Portland Economic Stimulus Package

PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL ANNOUNCES $503 MILLION-PLUS “PORTLAND JOB CREATION AND ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE” TO FAST-TRACK AN ESTIMATED 4,985 PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS

Plan also boosts housing development, business assistance and worker retraining programs

January 13, 2009

PORTLAND, ORE. — Portland City Council at City Hall today announced a crucial local jobs creation and business stimulus package aimed at revving Portland’s economic engine in the midst of a gripping national
recession.

The public infrastructure projects will invest $503 million into the city’s economy and fast-track the creation of an estimated 4,985 jobs.

The “Portland Job Creation and Business Stimulus Package” calls for speeding up selected city government construction projects, boosting housing investments and expanding loan assistance to local small businesses and retraining opportunities to job seekers.

The bulk of the jobs created with this proposal result from fast-tracking, over the next 12 months, city public works and construction projects originally slated for construction over one to three years.  The City plans to use existing capital budget resources and to speed up its public works and construction projects, and will not further increase fees or taxes or incur more-than-anticipated debt to pay for the projects announced today.

Economists predict deepening job losses to peak over the next 12 months.  In addition to creating local jobs at the time Portland needs them most, City leaders believe that the City will save tax dollars by doing more projects now when the construction industry is offering more competitive bids and by avoiding construction related inflation that runs about at out 6% annually.

“We know Portland’s economy is in a better position than most regions, and your City Council is going to do everything we prudently can to keep it that way,” said Mayor Sam Adams.  “This city government has to cut its budget but we will also redouble our efforts to help our people and our businesses during this troubled times.”

“In times like these, public investment is essential,” Commissioner Randy Leonard said. “The good jobs these projects provide will serve the immediate needs of our economy and generations of Portlanders.”

The focus will be in the areas of Public Infrastructure, Housing, Local Businesses and Development, and Workforce Development.

“The best thing about the plan is its across-the-board reach,” Commissioner Nick Fish said. “The community will see benefits from environmental, parks, transportation and water improvement projects.”

The Stimulus Plan will use available and budgeted resources to immediately benefit the city’s families and businesses, while also moving forward with long-term strategies to help our region thrive.

“The momentum generated by this plan will leave the city better able to fully regain its stride when the economic climate improves,” Commissioner Dan Saltzman said.

Under the Stimulus Plan, infrastructure projects already in the funding pipeline in the next several years are being fast-tracked to maximize immediate creation of local, private sector jobs through City contracts.

“As I find out more about my portfolio over the next 100 days,” Commissioner Amanda Fritz said, “I will be asking for more projects to be expedited, consistent with Mayor Adams’ fine direction for economic stimulus.”

Since the General Election, the Portland City Council has moved aggressively to respond to the national recession:

• On  November 15, 2008, the Portland City Council requested $880 million in public works funding from the emerging federal stimulus package.
• On December 27, 2008, mayor-Elected Sam Adams and Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler asked the Federal Emergency management Administration to provide local small businesses assistance due to the recent snow and ice weather events.
• On January 7, 2009, the Portland City Council reorganized and streamlined city bureau operations related to business assistance and permitting.
• On Thursday, January 15, 2009, the Portland City Council will announce the “Portland is Better Together” volunteer and chose local public service initiative.

At the direction of the Portland City Council, City government is in the midst of cutting its operating budgets due to a reduction of tax and fee revenues.  Bureaus have been requested to rank services and programs based bureau mission and public demand.  The Mayor Proposed Budget will be released in mid-April 2009.  The resources used to fund the public works and construction projects outlined in the “Portland Job Creation and Business Stimulus Package” are from capital budgets, not impacted by the requested budget reductions.

Link to related documents and the full text of the local economic stimulus package:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/dc97beeb70/8da4d91d6a/3c9434fb9d/c=49278&a=225953

For the outline of steps Council has taken in response to the economic slowdown:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/dc97beeb70/8da4d91d6a/72003e88c7/id=225977

For description of Portland’s Job Creation and Business Stimulus package:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/dc97beeb70/8da4d91d6a/147e16b819/id=225979

For detailed description of the $500 million dollar investment in fast-tracked, private-sector construction projects:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/dc97beeb70/8da4d91d6a/ce07a322f1/id=225974

For list people who participated in the creation of the package:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/dc97beeb70/8da4d91d6a/f12f2192e9/id=225971

Media Mentions:

Fox Oregon 12: “Mayor’s Stimulus Plan to Create New Jobs”
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/dc97beeb70/8da4d91d6a/a758d12616

Oregonian: “Portland will spend $500 million to Stimulus Local Economy:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/dc97beeb70/8da4d91d6a/d1bf3e69ba/a=226005&c=27435

Portland Tribune: “City Readies Plan to Boost Sagging Local Economy”
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OfficeofCommissioner/dc97beeb70/8da4d91d6a/d8032e7f0b/story_id=123170022641530000

Philip Mote to Lead Oregon’s New Climate Research Institute

Oregon Climate Change News for January 6, 2009

Philip Mote to Lead Oregon’s New Climate Research Institute
By Mark Floyd, 541-737-0788

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A national leader in analyzing the impacts of climate change will direct a new legislatively established institute in Oregon that is designed to facilitate research on issues related to global climate change.

Philip W. Mote, the Washington state climatologist, will direct the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and become a professor in the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University, where the institute will be located. He will begin his new duties on a part-time basis in the spring, transitioning to full-time in the summer of 2009.

This Oregon University System research institute was established in 2007 to help the state better plan for and respond to climate change. In addition to facilitating research and providing climate change information to Oregon decision-makers, OCCRI will support the state’s new Oregon Global Warming Commission, created last year by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski.

“I am pleased that Phil Mote has agreed to be the first director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute,” Kulongoski said. “This institute will be critical to advancing Oregon’s position as a leader in climate change research and policy development, and Phil’s world class background in this area will help ensure Oregon continues to be a leading resource on climate science nationally and around the globe.”

Mote is a leading scientist on the impacts of climate change, including variations in Pacific Northwest and national snowpacks, sea levels, water resources, precipitation and temperatures. He was a lead author for the fourth assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which received a Nobel Prize for its efforts.

Washington’s state climatologist since 2003, Mote also is a research scientist with the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington, where he has worked since 1998, and is an affiliate professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences. He has a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the UW and received his undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard University.

“I am really excited to lead this new institute, building partnerships both among researchers across the Oregon University System and between researchers and people who need to understand what climate means for them – whether in state government, the private sector, or whatever,” Mote said.

“The level of enthusiasm among researchers and many other Oregonians for this new institute is part of what made this job so appealing,” Mote added.

Mark Abbott, dean of OSU’s College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, said Mote’s leadership experience and extensive collaborative research will position the new center to become a critical asset for the state. Broadening scientific understanding will lead not only to better policy, Abbott added, but it will help Oregon make wise investments for the future.

“Because our society has become so technologically dependent, in many ways we have become increasingly fragile,” said Abbott, who is a member of the National Science Board. “When we are confronted by extreme phenomena – whether it is a Hurricane Katrina, a severe drought, or even a sudden snowstorm in Portland – things tend to grind to a halt.

“Gaining more scientific understanding of these processes is critical, whether they are natural, caused by humans or a combination of both,” Abbott added. “That understanding will allow us to target our resources more strategically – on a broad scale when considering things like water availability, or down to the local level of determining whether to buy additional snowplows.”

George Pernsteiner, chancellor of the Oregon University System, said Mote will help coordinate climate change research and outreach among faculty from a variety of fields through Oregon’s public institutions and develop new research partnerships to help the state and the private sector meet the challenges and opportunities of climate change.

Before joining the University of Washington staff full-time in 1998, Mote was a research scientist at NorthWest Research Associates in Bellevue, Wash., and spent two years in Scotland as a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh. He also taught for two years at Monte Vista Christian High School in Watsonville, Calif.

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About the OSU College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences: COAS is internationally recognized for its faculty, research and facilities, including state-of-the-art computing infrastructure to support real-time ocean/atmosphere observation and prediction. The college is a leader in the study of the Earth as an integrated system, providing scientific understanding to address complex environmental challenges.

FHWA Successes in Stewardship

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently announced that their January issue of “Successes in Stewardship” newsletter is now available.  This issue’s feature story is “Meeting Environmental Requirements After a Bridge Collapse.”

PSU Transportation Seminar Jan 9

Portland State University
Center for Transportation Studies
Winter 2009 Transportation Seminar Series

The Winter 2009 Transportation Seminar Series begins this Friday!

Speaker: Alison Wiley, Transportation Options Program Manager, Oregon Department of Transportation

Topic: Global Warming Transportation Solutions Via Social Marketing

When: Friday, January 9, 2009, 12:00-1:00p.m.

Where: PSU Urban Center Building, SW 6th and Mill, Room 204

• Email questions before or during the seminar to: psuseminar@yahoo.com
• Participate LIVE via streaming video
• View future seminars and past archived seminars via streaming video
• Listen to archived seminars in MP3
• Join the transportation LISTSERVE