Urban and rural reserves took a back seat to accountability Monday morning as Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette met with the North Clackamas Chamber of Commerce on Metro staff’s 20-year growth plan.
“What are the unintended consequences of what we’re doing?” Jon Egge, owner of MP Plumbing, asked. He said government often plans for the results it wants to see but isn’t ready for other effects of its actions. “Most of the really bad mistakes we make, we make for all the right reasons.”
Egge’s criticisms came as Metro councilors continue to meet with community groups about Metro chief operating officer Michael Jordan’s growth report, “Making the Greatest Place: Strategies for a sustainable and prosperous region.” The report encourages channeling most growth into the existing urban growth boundary, investing in repairing and maintaining existing buildings and infrastructure, and holding Metro accountable for the goals it puts in place for itself.
Egge specifically took to task the report’s “Walk our talk” section, saying the plan’s goals for accountability were vague, not providing specific benchmarks for exactly how Metro will be held responsible for its actions and ensure that it meets its goals.
“We need some specific tangible kinds of measurements,” Egge said.
Councilor Collette agreed that the summary’s wording was vague, but encouraged Egge to look at the Regional Transportation Plan for examples of specific goals and accountability measures Metro is taking.
Additionally, accountant Mattew Green-Hite pressed Metro on funding for infrastructure repair, specifically in relation to sewers. Green-Hite said it seemed to him that other projects have funding allocated for them, but “sewer seems to be the one that has absolutely no funding source.” Ken Ray, communications coordinator at Metro, said coordinating funding between city, county and regional governments is one of the issues on which Metro is seeking feedback.
“It’s something we don’t have a magic answer to right now. It’s certainly something we’re very concerned about,” Ray said.
– by Sean Breslin