What is the city doing (or not doing)?

Last week, Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten insinuated that the Portland Business Alliance is spending its funds to fight Sten's campaign finance proposals, which he said has the "appearance of the misuse of tax dollars."

Ronald H. Beltz, a member of the business group's board of directors, wrote an op-ed in today's Oregonian responding to Sten's complaint. Tellingly, at least from the PBA's perspective, Sten chose to air this fight in the media instead of dealing with it as a grown-up: "Unfortunately, we can only guess what his concerns are, because he and his staff have not directly contacted anyone from [the PBA]," Beltz wrote. "We only know what we read in the newspaper."

First, let's correct a couple of, um, misconceptions that Sten creates, by quoting from the Oregonian:

At issue is a fee that downtown businesses impose on themselves, which Sten calls a tax. Businesses and property owners in 213 downtown blocks pay the fee each year, with proceeds paying for increased security, maintenance and marketing in the urban core. The city collects the money; the alliance, through an independent nonprofit known as Portland Downtown Services Inc., spends it.

So, it's not a tax. The business owners impose the fee on themselves, and spend it through "an independent nonprofit"; the city's only involvement is collecting the money. There may be rules that Portland Downtown Services has to follow as a nonprofit, but it's not a tax, and Sten -- perhaps beyond encouraging the city not to help in collections -- doesn't seem to me to have a dog in this fight. But Sten's rant doesn't do much for the city's anti-business reputation, does it?

But if you think the city's anti-business rep is poor, read on in Beltz's piece. This fee, which raises almost $4 million annually, has been in place for twenty friggin' years. And what does it go for? Here's a list:

• We are providing 19 armed security guards seven days a week in downtown Portland, and we pay for three Portland Police bike patrol officers. (A private group is paying for security? Where is the Portland Police Bureau?)
• We pay for 11 beds for the homeless. With these funds, Portland Downtown Services is augmenting a pilot program launched by the city last fall with Central City Concern. (A private group is paying to help the homeless? I'd argue that's the way it should work.)
• We clean sidewalks seven days a week, partnering with Central City Concern, which hires previously homeless individuals to fill these jobs. (A private group is paying for sidewalk cleanup? Where is the city?)
• We put 10,000 strands of twinkle lights on 750 trees for the holiday season. (A private group is paying to make downtown attractive? Does the city ignore this and hope POVA or the chamber of commerce will pick up the slack?)
• We provide 10 "downtown sidewalk ambassadors" to help Portland residents and visitors find their way around our great downtown. (Ditto.)
• We staff the Downtown Community Court program and provide a legal assistant to the district attorney's office. (A private group is paying to help the DA's office? What is the city funding?)
• We work with retailers to promote downtown as an attractive place to shop, dine and be entertained. (See previous comment about the chamber.)

Meanwhile, the city is giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to a group of, um, farmers adjacent to the Tryon Creek State Natural Area. It has been giving millions to school districts in Portland (and last time I checked, the city is not in the education business). It has lost millions upon millions in the city water bureau (an Erik Sten-created problem, by the way). It has, as the Oregonian discussed yesterday, spent billions on the Big Pipe project, raising city water rates to among the nation's highest, only to find that the feds aren't happy with the amount of effort or money spent.

Erik Sten needs to shut up until he and the city are ready to act like grownups and fund the right things instead of throwing money -- without asking how much it will cost -- at the next tram idea.