Measure Endorsements for May, 2011 Election

The Endorsement Task Force (ETF) of the Multnomah County Democratic Party gathered information about measures on the ballot in May of 2011, studied them and deliberated to make the following recommendations to the Central Committee, which discussed and voted on the proposals to endorse at the meeting on April 14th. 

A vote to take a position on any measure requires a 2/3 majority. That is, if 2/3 vote to support a measure then the Party will support it; if 2/3 vote to oppose it, the Party will oppose it; any other result means that the Party takes no official position.

The following measures were considered:

The Parkrose School Bond, Measure #26-123

The Portland School Bond, Measure #26-121

The Portland School Levy, Measure #26-122

Each of these measures received the required 2/3 majority and is officially endorsed

by the Multnomah County Democratic Party.

From KC Hanson, Chair:

At the end of this month, voters in Multnomah County will begin to receive their ballots for the May 17 Election. In addition to a variety of races for local board positions, voters in Portland Public School and Parkrose School Districts will be voting on Bond Measures to increase funding for both operations and facilities.  On April 14, the Multnomah County Democratic Party voted to endorse a YES vote for each one of these 3 measures.

That these are difficult economic times was not lost on the Precinct Committee Persons casting ballots. While each Measure received at least the 2/3 majority needed for Party Endorsement, no measure received unanimous support.  Multnomah County Democrats are keenly aware of the irony of the Washington DC environment producing continuing tax advantages for the nation's wealthiest, while everyday citizens are asked to make sacrifices just to maintain the services and institutions that make us a community.

Nonetheless, we feel that our Portland youth must continue to receive the best educational services and facilities we can provide, even with the financial challenges many of us face.

Details

Measure #26-123

Parkrose School Bond to Upgrade Facilities, Replace Middle School.

Shall District renovate and upgrade facilities, replace middle school, improve safety, technology by issuing $63,000,000 in general obligation bonds? If the bonds are approved, they will be payable from taxes on property or property ownership that are not subject to the limits of sections 11 and 11b, Article XI of the Oregon Constitution.

Background: Parkrose School District’s 1995 general obligation bond levy expires in December, 2011. Bonds would mature in 30 years or less from their date of issuance and may be issued in one or more series.

ETF Recommends YES vote by the Central Committee to endorse this measure.

Arguments in favor of passage:

·      If passed, this bond measure will not increase resident’s property taxes

·      There is much growth in east Portland, ½ of Portland’s school children now live east of 82^nd Ave.

·      There is no organized opposition to this measure – there are no arguments of opposition in the voters pamphlet

·      Investing in schools keeps property values up and communities strong

·      Will bring construction jobs to Parkrose

·      Our community schools deserve our support

·      Bond will construct new Parkrose middle school, abate & remove asbestos hazards, repair failing HVAC systems & decaying roof structures, construct flexible learning spaces at elementary schools & upgrade technology infrastructure

·      In an effort to reduce the bond’s cost to taxpayers, the District is seeking state and federal funding and grants.

Arguments against passage:

·      If this measure fails, the current levy in the Parkrose district will expire on schedule and property taxes in the Parkrose school district may decline (depending on the actions of other tax jurisdictions affecting the district).

Measure #26-121

Portland Public Schools Bonds to Update, Renovate Local School Buildings

Shall PPS update, rebuild, increase safety at public schools; retire debt; issue $548 million in general obligation bonds, audit spending? If the bonds are approved, they will be payable from taxes on property or property ownership that are not subject to the limits of sections 11 and 11b, Article XI of the Oregon Constitution.

ETF recommends a YES vote by the Central Committee to endorse this measure.

Arguments in favor of passage:

·      PPS buildings average 65 years old. Safety, security, classrooms and technology are out of date in nearly every building

·      This can’t wait – we have urgent safety needs now – pipes in classrooms and hallways that leak asbestos when touched, seismic problems at every school, oil-fire boilers that are fire safety hazards (we just had one at Marysville).

·      Portland is the only school district in the Metro area that doesn’t have a bond – and that’s putting our kids at a competitive disadvantage – if we believe in public school and want kids to go to public school, we need to invest in the schools. Otherwise, our schools will be the places where the poor kids go.

·      The bond is a plan to get to every school in the next 30 years – the schools average 65 years in age – we need to get started now. If we don’t, these schools will become such hazards that we’ll have emergencies that will cost us money that should be going to the classroom.

·      The bond is overseen by committee of construction engineers that are independent and aren’t bidding on the work

·      There are 5 arguments in opposition in the voter guide – 3 are from taxpayer groups, one is from the Multnomah Republican Party and the other is from a private citizen concerned about illegal immigrants

·      There are 25 arguments in favor of passage –these include PTAs, teachers, parents, Portland Fire Fighters Association, Portland Police Association, a Portland schools custodian, Chinook Book arguing that this will be good for business, the Association of Retired Citizens, an “empty nester” arguing that while they no longer have any kids in schools, someone “did it for us” when their kids were in public school

Arguments against passage:

·      If passed this will raise property taxes during tough economic times. The median assessed home value in the school district is $147,000 – the median homeowner would pay approximately $300 annually for 6 years, then reduced to $22 per year.

·      We should vote no on this bond measure and bond measures in the future until the amount requested more closely resembles what we can afford

·      The amount requested is just too big

·      If property taxes go up, renters will see their monthly rent go up as well

Measure # 26-122

Portland Public Schools levy for teachers and educational programs

Shall schools protect class size, teaching positions; levy $1.99 per $1,000 assessed value for five years beginning 2011; require oversight?

ETF recommends YES vote by the CC to endorse this measure.

Arguments in favor of passage:

·      Will fund 600 teaching positions (some in every school) including 200 that would be lost in the coming school year due to state budget cuts

·      Will prevent substantial increases in class size

·      No money will go to administrative costs –  independent citizen oversight will review expenditures so funds are used as voters intended

·      There are no arguments in opposition in the voter pamphlet and there are 8 arguments in favor

·      This is the moderate, safe choice. It addresses the most immediate financial needs for our schools. No one seems to be arguing that the cost of the measure is unreasonable or that it is not needed.

Arguments against passage:

·      Passage of this measure may cause property taxes to increase by more than three percent and given how poor our local economy is, this is a terrible time to raise taxes.