Readers share ideas for a better Portland
First forum delves into familiar topics
We asked NW Examiner subscribers if they had any ideas for the good of the city … and they did.
About 30 people responded to our invitation to join a small discussion group to talk about the topics stirring their hopes and imaginations. Three clusters of issues emerged from the first forum, which was attended by nine readers on Feb. 21. This is the report of moderator Steve Kanter.
Cleaner and more enticing city
A: Homeowners keep their property and area in front, sidewalks, planted strips and curbs clean daily;
B: Renters and condo owners in buildings organize with management companies/landlords/residents associations and/or neighborhood associations to accomplish the same goals;
C: Commercial buildings, retail stores, service buildings and restaurants keep their street fronts, sidewalks, strips and curbs clean daily; and
D: Vacant commercial buildings and properties—property owners and neighborhood associations need to coordinate to ensure daily cleanup.
In conjunction with the above, city needs to power-wash problematic sidewalk and street curbs in commercial strips and areas daily very early each morning on all dry weather days.
To support and encourage above, initiate a program to give building and commercial property owners a prominent sticker of compliance to display.
Improve government structure
Pick one issue to be addressed by a “civic jury” within six months, such as a parks property inventory for either mothballing/decommissioning or proper upkeep and maintenance. The jury could be 12 citizens from across the city. Fact experts and advocates would make their presentations to the jurors, who would deliberate and make recommendations to decision-makers for action. Could collaborate with Portland State University Center for Public Service, City Club, etc.
Start small but promptly and demonstrate success. The city needs to address its core functions, including tackling deferred maintenance and the issues identified by Sub Group I.
Pursue charter and legislative reforms, including possible consolidation of city, Multnomah County (as in the MultNoMo initiative) and reconsider the current method of ranked choice voting.
Improve systems for addiction and mental health services, especially for homeless populations
Entice, and when necessary, compel treatment. Need more inpatient beds for severely mentally ill and more robust community treatment combined with housing and shelter, and correspondingly more residential drug and alcohol treatment. Make civil commitment easier when necessary and require treatment when appropriate as condition of housing and related assistance or to avoid low-level criminal sanctions. Accountability and follow up are critical. State and the local jurisdictions desperately need to fix and strengthen all aspects of the broken criminal justice system.
Coordinate and organize all nonprofit and government entities working on these problems in order to overcome current balkanization and ineffectiveness.
Another forum will be scheduled soon to include those who could not be part of the first session.
I love that this is going on. However, I am a bit disappointed how both remedial and, well frankly, ignorant the results are. I just stopped at this and groaned:
Proposed new idea: cleaner and more enticing city - homeowners keep their property and area in front, sidewalks, planted strips and curbs clean daily;
Did anyone at this meeting think to check what laws exist to require this or even discuss "new ideas" on how to move from code to actual enforcement? Is anybody even discussing why citizen violation of this code occurs so regularly and how that might be mitigated?
Everything proposed in this "new idea" is a matter of City code (law.) Here are the highlights:
Chapter 17.28 Sidewalks, Curbs and Driveways (This includes the planting and parking strips - all parts of City right of way.) The owners of land abutting any street in Portland are responsible for constructing, reconstructing, maintaining and repairing the sidewalks, curbs, driveways and parking strips abutting or immediately adjacent to said land, except as provided in Subsections B. and C. The property owners are liable for any and all damages to any person who is injured...(sic) ....by reason of the property owners’ failure to keep such sidewalk, curb, driveway or parking strip in safe condition and good repair.
17.102.290 Storing Solid Waste, Recycling or Compostable Containers in the Right of Way Prohibited. No person may store, or cause to be stored, containers of solid waste, recycling or compostables in public right-of-way without a permit from the City Administrator. For the purposes of this Section, storage means leaving containers in the right of way for more than two hours either before or after collection during normal business hours.
29.20.010 Outdoor Maintenance Requirements. It is the responsibility of the owner of any property, improved or unimproved, to maintain the outdoor areas of the property and adjacent rights of way in a manner that complies with the following requirements: The list of requirements is long, but covers far more than this "new idea" does.
So. What's exactly new about this idea? And how did getting together, solve a proposed (suggested) problem with a new solution?
The problem is not a lack of laws to provide protections insuring a cleaner, enticing city, its a preponderance of scofflaws failing to comply with the laws (out of ignorance or with intent) and the City's absolute failure to enforce these laws in order to ensure they are obeyed - resulting in a cleaner, more enticing city.
Let me know when you have a serious meeting to discuss how to get the City departments and their employees to uphold city code. Because when you crack that nut, you will, by application, solve a ton of other problems.
The irony is that some of us on fixed income struggle to pay the Multnomah County property taxes.