4-5-2007

Can the city of Portland save 10-15 MILLION dollars a year, just by making things run more efficiently. Depends on who you ask.

At a luncheon Thursday, I talked with Portland Mayor Tom Potter about a report that was released in February of 2006 by the Hackett group. In that report, SEVERAL inefficiencies are identified (things like one department using multiple computer systems to do the same job or multiple bureaus having separate employees to do the same job).

Mayor Potter says we can streamline all of those inefficiencies by moving the city through Charter Reform, pushing Portland to a "Strong Mayor" format as opposed to a "Commissioner Based" structure. (Side Note: The Mayor has been pushing for Charter Reform for a while).

None of the City Commissioners returned my requests for comment on the issue, however I did get a chance to speak with Chris Smith. He co-Chairs the Committee for Accountable City Government and says The Mayor may be right in SOME sense, but not overall. According to Smith, moving to the Strong Mayor format may save money in some ways, but will introduce NEW costs making the whole thing, basically a wash. (Smith cites other cities that have made the switch having costs in the seven-figure range).

The Voters will get the final say on this debate. Four Ballot Measures are up for the May Election in Portland (measure 89-92). You can get more information on the following links:

www.reformcityhall.com
http://www.toomuchpower.org/

**NOTE** I am sure there are more links on this issue (for both sides) . . . those are the only two I have right now . . . if you have more PLEASE e-mail them to me and I'll post ( colby.reade@kxl.com)