Local News
TriMet
YOUR COMMENTS
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day. Monthly passes would cost $100 for
adults, $30 for youth and $26 for honored
citizens.
McFarlane says the fare increases are
needed to avoid further reductions to servic-
es, which have been cut for the last four
years. An online survey completed by 4,800
people supported fare increases and was
strongly against service cuts.
“I was surprised about the resistance to
cutting any more services and how uniform
that was,” said McFarlane. “I think there is
a sense that after the last four years of serv-
ice cuts we have cut through the fat and now
we are into muscle and possibly hitting
bone.”
Still, some service reductions are part of
the proposed mix. TriMet is looking at con-
solidating routes in Northwest and
Northeast Portland and in Beaverton. Some
riders who can now complete their trip on
one bus could have to transfer. It’s also
looking at cutting some trips on 26 bus
lines, including cutting Saturday service on
three lines. The agency also is proposing
cutting some MAX line train trips during
low ridership hours.
The $17 Million shortfall
Why is the agency facing the $17 million
shortfall? TriMet’s budget woes are in part
due to the recession, which has reduced
agency revenue from payroll taxes, and
other state sources. Facing a $60 million
shortfall, TriMet already has made deep
cuts. Management wages have been frozen
for the last four years. The agency reduced
its workforce by 200 people. Federal stimu-
lus money of $14 million cushioned the
blow. This year, however, federal funding is
projected to drop by $4 million.
Yet, according to McFarlane, the biggest
factor is the rising cost of employee health-
care benefits. Negotiated through a contract
with the Transportation workers union,
ATU, the average cost for employee health-
care is now $21,836 and rising. Employees
who work at TriMet for 10 years or more
continue to receive healthcare benefits after
retirement.
Union advocates say the benefits are part
of their pay package and were fairly negoti-
ated. Management says the benefits, which
provide services with few or no co-pays, are
unrealistic in today’s healthcare market. The
management healthcare plan, which does
have co-pays for visits and medication,
costs an average of $11,754 per employee.
McFarlane points to data that shows if the
trend continues, healthcare costs are pro-
jected to make up 42 percent of the agency
budget in 5 years.
Jonathan Hunt, President of ATU 757, the
Union representing TriMet employees, said
in a statement to the agency’s board that
TriMet could save millions if it stopped
contracting out services for elderly and dis-
abled citizens. Citing a 2008 audit by
accountants Lauka & Associates he says,
“TriMet could save over 7 million dollars a
year … by dumping the private contractors
and performing the service in-house.
“Based on 2004/05 fiscal year budget
numbers, the most recent full year budget
figures provided by TriMet at the time, the
audit revealed that TriMet would save near-
ly 7 million taxpayer dollars annually, if
they brought paratransit service in-house.
Hunt also urged cutting management jobs,
which he says have grown by more than
100.
With a contract that expired 28 months
ago, TriMet and the union are currently in
arbitration over healthcare benefits.
To comment you can find full details of
the proposed cuts and service changes
online at
http://trimet.org/mailforms/budgetpro-
posal or attend one of the upcoming
Open Houses:
Saturday, Feb. 11, from 1-3 p.m.
Beaverton Library Conference Room
12375 SW 5th St.
Beaverton, OR
Monday, Feb. 13, from 4:30–6:30
p.m.
Multnomah County East County Health
Center, Sharron Kelly A & B
600 NE 8th St.
Gresham, OR
Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 4:30 to
6:30 p.m.
Portland Building, Room C
1120 SW 5th Ave.
Portland, OR
Thursday, Feb. 16 from 4:30 to 6:30
p.m.
Clackamas Town Center, Community
Room, Lower Level
12000 SE 82nd Ave.
Clackamas, OR
More Budget Hearings are scheduled
for March. Check the TriMet website or
the Skanner News calendar.
Social
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says Mayo. “The cognitive deals with intel-
lectual functions while the adaptive refers to
social skills. Every person on the planet has
some kind of developmental challenges but
the purpose of the diagnosis is for people
with special needs to receive services.”
According to its mission statement, the
group supports adults with special needs in
accessing healthful, meaningful and envi-
ronmentally responsible activities
in their community.
Specifically, Mayo says On-the-
Move combats social isolation.
She says there has been a pro-
gression over the years in how we
provide services for people with
developmental disabilities.
Originally, people with special
needs were kept in institutions and
completely segregated from socie-
ty.
Afterwards, the policy moved towards
more sight based programs. These programs
provided places for people with develop-
mental disabilities to go but didn’t address
the community as a whole, says Mayo.
She describes the Community Integration
strategy as a multi directional exchange
where there is input from clients, staff and
community members. Ultimately, the goal
is to make society more accepting.
On-the-Move serves about 85 clients in
total, most through the Oregon Brokerage
System.
Clients can participate in a number of
activities including volunteer jobs, sports
Matt Dishman and Mt. Scott.
According to Mayo, the program seeks to
help participants meet their own goals.
Most of the work is done in small com-
munity inclusion groups, where three
clients are accompanied by a staff member.
Mayo says this makes it easier for clients
to build relationships and communicate.
“It helps us avoid the field trip dynamic,”
she says.
She says the small group size also
allows the participants to plan their
activities and maintain overall
focus for the program as a whole.
In addition to small groups, there
are also one on one appointments
available.
On-the-Move hosts activities
Tuesday through Saturday.
Activities with clients are gener-
ally held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. There are also evening activities on
Wednesdays and Saturdays.
According to the winter schedule, Tues-
days are dedicated to animals and the
environment. Wednesdays deal with health
and wellness. On Thursdays, On-the-Move
does small group volunteering in the morn-
ing and holds social groups during the
afternoon. Fridays are dedicated to the cre-
ative arts group and Saturdays are for
outings.
The office is closed Sundays and Mon-
days.
Both Mayo and Waggoner stress that On-
the-Move’s programs are beneficial to both
clients and the community.
“We’re trying to build the skills of clients
and teach the community members how to
be more inclusive,” says Mayo.
On-the-Move will be hosting a free
rhythm and movement class with Bobby
Fouther as part of its next Socializing Col-
orfully gathering. The class will be held on
Friday, Feb. 24 from 3-5 p.m. at the On-the-
Move Community Integration office.
According to the event flyer, Fouther’s
classes “foster a sense of pride in one’s cul-
ture and an appreciation of the diversity and
unifying themes of many cultures.”
Participants can pre-register by Feb. 17
by calling 503-287-0346 or contacting On-
the-Move via email at
info@onthemoveonline.org.
dental health care. The organizations would
focus in particular on patients with chronic
diseases, mental illnesses and addictions,
who account for the largest share of health
care spending. Proponents hope they can
lower costs by focusing intensively on prop-
health care, most of whom are on the Ore-
gon Health Plan, the state’s version of
Medicaid for low-income patients. Propo-
nents hope to eventually expand the model
to state and school district employees and
the general public.
Because Congress picks up more
than 60 cents of every Medicaid
dollar spent in Oregon, the Obama
administration has expressed inter-
est in helping with upfront costs to
smooth the path for future savings,
Kitzhaber has said. Critics warn that
Washington hasn’t provided any
guarantees and nothing is in writ-
ing.
Skeptics worry the proposal is
being implemented too quickly, that there’s
not enough money to make it work effec-
tively or that it creates incentives to deny
care. Proponents say the bill addresses those
concerns.
On-the-Move will be hosting a
free rhythm and movement class
with Bobby Fouther as part of its
next Socializing Colorfully
gathering
and free concerts.
Some of the places the group volunteers
include the Oregon Food Bank, Multnomah
County Library and the Oregon Zoo.
Clients take part in health and wellness
activities at local community centers like
Health
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need,’’ said Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson,
D-Gresham.
The measure passed after Sen. Betsy
Johnson, D-Scappoose, dropped her objec-
tion. She had been a swing vote, joining
Republicans in a pledge to block the meas-
ure unless proponents added new limits on
medical malpractice for health care
providers involved in new organizations
responsible for coordinating care.
Johnson said she changed her position
after she was convinced that the legal issues
were too complicated to address immediate-
ly.
Republicans said liability limits would
drive down costs by reducing malpractice
insurance premiums and reducing defensive
medicine. The state is asking health care
providers to transform the way they work,
and potentially take on more liability, with-
out providing a cap, said Sen. Frank Morse,
R-Albany.
``It’s just not fair,’’ Morse said.
Kitzhaber and Senate Democrats fought
back against the GOP proposal, saying the
medical liability is complex and should be
studied in more detail. The measure would
create a task force to study the issue and
recommend changes the Legisla-
ture could implement next year.
Republicans dismissed that provi-
sion, saying there’s no guarantee
the Legislature would ever take up
the issue.
Lawmakers last year approved
the concept for Kitzhaber’s initia-
tive, telling him to work out the
details and return for approval.
Senate Bill 1580 would approve an
implementation plan worked out over much
of the last year.
Kitzhaber wants to create coordinated
care organizations that would be responsi-
ble for overseeing mental, physical and
Proponents hope to eventually
expand the model to state and
school district employees and
the general public
erly managing those conditions so patients
can avoid seeking expensive care in the
emergency room.
The changes would apply initially to
600,000 people who get state-supported
February 15, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 3