What’s being called a “generational investment” that aims to build sidewalks in east and southwest Portland passed its first political test this morning when the five-member Portland City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted unanimously to support a resolution that could create a new funding mechanism and serve as a model for other expenditures.
As I reported last week, the Sidewalk Improvement and Paving Program (SIPP) is the brain child of District 1 Councilor Loretta Smith and District 4 Councilor Mitch Green. The two have found an overlapping interest in restructuring how the City of Portland implements and funds sidewalk construction projects in the parts of the city that are most in need of them.
“Our streets and sidewalks are the feet of the city,” Councilor Smith, whose district encompasses all of Portland east of I-205, said while introducing the resolution. “And if our feet don’t work, then of course, we’re not working.” Smith then connected the health of our sidewalks and broader network of non-driving options to the revitalization of Portland: “We need a renaissance in our city and we need to make sure that renaissance includes active transportation.” The way Smith sees the world, we cannot ask Portlanders to get out and attend cultural events and local businesses if they can’t get their safely without a car.
Councilor Green represents all of Portland west of the river (and a small piece of Sellwood). He said the people who rely on sidewalks to get around District 4 are, “Often some of the poorest people and are members of the immigrant community and are exposed and vulnerable to traffic violence.” Other folks are, “Really simply trying to find an opportunity to leave their car behind.”
This resolution doesn’t commit any dollars yet, but it feels much more serious than simply a statement of values and intentions. Green and Smith have both said they are working on a new bonding mechanism that could unlock significant funding. Previously, the only stated funding estimate for the SIPP was $100 million, but in an unscripted remark at this morning’s committee meeting, Councilor Smith said, “We have a ceiling of $1.5 billion and we may be asking for $300 to $400 million.”
“This is generational,” said Oregon Walks Executive Director Zachary Lauritzen during public testimony. “We’ve been talking about doing this for decades. And finally, we have a couple leaders saying, ‘We’re going to do this.’ And I am so moved by that, so excited about that. And just want to say, thank you for being willing to do that.” Lauritzen urged councilors to consider public/private partnerships to stretch any new funding even further.
There was no testimony in opposition to the resolution.
Once discussion among council members began, District 3 Councilor Angelita Morillo expressed concerns about the funding portions of the resolution language. Specifically, she is worried about all the talk she is overhearing about how this program would tap into revenue from Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF). “I want to ensure that if those dollars are going to be touched, that they are going to actually be used in a way that reduces carbon emissions and actually address the climate,” Morillo said. She then asked to see data to prove whether or not laying the concrete required for sidewalks would actually reduce carbon emissions.
When a discussion ensued about Morillo’s concerns, Green tried to assure her that PCEF wouldn’t be the main source of revenue and that the Finance Committee would ultimately take a deeper dive into where funding would come from. Green said he prefers that a bulk of the investment comes from a tax revenue bond. “That’s what cities do,” Green said. “They build infrastructure and issue debt to build that infrastructure.”
At one point Morillo tried to get language amended into the resolution that would require it to stop at the Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee. She saw that as a necessary step if the resolution’s intent was to use PCEF as a major funding source. But Smith didn’t like that idea and worried about losing control of the resolution if it went to a separate committee (beyond the Finance Committee). Ultimately the funding source-specific language was stricken from the resolution to keep the policy and finance conversations separate. Then, after a bit of back-and-forth, the resolution passed 5-0.
It will now move onto the full City Council and would likely make a stop at the Finance Committee once its funding plan becomes clearer.
For walking advocate Zachary Lauritzen, it’s a major step forward. “There will always be challenges about money,” he said at the end of his remarks today. “But until you take the policy move and start moving to go find those dollars, it just won’t happen. And our kids will wake up in 20, 30, 40, years and go, ‘Huh? Same problem. Why didn’t they do something about it back then?’ And I think you all are in a position to do something about it right now. So thank you.”
