Street Roots • May 6-12, 2016
Budget plans offer a bold step forward
ach of the proposed budgets by
businesses and goes to support the very
Multnomah County and Portland
things that groups such as the Portland
invest heavily in housing and homeless Business Alliance have been up in arms
services, pledging more than $50 million in
about — helping solve homelessness and
additional support toward the homeless
supporting public safety.
emergency declared in October.
Let’s be honest: A homeless emergency
It’s much needed relief for many, but not
and massive investments in housing this year
nearly enough in scale to solve the problem.
probably would have never happened if the
Something we already know.
mayor hadn’t gone off script Of course, city
No smart person can
and county leaders, advocates and nonprofits
argue that we don’t need
would have continued to do the best we could
radical housing reform in
given the circumstances, but I’m not sure we
Oregon coupled with
would be looking at the scale of investments
multiple, long-term,
in our city without someone coming along
dedicated revenue
and turning the issue on its head.
By Israel Bayer
sources to build more
Maybe it was the mayor’s meeting with
affordable housing.
the
pope, or the fact that he’s not running for
There are no easy
office
again next year that he’s going all in. I
answers. There are even
really
don
’t care.
fewer paths to solving the problem. But on
It would be easy to argue that
the options we do have, it’s
maybe we should wait on the
essential that we deliver.
next mayor and City Council to
That’s why I don’t
Our city is thriving make big changes to our system
understand the controversy
and growing.
regarding the issue of housing
around Mayor Charlie Hales’
proposed 0.3 percent increase Beneath all of the and homelessness. That’s naive.
The crisis is bad enough that
on the business tax - a move
new business,
that will create an additional
condos and shine unless we aren’t able to act
swiftly than we will continue to
$8.7 million in revenue.
is an entire class fall behind. If we as a community
Instead of newspapers,
of people
aren’t actually treating the
politicos and some business
straggling to
housing crisis as an emergency
leaders celebrating smart
survive on our
than we aren’t going to save our
policy, we find ourselves
city.
playing politics and freaking
streets.
Think about this. The city just
out about a 0.3 percent
swept an estimated 450 people
business tax. Really?
from the Springwater Corridor.
The argument against the
Four hundred and fifty! If that were 450
tax is that it would hurt small business
people displaced in a small town in Kansas
owners. However, the expressed intent is to
structure the tax to protect small business,
from a tornado, everyone from the National
as it should. One such option is creating an
Guard to the Red Cross would be called in.
owner’s compensation deduction that will
Instead of being offered food and shelter,
allow small business owners to trim then-
most people were cast out into the city with
taxable profits by up to $125,000.
no place go. That doesn’t even take into
I get it. Portland could deliver a balanced
account the 5,000 other people on our
budget without a tax increase. People think
streets, many of whom are small children and
this mayor isn’t a team player.
elders. It’s a hard-knock life.
Communication is horrible. Other
The truth is there are a lot of people
commissioners and stakeholders weren’t
getting rich in Portland right now. Business
brought along. The mayor never creates a
is good. Our city is thriving and growing.
consensus. It’s his last year in office. It’s
Beneath all of the new business, condos and
nothing more than a legacy budget.
shine is an entire class of people struggling
It’s no secret that some people in Portland
to survive on our streets.
don’t like the mayor’s style. That’s fine. I’m
There’s absolutely no reason that a 0.3
no Charlie Hales apologist. Sometimes I
percent increase in the business tax and a
don’t like it either. Saying that, it doesn’t
healthy budget shouldn’t be passed this year.
mean we should take our eyes off the prize.
We have to set our ideologies and misgivings
What we should all be interested in is helping
to the side. We have to act boldly.
the people of Portland. We certainly
Everyone knows there are no easy
shouldn’t be playing politics at a timé of such
answers to the problems that lie ahead. The
great need.
challenges facing Portland will require great
We don’t get to have our cake and eat it
leadership, political risk by all, and an
too.
Business leaders and other commissioners enormous lift to address the problem at
hand. We have to go the extra mile. We have
should be cheering on this policy move. It
to seize the moment
promises to have little impact on small
E
»IBECTOR'S
BISK
Israel Bayer is the
executive director of
Street Roots. You can
reach him at
israel@streetroots. org
or follow him on
Twitter @israelbayer.
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