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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1994)
A pril 06, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver P age A4 <E1{£ 3 •R P: 3 art latti» (f)b s cru e r Do The Damage, Pay The Price Training Project Helps Land Lords Act Against Drug Houses The Planning & Support D iv i sion o f the Portland Police Bureau w ill open a new series o f the Landlord Training Program on Friday, A p ril 8, 9 :00 a. m . to 4:00 p. m ., at the Portland Building, Room C, 1120 SW 5th Avenue. This is the tirs t o f three training to be held at various Portland locations between A p ril 8 and 28, 1994. Over 5,700 landlords and prop erty managers have taken the course in Portland since it began in 1989. Reactions are consistently strong and positive: landlords and managers overwhelm ingly agree the training increased their confidence in screen ing rental applicants and their a b ility to recognize warning signs o l drug activity. The program was developed tor the Portland Police Bureau by John H. Campbell o f Campbell DeLong Resources, Inc., and is funded by the C ity o f Portland. This program has now been replicated in many jurisdic tion across the country, and the U.S. Department o f Justice is developing a national program to encourage still broader implementation. The training are open to the pub lic, and property owners and manag ers from all areas o f town arc encour aged to attend. Space is lim ited, so advance registration is requested. For inform ation and registration, please call the Planning & Support D ivision at 823-6868 (TD D ). sues recovery o f damages for any de structive incident where a guilty party is determined. That way, tax money does not pay when negligence is in volved. Every cost is itemized, right down to the last guard rail post and traffic reflector disrupted by an acci dent. Cleanup, traffic control and dam age to road signs is also recovered. I f an individual or company re roadways, and signs. 1993 was a lo w e r than a v e r fuses to pay, the Department o f Justice age year fo r c o lle c tio n s , w ith $8.3 w ill seek a judgm ent through the m illio n d o lla rs the average o ve r courts. I f it ’ s obtained, they have the the last 10 years. The m ost c o l authority to garnish wages, w ithhold lected so fa r is $1.38 m illio n re tax returns and suspend driver licenses. covered in 1988, the year an in Hall says most people are surprised to surance co m p an y p aid fo r damage find they can lose their license i f they done by a cargo ship that h it the don’ t pay up. Court judgments also include attorney fees and court costs A s to ria b rid g e . The Department o f Justice pur tacked onto the original damage costs. I f you’ re at fault for damage to Department o f Transportation prop erty in Oregon, you w ill pay the price o f repairs. More than 470 individuals and (in many cases) their insurance companies learned thatexpensivc les son last year, as the Department o f Justice collected $734,634 in claims for damage to bridges, guardrails, President's Plan Provides /T Monthly Payments For Low-Income Workers •*« : r C •- ?.c. . Nearly 20 m illio n low-incom e workers may receive up to $100 a month from the government this year thanks to President C lin to n ’ s expan sion o f a special tax break. In a recent speech, the President launched a major campaign to educate the public about the expansion o f the earned Income Tax Credit, which w ill benefit an additional six m illio n low -incom e workers over three years. C alling the credit a benefit to w orking Americans liv in g in p ov erty, the president said, “ The earned income tax credit can help to improve the lives o f w orking people all across the country by liftin g them above the poverty line. ..If you w ork fo r a livin g you shouldn’ t be in poverty.” The Adm inistration has also ex panded the “ advance payment op tio n,” w hich allows recipients to re ceive payments throughout the year rather than w aiting u ntil tax time. The m a jo rity o f Am ericans w ho qualify fo r the Earned Income Tax Credit currently receive their money in one payment after filin g their taxes. But under the advance payment op tion, applicants who have at least one child at home could receive this ben- Statement From Robert H. Elrod • ' » *’ a < A . . *.* *f * -‘r ; A< ‘ F ollow ing is a statement from Robert H Elrod, president o f the Na tional Association o f Realtors, re garding changes to the Federal Hous ing Adm inistration (F H A ) announced by the U.S. Department o f Housing and Urban D evelopm ent (H U D ). N AR , “ The Voice fo r Real Estate,” is the nation’ s largest trade association, representing nearly 750,000 m em bers involved in a ll aspects o f the real estate industry. We stand firm ly behind H U D ’s decision to lower the mortgage insur ance premium charged to home buy ers who use the F H A single-fam ily program. Transaction costs have a l ways been a m ajor barrier to home ownership, and this action attacks the problem head on. H U D ’s decision is truly s ig n ifi cant. We estimate that low ering the premium from the current rate o f 3.0 percent to 2.25 percent w ill open up home ownership to between 200,000 and 270,000 additional households nationwide who would other wise '•'ri V M ’S ? ** •. have been closed out. We congratulate the department and F H A fo r finding a balance be tween housing affo rd ab ility and the financial solvency o f the insurance fund. The department also has made a wise move in revising F H A ’ s (2O3)k loan program. By stream lining this product and making it easier to use, H U D w ill help the program realize its potential as a m ajor rehabilitation e fit in their regular paycheck. The president noted that qualifying appli cants “ m ight literally get another $100 a month to help feed children, or clothe them, or meet basic fam ily expenses.” T re a s u ry S e cre ta ry L lo y d Bentsen noted that those eligible could register for advance payment simply by fillin g out a W -5 form and present ing it to their employers. Q ualifying workers could receive 60 percent o f their tax \cre d it on a regular basis throughout the year. The remaining 40 percent would be received as a lump-sum credit at tax time. Secretary Bentsen said although 80 percent o f eligible workers already claim the tax credit, only one percent use the advance payment option. To increase the rate, the Adm inistration is spearheading a national e ffo rt to inform employees and employers about the new opportunity, beginning w ith the federal government itself. I f you expect to earn under $23,755 this year you may qualify for the tax credit or advance payment. Ask your employer for more inform a tion or call the 1RS at 1-800-829- Open Mon. - Fri. 9:00am to 5:00pm Saturday 10:00am to 2:00pm Sunday Closed So please. . . Talk in normal tones • no yelling or swearing. Free Estimates Keep the bus lookin' good • don’t litter or damage It. Keep the aisle free • and keep feet off the seats. (503)289-7434 No fighting, wrestling or arguing. (Before 8am & After 6pm) your fellow passengers and your driver. mHSi Bpc-3oreC by ttw Black United Front,Vfope and Handwork Can-pa, jn DREAM S FO R SALE. t f y o u 'v e a l w a y s h a d t h e d r e a m o f o w n in g y o u r o w n h o m e , y o u r m a y h a v e ju s t o o m e tr u e . F o r a s l i t t l e a s y o u ’r e p a y i n g in m o n t h ly r e n t a n d a m o d e s t d o w n p a y m e n t , y o u c o u ld b u y a H U D H o m e . T h a t s r ig h t. T h e U .S . D e p a r t m e n t o f H o u s in g a n d U r b a n D e v e lo p m e n t T H E B R E A M O F O W N IN G Y O U R O W N H O M E C A N C O M E T R U E FOR A B O U T W H A T Y O U ’RE PA Y IN G IN R EN T. ( H U D ) h a s p r o g r a m s t h a t m a k e o w n in g a h o m e e a s ie r t h a n y o u th in k . P r o g r a m s t h a t w ill e v e n h e l p y o u c o v e r m o s t if n o t a ll o f y o u r c l o s in g c o s t s . If y o u ’d lik e m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e h o m e y o u 'v e a l w a y s d r e a m e d o f, c o n t a c t y o u r r e a l e s ta te a g e n t. O r, fo r a fr e e b ro c h u re o n h o w to b u y a H U D h o m e , c a ll 1 - 8 O O - 7 B 7 - 4 H U D . COMMISSION MEETING Date: A p ril 13, 1994 Place: Portland Building 1120SW Fifth Ave., 11 th Floor Portland, Oregon Time: 8:00 a m. finaincng tool. we look forward to w orking w ith H U D to implement the F H A changes announced today. It is clear that the C linton adm inistration realizes the importance o f making F H A a m ajor Commission meetings are open to the public. A complete agenda is available at PDC or by calling 823-3200. Citizens w ith disabilities may call 823-3232 or T D D 823-6868 for assistance at least 48 hours in advance. vehicle for promoting home owner ship among low-and m oderate-in PDC is the Q ty of Portland's urban renewal, housing and economic development agency. come Am erican families. Ranges From s 129°° Licensed & Bonded Upon Request Cut & Trim Tree's & Hedges Clean UP & Hauling Yard Debris How To Select A Home Alarm System PORTLAND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION" Refrigerators From s129°° Lawn Service d re a m roc UJasher & Dryer $199' 100 J & M 1040. The P o rtlan d P o lice Bureau Alarm Information O ffice w ill be spon soring a How to Select a Home Alarm System class. This class w ill be held Wednesday, A p ril 6lh, from 7:00 p.m . - 9:00 p.m. at the Justice Center, lo cated at 1111 S. W. Second Avenue, 12th floor. Instructing theclass w ill be Alarm Inform ation O ffice r Bob T ille y o f the Portland Police Bureau. O ffice r T ille y w ill discuss home security and how to select a home alarm to fit your needs, as w ell as how to prevent false alarms. This is an excellent opportunity to become an informed consumer, espe cia lly i f you are considering purchas ing a home alarm system. You can resister by calling the Alarm Inform ation U n it at 823-0031 or by m ailing your name, address and phone number to: O fficer Bob T ille y c/o Portland Police Bureau Room 1202 1111 S. W . Second Avenue Portland OR 97204 McMurphy's Rpplionce Center T h e r e ’s n e v e r b e e n a b e t t e r t im e t o fo llo w y o u r d r e a m , b e c a u s e n o w y o u c a n a ff o r d it Êr 5? EDM opportunity w e ’ ll H elp you o w n a piece O f A merica To qualified buyers only on homes with FHA insured financing Closing costs and fees additional ' 4 1 T . Vi