by Mr. Why
Clackamas County’s hearing room will be packed with opponents to the Milwaukie extension of light rail both today from 5:30-7pm and tomorrow. But as opposition mounts Tri Met also meets today to connive a way to build a light rail bridge with money they don’t have while cheerleading a new tax for car owners for a Sellwood Bridge fix. The point is: there’s always money “found” for light rail while holding hostage the fixes to the broken down Sellwood Bridge for use by cars. The fix is in and here’s how it’s going down. Buckle up your seat belt.
TriMet will authorize the selling of $722 million in bonds and a NO BID contract for the Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge. It will go down in infamy as the largest single day misappropriation for the most ill conceived project in Oregon history.
NO BID CONTRACT“Resolution 10-12-65 Authorizing a Contract with Kiewit Infrastructure West, Inc. for Design-Build Services for the Willamette River Bridge Segment of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project “
“Note that they’ve super sized the bond debt since last month: $159 million in capital grant receipt bonds (to be paid back through regional flex funds); $63 million (not the previously claimed $40 or even the “amended” $40-60 million) in payroll tax-backed bonds; and $500 million in revenue bonds (hopefully paid back from FTA grants).”
In meantime they’ll stick it to car owners for a $40 car tax to supposedly help with fixes to the Sellwood Bridge. But that’s just what they want you to think. In fact, that money will help free up money for light rail. After the hearing on the issue November 24th, Clackamas County Commissioner Barnard acknowledged the bridge would get built without Clackamas County’s $22 million. A task that would be much easier if Metro’s $178 million in flex funds intended for Milwaukie Light Rail was re-allocated to the bridge. Instead Sam Adams intends on re-allocating $20 million from the Sellwood bridge to Milwaukie Light Rail. No wonder they want Clackamas County’s $22 million for the bridge. It’s a despicable shell game.
Tri Met and the Clackamas County Commission are conspiring to thwart the will of most of Clackamas County and issue a NO BID contract to build a bridge for light rail to a place NOBODY wants and stick the taxpayers with the bill. As the Clackamas County Review observed from the November 24th meeting,
At least at the hearing last week, few were persuaded by county officials’ arguments for the toll.Leonard Nixon, 72, drove up all the way from between Colton and Molalla with his friend Joe Davis.“What this is is a foot in the door for more taxes and fees,” Nixon said. “Once government gets one of these taxes or fees started, they never let it go.With over 10 percent unemployment, people have a responsibility to become involved in making government agencies think outside the box to not hurt average people.”
He’s right, of course. But Tri Met and now the Clackamas County Commission don’t care about the taxpayers.
