Skip to main contentPortland City Council next week will begin the process of passing a street fee that could raise as much as $53 million a year for transportation projects.
Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Steve Novick have for months talked about creating the fee, which would charge households up to $12 a month and businesses much more.
Officials have said they might pass the fee without taking it to voters.
The appearance of the fee on a City Council agenda today signals that process will start next Thursday, May 29, with a final vote coming as soon as June 6.
Multiple sources tell WW that Hales and Novick will hold a press conference May 22 to announce their plan to pass the fee. The Portland Bureau of Transportation will also unveil a fee calculator allowing businesses to tally how much they'll have to pay.
Hales and Novick have been making the rounds in Portland, holding public forums to discuss the fee. WW recently examined some of the claims Hales and Novick have been making about the need for the fee, especially when it comes to traffic and pedestrian safety.
WW first reported last week that the fee would not only charge households and businesses—it would also create big bills for other local governments. Portland Public Schools could pay as much as $300,000 a year.
WWeek 2015