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At least, that's what happens to residents every time they pay their water and sewer bills, according to a recent audit. Of course, if you live here, you've likely been suspicious for a long time - but it's interesting to see it in print: A new audit questions recent decisions by the Portland City Council to spend funds collected from water and sewer users on city programs such as scholarships and model homes.
Finally, city code, state law and bond covenants require that ratepayer money go toward ratepayer services. When it doesn’t, money collected from water and sewer users for purposes unrelated or loosely related to the utilities could be considered an “unauthorized tax,” Griffin-Valade writes in the 28-page report.
Portland water customers paid more than $1.5 million to renovate a rundown building into the headquarters for the Rose Festival Foundation, according to a city audit released today.
It's the latest example of mission creep by city utilities that use money collected from ratepayers to pay for non-utility programs or projects that should instead receive money from the city's discretionary general fund, critics say.
But others, including city Commissioner Randy Leonard, question the analysis and say the projects meet overall city goals.
The audit also found that sewer money is being increasingly used to pay for parks and planning -- annual spending that has increased from less than $200,000 four years ago to $2.5 million today.
Nobody cares what the city goals are - that's irrelevant. What matters is that Portland City Council is stealing money from ratepayers, then jacking up the rates. The audit findings support what ratepayers have suspected all along, and it provides great ammunition for a class action suit against the City.
Portland City Councilor Randy Leonard, who "oversees" the water bureau, had this to say: "The audit's wrong. If I say something relates to water, that's the way it is. You can believe that I'll be working very diligently in the coming months to get rid of these stupid auditors. That is all."
