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