is estimated that every $1 billion spent on infrastructure creates 34,779 jobs and $6.2 billion in economic activity.  These investments will create construction jobs, as well as procurement of American-made buses, trains, electrical equipment, computer systems, and software.   

“The intermodal system that you are building here in Portland is a template for America,” said Chair Oberstar. “We need to make serious investments in our roads and bridges and transportation networks to get Americans back to work and keep America competitive globally.”

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