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EIGHT- Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 11, 2005 Public officials in the state say they are concerned about Portland’s capacity to buy and run the utility Beyond Portland, a wary view of PGE Reprinted from the Sunday, May 08, 2005 edition of The O regonian By (.¡ail Kinsey Hill W hile m om entum builds within Portland City Hall to buy Portland General Electric from Enron, anxiety festers outside the city. Throughout PG E’s sphere o f influence — in c o u n tie s ranging from populous Clackam as and W ashington to sm aller Columbia and M orrow — many public officials openly w orry about P o rtla n d ’s ability to buy and oversee Oregon’s largest utility. They fear the urban powerhouse w ould bully them into compliance on crucial issues such as ra te -se ttin g or, worse, ignore them More than 27 percent of Morrow County’s property tax revenue comes from PGE, a percentage unmatched in any other county “We absolutely must have fair representation,” said Salem M ayor Janet Taylor, who admits unease with her political kin in the columned building at Fourth Avenue and Jefferson Street in downtown Portland On one level, the acquisition effort has united a broad a sso rtm en t o f Oregonians intent on freeing PGE from the fallen Enron, securing local ownership and lowering utility rates. On another, it has accentuated fin a n c ial, p o litic a l and cu ltu ral differences that separate Portland from its neighbors and aggravated the d istrust betw een the mighty and the slight “I hate to say it, but it exacerbates the urban- rural divide,” said Tony Hyde, who, as chairman o f the C olum bia C ounty Com m ission, governs an area heavily dependent on p ro p e rty tax revenue generated by a PGE-owned power plant near Clatskanie If the unease coalesces into organized opposition, Portland could find itself in a political tangle of d e a l-b o tc h in g proportions A suburban- rural revolt could scare off a skittish Enron In so doing, it also could deepen rifts am ong c o u n tie s and embarrass big-city leaders who insist they want only the best for those living within the 16 counties in which PGE delivers electricity or holds assets City momentum P ortlan d o fficials insist support grows by the day for their proposal, which would rely on city-issued revenue bonds to buy PGE and a reg io n al form o f g o v e rn a n ce to estab lish policies and rates An outside operator, not a city bureau, would run the utility, officials say, a d irect resp o n se to widespread concerns about Portland’s ability to manage such a large, com plex operation. “I think we have a critical mass o f support that allows us to move forward,” said P o rtla n d C ity C om m issioner Erik Sten, who has pushed, off and on, for a city purchase for almost three years. The city renewed its effort in March when state regulators rejected a $2.35 billion buyout proposal from private equity firm Texas P acific G roup. The Legislature, responding in part to concerns about the city’s bid, is considering a bill that would create a state- san c tio n e d public corporation to buy PGE. Senate Bill 1008 cleared the Democrat-controlled Senate on Friday but faces an uphill battle in the Republican- controlled House Sten has w orked hard to assu re public o fficia ls, b u sin ess organizations and customer groups that he and a diverse advisory group are carefully designing a public utility that would provide reliable, low- cost electricity to all 767,000 households and businesses in PG E ’s six-county service area. G iven tax and financing advantages, city financial analysts say, the Portland-owned utility could cut costs by at least $100 million annually. The savings would result in rate cuts o f 10 percent, Sten has said. Sten admits that the city’s liberal political makeup and its sheer size make it an easy ta rg e t for ridicule. “Because w e’re Portland, we have trouble getting the trust we should,” he said “They need to accept us at our word.” To be sure, some officials o f ju risd ic tio n s o u tsid e P o rtlan d have tentatively encouraged Sten to go ahead, while others have withheld judgment. B ut warm acceptance is hard to come by. M oving o u tsid e Portland’s core, support for th e m unicip al p u rch ase quickly gives way to caution, sk ep ticism and o u trig h t opposition. • “These people are nuts!” Carlton Mayor Kathy O riet said o f P o rtlan d officials in a recent e-mail to S ilv erto n M ay o r Ken Wedding Tabl es Tyan S a n d e r s o n & Luke S w a n so n Wedding Satu rday, Mag 21st - L ena G o s s e t t a n d B en ja m in M cE llig o tt Wedding Satu rday, June 4th - M elissa C u ts fo r th and O la f P edersen Wedding Saturday, June 18th - Iricia C o e & Jon L oren ce Wedding Satu rday, June 25th - 217 North Main • Heppner MuJWWJ'J D jiu § ^ 6 7 6 -9 1 5 8 S trin g Heppner. Lexington 11 ( __________ _ o _____ It 0f*gon* l* 9 ______ M t utlHtv.«Mi HtjOOO rto m ___________________ tn m su csunttti to caM itln. «rttan p o o r plant*. «utoUtton» «id « t t r m . H ot * • m iti it« lé-rtunty traMtn «f W * lufluunci «od Ih* turn mi t* i I» tool turMktfom such « lu it M frMCftM H lM COU N Î I I S 0 : 1 b AND A S S IT * . ( r t ioctttd PGÍ pays M M t n t iii ptoptrty citm Munti« wd scNwtt tD U N M tS N t l * A S S IT * (itllT in a •sc la« SOOWTD LiU ■UCHICL UtX«/Tt€ OUtGOWM not saying we d on’t trust Hector. “They act like they them W e’re ju s t saying already own PGE.” things happen.” Outlying anxieties C olum bia C ounty Critics worry most also frets about sitting in the ab o u t a d eq u a te nose-bleed section o f any representation d e cisio n -m ak in g aren a Would counties with PGE’s largest gas-fired plant far fewer PGE custom ers is along the Columbia River than Portland’s Multnomah near the north county town County find themselves with o f Clatskanie, and another scant say in decisions made power plant, Port Westward by a newly formed board o f — estimated to cost PGE directors? $300 million — is under “ We have som e construction nearby. serio u s co n cern s ab o u t The county formed Portland being the prime an urban renewal district to p u rch aser,” said M artha acco m m o d ate site Schrader, chairwoman o f the improvements, such as roads C lack am as C o u n ty and a water-cooling system, Com m ission. “ It d o e sn ’t for the new plant, and it’s seem to lend itself to a more counting on fiiture property regional view.” tax revenue from PGE to pay Salem’s Taylor sits off the $34 million in debt on the 12-member advisory financing. group and is pushing for “ W e’re u n iq u ely geographic representation, a invested in the outcome o f means o f selection that she this transaction,” said state thinks will “ p ro te c t o ur Sen B etsy Jo h n so n , D- constituents.” Scappoose, who represents O th er ad v iso ry C olum bia and o th e r group members want board neighboring counties. choices to focus more on Hyde, the Columbia utility expertise than home C o u n ty com m ission ad d ress O th erw ise, chairm an, ch afes at the territorial self-interest could thought o f a city advisory rule, they say. group busily defining details w ithout input form local representatives. The group is made up o f representatives “ o f consumer and business organizations, such as the Citizens’ Utility Board and A sso ciated O regon In d u strie s, and of governm ent associations, C o u n ties such as Columbia and Morrow have such as th e L eague o f few PGE customers, but feel Oregon Cities. “If you’re not at the the same edginess Each o f table, y o u ’re part o f the the tw o is home to PGE p o w er plan ts and m ajor menu,” Hyde said. substations and transmission The city’s reputation . P o rtlan d ’s politics lines, valuable assets that and what some describe as generate significant property taxes and franchise fees for an anti-business bent lie at local b u d g ets, including the heart o f the debate over general governm ent and representation. “ W e’re far m ore school and fire districts. conservative,” Clackamas M ore than 27 percent o f Morrow County’s C o u n ty ’s S ch rad er said. property tax revenue comes “ T h eir fram ew o rk fo r from PGE, a p ercentage making decisions is different unm atched in any o th e r than ours.” Schrader and Salem county. “ T h a t’s a huge Mayor Taylor point to their chunk,” said Ray Grace, a c o u n tie s ’ farm ing and M orrow C ounty nursery businesses, which commissioner, who fears a rely on large am ounts o f publicly owned utility would electricity for irrigation, and exercise its right to cease to an e n erg y -in te n siv e paying taxes, a move that manufacturing sector. They w ould “literally strangle fear that Portland leaders m ight in crease b usiness Morrow County.” P o rtla n d city utility rates to subsidize officials have promised that residential rates or pay for P G E - tu r n e d - m u n ic ip a l broader low-income aid or would continue to pay state renewable energy programs. “ F or us, elec tric incom e ta x e s and local property taxes, even though, rates are a real determinant by law, it w o u ld n ’t be o f eco n o m ic s u c c e ss,” o b lig ated to do so. Taylor said “I’m sorry, but Nevertheless, the amount of I just don’t think Portland is money involved keeps Grace as pro-business as we are.” T hen, th e r e ’s and others agitated management. It doesn’t take If a financial crisis hit long for Portland critics to th e utility, for exam ple, policies might be altered to m ention the city ’s W ater short-change the far-flung B ureau and its b o tch ed counties, said Terry Tallman, co m p u ter billing system w ho, as M orrow C ounty More recently, fault-finders Ju d g e, heads the b rin g up M ay o r Tom P o tte r’s decision to pull commission “ T h e y ’re th e big Portland police officers off dog, and w e’re the little the FB I’s Joint Terrorism dog,” Tallman said. “We re Task Force. Terry Tallman: They’re the big dog, and we’re the little dog.” “ I ’ll be fra n k ,” S ilv e rto n ’s H ecto r said “When you see governance like that out o f the city o f Portland, it certainly leaves doubts in my mind about the direction they’re headed ” H e cto r d o e sn ’t define the differences in political terms. “ I t ’s not about liberals or conservatives,” he said. “It’s about bureaucrats. R unning g o v e rn m e n t is d ifferen t than running a business in the private sector, and not one o f them has that experience.” Private-sector option T h a t’s why many m ayors and co u n ty co m m issio n ers in the outlying counties favor an ownership option designed to create a publicly traded utility such as P o rtlan d ’s Northwest Natural Gas or Washington’s Puget Sound Energy. U n d er th at a lte rn a tiv e , o u tlin e d in E n ro n ’s ap p ro v ed b a n k ru p tc y plan, E nron would issue new PGE stock and d istrib u te sh ares to creditors The stock would be listed on a major stock exchange. P o r t l a n d Commissioner Sten said he d o e s n ’t find the sto ck - distribution idea “inherently b ad ,” but he sees public ownership as the only sure way to bring PGE under local co n tro l so th at customers, not investors, are the main beneficiaries. Naysayers become believers, Sten said, when they understand the steps th a t w ould be tak en to e n su re reg io n al representation and fair rates across all customer classes. “W hen we have a clean shot to show people what w e’re doing — our motives, our aspirations, our actual plan — we have a stro n g p erc en ta g e o f support.” G ail K insey Hill: 5 0 3 - 2 2 1 - 8 5 9 0 , gailhill@news. oregonian. com Healthy Start wants to . help you • ‘l •'. 1 " to . . raise healthy, happy babies H ealthy Start is a free v o lu n ta ry pro g ram through the Morrow County H ealth D ep artm en t th at assists first time parents in giving th e ir n ew b o rn a healthy start in life. Healthy Start was established in 2002 in Morrow County. Last year H ealth y S ta rt began a re c e rtific a tio n p ro c e ss, credentialing, which has allowed the program and its staff members to provide more appropriate guidelines and procedures that best serve th e needs o f o u r county residents. How does Healthy S tart w ork? C u rren tly Healthy Start has two trained home visitors who want to reach out to every first time parent in the county to join the program mission, to give our kids a jump start in life and a healthy upbringing, by providing ideas for quality care, regular grow th and developm ent m onitoring, age appropriate activities, b o o k s, ed u catio n al materials, etc. The program s ta ff p a rtic ip a te s in numerous trainings ongoing so th at they are able to p ro v id e ed u cated suggestions to new parents in ord er for the child to receiv e th e best nourishment, best care and attention at an early stage, right when it is most essential fo r healthy g ro w in g In addition, the program uses curriculum in which parents have d irect access to information that explains in very simple language what research ers and scientist have found on brain development and ways to provide brain power to the child As a participant o f healthy start, you receive weekly visits from a trained Fam ily S u p p o rt W orker during the first six months. This trained support worker w ill p ro v id e you w ith in fo rm atio n on w hat to expect according to your c h ild ’s age, ap p ro p ria te a c tiv itie s and id eas to enhance learning and skills, and will provide you with b o o k s and m aterials to promote better parent/child attachment and interaction. As a participant you also get connected to other agencies and serv ice s in the community and easy access to Immunizations and family planning needs. What else is Healthy Start doing? Early this year the program partnered with the Boardman Library and is assisting with story hour by p ro v id in g a B ilingual Reading on Fridays at 10:30 a m In addition, look for its p articip atio n in the fifth M orrow County Children’s Fair on May 12 at the Port o f M orrow ; face painting will be available in addition to g en eral health information This summer we want to get going a bi weekly play group where moms can share common interests, topics and ideas about parenting, plus babies socialize and learn to play as a g ro u p ; look fo r m ore details and sign up at the fair o r by calling the H ealth Department And if you are interested in being part o f Healthy Start call, 481-4200 or 676-5421. WE PR IN T COMPUTERI FORMS Heppaer Gazette- T ines 676 -9 2 2 8 1
