City of Portland to ratepayers: "You've done a great job at using less water, like we're always telling you to do. So we're going to have to charge you more."
City residents now face rate increases of 7.8 percent for water and 7.85 percent for sewer and stormwater services, according to budget requests from the Portland Water Bureau and the Bureau of Environmental Services.
Portland already has among the highest rates for water/sewer in the USA. Interestingly, unlike most cities, Portland's Bull Run water supply is pristine, requiring no filtration and little treatment apart from standard chlorination. And unlike any other city in the USA, water from Bull Run flows to the city by gravity; deployment of large numbers of pumping stations aren't required.
But hey. The U.N. loves the place:
The United Nations Environment Programme has selected the City of Portland to host this year’s North American World Environment Day. A variety of public events will lead up to the World Environment Day celebration on June 5, 2013.
They've noted that Portland is often rated the number one green city in North America. So there you go. That we're rapidly reaching the point wherein you won't be able to afford to live here is irrelevant. Green - and preferably shiny - is where it's at.
Potholes are cool; they can become bioswales.
All on their own, if you just don't maintain the roads. Roads, after all, aren't what bring folks to Portland to pat politicians on the back; bike paths and bioswales, streetcars and shiny light rail trains do that. And flying Twinkies, mustn't leave them out:
So take a ride with us, we're not going skiing
Don't call it a gondola, like those Europeans
We'll join the tourists & the people in trouble
Up to the hospital in our traveling bubble
The floating twinkies-- they always come in a pack
The flying twinkies-- one goes there, one comes back
The floating twinkies-- oh look! there goes my yard
The flying twinkies-- but they're not filled with lard
Well the Space Needle's got one hell of a view,
But that needle won't cure you if you ever get the flu,
So take the twinky.
Portland's City Auditor released her report today. From the look of it, Mayor Charlie did well when he fired the head of Portland Bureau of Transportation (a good friend of former mayor Sammy) before even entering the Mayors' office.
"Well over a third of pavement that PBOT maintains is in poor or worse condition," Auditor Griffin-Valade said. "As street condition deteriorated, City Council chose to invest in competing transportation priorities without an overall strategy, allowing future costs for restoring street pavement to multiply."
But hey. The U.N. loves Porkland.
