GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS FOR FIRE VEHICLES AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE INFRASTRUCTURE
QUESTION: Shall Portland issue bonds for $72,400,000 for fire vehicles, emergency radio system, fire and emergency response facilities; require audits?
If the bonds are approved, they will be payable from taxes on property or property ownership that are not subject to the limits of sections 11 and 11b, Article XI of the Oregon Constitution.
SUMMARY: This measure would allow Portland to issue $72,400,000 in general obligation bonds and use the proceeds to finance the acquisition of fire engines and other emergency response vehicles that are needed to maintain existing service levels and replace aging vehicles, provide funds for replacement of the City's obsolete public safety emergency radio system, finance the construction of a fire station and related facilities and finance the construction of an emergency response center. The bond proceeds would be restricted to capital construction, improvements and costs, and would not be used for day-to-day operations. Use of the bond proceeds would be audited to determine whether approved public purposes are achieved. Bonds would be exempt from city charter debt limitation. Bonds could be issued in one or more series; before issuance of bonds subsequent to the first offering, the City's Chief Administrative Officer would be required to report to Council on bond expenditures and cost savings. A five member citizen committee would be established to review the use of the bond expenditures and provide annual reports.
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
A “yes” vote would approve the City to issue general obligation bonds to replace aging fire and emergency response vehicles, provide funds for replacement of the City's obsolete public safety emergency radio system, and construct a fire station and an emergency response center.
A “no” vote would reject the proposal to issue general obligation bonds to replace aging fire and emergency response vehicles, provide funds for replacement of the City's obsolete public safety emergency radio system, and construct a fire station and an emergency response center.
Explanation of Measure:
The City is authorized to issue bonds, in the aggregate amount not to exceed $72,400,000 which shall be general obligations of the City. The proceeds of such bonds shall be placed in a special fund to be established by the Council, and shall be used for capital construction, improvements and costs which consist of: providing fire and emergency response vehicles that are needed to maintain existing service levels and replace aging fire and emergency response vehicles; funding replacement of the City's obsolete public safety emergency radio system; and providing funds for construction of a fire station and related facilities and an emergency response center. The City's use of these resources will be audited to determine whether the voter-approved public purposes for the bond funds are achieved. A five-member citizen committee with relevant expertise will be established to review bond expenditures and provide annual reports to Council on whether such expenditures adhere to voter-approved uses. If the bonds are issued in more than one series, prior to the issuance of any bonds subsequent to the first offering, the Chief Administrative Officer of the City will present to Council a report on the Bond expenditures to date and a listing of any savings that have occurred due to lower than expected construction costs and/or apparatus replacement prices.
Submitted by:
Commissioner Randy Leonard
City of Portland
No arguments AGAINST this measure were filed.
Vote YES on Measure 26-117
Public Safety is the most basic element of a livable community. A YES vote on Measure 26-117 is the right thing to do to protect the lives of our firefighters, police, and our community.
Measure 26-117 will:
- Replace aging fire and emergency response vehicles
- Replace our obsolete public safety radio system
- Construct a fire station and emergency response center
- Improve response times
Portland firefighters need emergency response vehicles they can depend on.
Tragedy struck recently in Seattle when a water pump on a 13 year-old fire engine failed at an apartment fire, leaving firefighters helpless to suppress the fire as a mother and four children perished inside the building.
Portland cannot afford to repeat Seattle's deadly mistakes . Some of Portland's fire and rescue vehicles are nearly 20 years old and need to be taken out of service before a mechanical failure results in a tragedy in our community.
Police and firefighters need a stable radio system to fight crime and save lives.
As we saw with 9/11, an up-to-date emergency radio system can literally mean the difference between life and death. But Portland's public safety radio system is faltering, so old that there are no replacement parts and few people with the expertise to make repairs. A system failure is increasingly likely, and would put lives at risk in an emergency.
Citizens should be able to depend on help when they need it.
When a mother threw her children off the Sellwood Bridge into the Willamette River, it took Portland Fire 44 minutes to reach them. That's unacceptable. A new fire station at the East end of the Hawthorne Bridge will enhance response times in Southeast Portland and reduce downtown river rescue response times to under 10 minutes.
A YES vote on Measure 26-117
is the right thing to do for our community.
Lives depend on it.
(This information furnished by Ty Kovatch, Portlanders for Public Safety)
The printing of this argument does not constitute an endorsement by Multnomah County, nor does the county warrant the accuracy or truth of any statements made in the argument.