Metro's Community Investment Strategy may have a sweeping vision, but without community support, it could struggle to achieve its goals.
That was the message from officials from the eastern metro area Thursday night as they heard Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan outline his recommended strategy. The presentation, before about 25 people at Gresham City Hall, was the 30th and final scheduled local stakeholders briefing by Jordan on the strategy.
Jordan, in his briefings, talks about new ways of thinking about infrastructure investments, particularly in light of an anticipated $27 to $41 billion bill the region faces to meet its infrastructure needs in the coming decades. About $10 billion of that, Jordan says, will be to replace existing infrastructure.
But smart investment doesn't necessarily make for good politics, said Portland Planning Commissioner Chris Smith. He brought up this year's kerfuffle about bioswales and bike lanes, saying that the planned bioswales were a better investment for communities than building underground storm sewers.
"It took an ounce of city hall politics before we were stealing sewer rate dollars and we were evil," Smith said. "How do we communicate this to the citizenry?"
Jordan responded in wide strokes about keeping citizens involved, but also said the public at large needs to have the same lightbulb moment that stakeholders have had, that infrastructure needs are going to expensive to meet.
"It has to resonate with the citizens and it has to resonate in their neighborhood," Jordan said. "One of the things that's incredibly clear is that citizens need to have investments that are relevant to their neighborhoods, to their lives, to what they do every day."
But hearing that message from Metro might not always be the best course, warned Damascus Planning Commissioner Katherine Ruthruff.
"What do you do when they don't trust Metro?" she said. "How do you get citizens to buy in when they basically don't trust you, don't like you, and don't like former policies that you did?"
The solution is twofold, Jordan said.
Elected officials, he said, "reserve the right to get smarter. Just because something happened 10 years ago doesn't mean it has to be the same way 10 years from now."
Beyond that, Jordan said, the public generally supports Metro's initiatives.
"They may not like the institution by name, but if you talk to them about what we're trying to accomplish, they have overwhelmingly supported huge amounts of money for the Metro Council to invest in things they care about," Jordan said.
The talk of investments was a concern for Wood Village Mayor Dave Fuller. In this recession, Fuller said, the federal government is "business bashing," and he was dubious that private sector interests would willingly participate in any infrastructure improvements. But, he said, government could get in the way of that.
"Business is the real generator of revenue," Fuller said. "If you don’t allow business to grow and bring prosperity back, the rest is moot."
Jordan said he wasn't going to debate state or federal policies, although he's frequently pointed out that some of the major infrastructure initiatives of the past half century, like the Interstate Highway System and the Clean Water Act, are unlikely to see 21st Century equivalents. But, he said, it's been clear that whatever Metro can do to make it easier for businesses to grow should be a high priority.
On the other side of that, Richard Anderson, Chief Financial Officer for Bridgeport Village and Cascade Station owner Centercal Properties, said he didn't think Oregonians were taxed enough, which hurts his business. Centercal, he said, operates in seven states, "four of which are very red.
"There's a complete lack of services that goes along with the lack of taxes," Anderson said. "How do you convince Oregonians to pay the same amount that the government pays in Arizona, Idaho and Utah? If you cut and cut and cut you have no service, you can' t attract that kind of development."
Again, Jordan circled back to the local level.
"Where we resonate with citizens the best is when we talk about these things, what we're trying to create in their community," the Metro staff chief said. "We have to talk about it in ways that resonate in their lives."
That may be challenging on the east side of the region, where leaders look longingly at the growth in the Tualatin Valley. Gresham City Council candidate John Kilian asked whether Metro can be equitable to the whole region, when the westside seems to get so many opportunities.
Jordan said the answer is nuanced, and that westside leaders have some complaints about the way things are run east of the Willamette.
"We are in this together. Any one community that fails is a failure to all of us," Jordan said. "The notion of equitable treatment, the notion of burdens and benefits – we're on the right path, I think, to answer some of the difficult questions you pose."
This story was not subject to the approval of Metro staff or elected officials.