Commissioner Steve Novick and PBOT director Leah Treat
Commissioner Steve Novick and PBOT director Leah Treat talked about the poor condition of the city's roads at a press conference earlier this year.
On the cusp of a divisive $46 million street-tax vote, the Portland Bureau of Transportation is quietly plotting its future.
Will today's political priorities – paving and safety – match the vision for tomorrow's transportation system?
The answer, at least for now, is unclear.
That's because the Portland Bureau of Transportation has not fully released public documents requested by The Oregonian two months ago that would help shed light on city transportation priorities.
On March 12, the City Council unanimously authorized a contract with Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates to develop a two-year work plan for the Transportation Bureau.
The contract pays up to $149,911, with consultants earning between $77 and $197 an hour.
The creation of the work plan is being driven by Leah Treat, director of the Bureau of Transportation. Treat made the two-year plan a high priority on the day her hiring was announced in June 2013.
"I would like to see us aligned around a vision that we can talk to the community about," she said at the time. "Everybody will understand what we're trying to achieve, how we're going to achieve it, and in what time frame."
The work plan is expected to provide a "vision for Portland's transportation future." It would define the bureau's vision statement, mission statement and no more than eight guiding principles.
The consultants are supposed to guide the bureau through an "analysis of what processes and services it must do differently or not at all" based on financial forecasts.
And Nelson/Nygaard, with offices in Portland, also is supposed to supply a plan providing "performance measures with distinct deliverables."
Those details can be gleaned from the city's solicitation request and the City Council's authorization.
On Sept. 19, The Oregonian requested the Transportation Bureau's contract with Nelson/Nygaard, a list of payments made under the contract, and all work product and deliverables produced as part of the contract.
On Tuesday evening, the Transportation Bureau provided its contract with Nelson/Nygaard but not other requested documents.
According to the newly released contract, Nelson/Nygaard was supposed to deliver its work plan "final document" to the city by Sept. 4. The contract expires Dec. 31.
Dylan Rivera, a bureau spokesman, said in a Nov. 12 email that the city has a reasonable time to release records.
Rivera noted that the Transportation Bureau fields many formal records requests, or informal information requests, from the public and media, including The Oregonian.
"A reasonable time to respond depends on the nature of the request, the volume of records that need to be examined, the need for attorney review, and the amount of time City staff can devote to responding to the request," Rivera wrote.
On Thursday, the City Council will consider a new tax-and-fee proposal that would charge residents and businesses $46 million a year to pay for maintenance and safety projects. A vote is expected Dec. 3.
If the new taxes and fees are approved, the Bureau of Transportation is expected to hire 59 more full-time employees, increasing staffing by about 8 percent.
-- Brad Schmidt