if you’re a visual learner i made you some maps of where the people quoted in this article as supporting portland being occupied by troops live

Yep

Next week is Week Without Driving, but internationally, it was Car-Free Day today. I took the morning MAX to my in-district meetings, took a Biketown home, & had a blast doing it (other than biking through Lombard/Interstate). If you always drive, try another way at least once. It's worth it.

Imagine if Prosper Portland gave this to us at the Amtrak station.

The Wheeler Doctrine.

Reducing property vacancy and traffic congestion as part of a plan to reduce unfunded pension liabilities. Imagine if Portland had that level of creativity, let alone could agree that reducing the City-run pension plan’s unfunded liability was an admirable goal. www.plansponsor.com/ncpers-annou...

The Tax Advisory Group of the Portland Central City Task Force endorses reforming the funding policy of the Portland FPDR pension plan: cdn.orbusinesscouncil.org/docs/policy/...

Helsinki (pop 657,000) has not had a single traffic death during the last twelve months. poliisi.fi/-/helsingin-...

Ride to PDX and demand safer biking to the airport on 7/15 at 4pm. www.shift2bikes.org/calendar/eve...

But there’s much better ways to “help” the tax base if that’s really your goal. Kicker reform and property tax reform are obvious ones. Funding Portland’s pension is the one that doesn’t get attention. Or if disincentives for people to live in WA was the goal, then start tolling cars.

FPDR LOAN DISCUSSION: Speaking on the $50M loan from Parks to Fire & Police retirement fund. This funding crisis has been on my radar since 2020. Today's loan is another Band-Aid on a fundamentally broken system.

Watch the testimony from @kmachiz.bsky.social at yesterday's June 10, 2025 Portland City Council Special Session where he explains the "interfund transfer" aspect where FPDR sends $ to PPB and Fire for City + Employee PERS contributions. www.youtube.com/live/Hj_Yt_M...

The author doesn’t know what they’re talking about. 100% of PPB’s PERS contributions are reimbursed by FPDR. @councilorkanal.bsky.social @councilorgreen.bsky.social

They will discuss the $50 million interfund loan from Parks to FPDR at today's Fire and Police Disability and Retirement (FPDR) Board Meeting. bsky.app/profile/marc...

While you are staying busy not asking questions about FPDR please remember to also not ask questions about PPB's Retire Rehire program. DON'T ASK! Chief Day mentions "some of the funding for our retire rehire etcetera" here. (Don't try to figure out the etcetera.) youtu.be/1HumoylIB9s?...

UR operates by taking AV away from all districts, which actually pulls AV (and revenue) out of education and into general government (which Prosper Portland gets to use). Although UR is oft described as being designed to not impact total property taxes (just reallocate them), that’s not true.

Ride to PDX & Demand Safer Biking to the Airport 5/19, 4:15 pm from Cully Park to PDX shift2bikes.org/calendar/eve...

Imagine if someone time travelled from the future to deliver a message to City of Portland. marylandmatters.org/2025/05/14/m...

I feel like if I published garbage like this on my website, I would not want people looking that closely at how I spend taxpayer money! @tonyjordan.bsky.social

continues to be insane that a significant number of police and fire employees in this city have a pension where their benefits are paid directly from property taxes before any other budget priority, without any kind of set-aside or pension fund in between

Move along folks, nothing to see here…

In the FY2025-26 Proposed Budget, one Bureau will consume 34% of all property tax revenue collected by the City of Portland. It’s the Fire & Police Disability & Retirement Bureau. $227.4 million.

FPDR Board of Trustees is considering a $3M COLA for 1,974 members. Thats $1,545/member this year. The sole funding source for this COLA is property taxes and the Board has the authority to raise property taxes without ever consulting voters or City Council. efiles.portlandoregon.gov/record/17198...

Both the pay-as-you-go contributions into the City-run plan and the contributions being forwarded along to OR PERS are projected to rise dramatically. efiles.portlandoregon.gov/record/17165...

Channeling @kmachiz.bsky.social thought in the Budget / Finance Work Session today. It's time to reup a conversation on how to address the opportunity cost of not dealing with FPDR reform. For those unfamiliar, here is an article from last year: www.wweek.com/news/2023/10...

FPDR actuary: "FPDR has a funding structure... that is unique. And I don't mean unique in a fun or particularly positive kind of way. FPDR 2 Benefits are funded on a pay as you go basis each year by the levy. www.youtube.com/live/Fz4apJR...

A 165-page Board Materials document? *CLICK* The Board is reviewing the finances and the levy, and setting the budget for next year.

I keep hearing Portlanders ask why they pay so much in taxes and see so little in return from the City of Portland. Right now, it costs them over $300,000 to pay for a single police officer’s salary and pension on average (before overtime).

There are 2 good reasons to join #BikeLoud 1️⃣By giving, you show you value safe streets. In the very contested arena of street use, our leaders take note. We want to be a formidable force for streets that function well for all of us 2️⃣We sponsor lots of fun events secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/...

It’s times like these that it might be helpful to have a CFO solely focused on being the CFO rather than doing double-duty as a Deputy City Administrator overseeing a portfolio of bureaus. @trryjhrrs.bsky.social www.portland.gov/council-cler...