Some of the highest taxes in the USA, record traffic deaths and Portland doesn’t have enough money to maintain or improve our transportation system. WHERE is all the money going?
Opinion Piece in the Oregonian:
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is facing a budget crisis, with $32 million in budget cuts projected on top of the $20 million already cut over the past five years. These cuts include critical road and bridge maintenance, traffic light repairs, graffiti removal, and safety programs. With Portland traffic deaths reaching highs not seen in three decades, this shortfall represents a crisis. We can’t afford to not fund the vital safety, maintenance, and planning work that PBOT performs.
PBOT staff have outlined several ways the City Council could close the budget gap, including using a portion of the tax on utility companies operating in Portland. This is a revenue source that has been diverted to other city bureaus over recent years. Another potential solution is a small transportation utility feeassessed on households; this fee could include the same low-income discounts applied to city water and environmental bills. A small increase in parking rates is another potential solution.
Portland’s City Council has options to avert these looming budget cuts and chart a course toward a world-class transportation system. Now is the time to invest in that vision.
Anders Hart, Portland
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This is classic government. Cry about budget shortfall and only come up with items to cut that affect citizens the most. Then they’ll come out with their hand out for a ballot measure with a new tax because they just don’t have any money to do those nice things.
What about cutting back on leased office space by letting employees work full-time from home?
What about cutting out needless middle and upper management?
What about cutting back on their public relations department? Can’t the engineers/project lead talk to the press just fine?
What about cutting back on the car/truck fleet?
Do all the execs need their own administrative assistant or can they share?
What about cutting back on the non-job related forced training?
I’m sure there are many other areas that could be cut back but then the public wouldn’t care as much.
Maybe not hire a Black Male Achievement Analyst? I think black males would benefit more from a safer transportation system In Portland more than having an analyst.
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A buddy of mine that works with the City showed that to me yesterday and all we could do was shake our heads at the utter madness and waste of time, taxpayer money, and resources are spent on this stuff and not on stuff that are currently important to taxpayers. Crime, drugs, etc.
What next?
Black Female AA
Asian Male AA
Asian Female AA
South American Native Male AA
South American Native Female AA
Canadian Native Male AA
Canadian Native Female AA
etc. etc. etc.
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All this city knows how to do is virtue signal. Nothing else.