Decreases in federal funding continue to cut into Metro's planning department, with a proposed budget for the coming fiscal year showing nearly five jobs being eliminated in that area.
The proposed $481 million budget, set to be reviewed by the Metro Council starting next week, also cuts 2.5 full-time positions from Metro's Research Center. Most of the cuts are expiring limited-duration positions or positions eliminated through attrition.
The cuts come at a time when Washington, D.C., is sending less cash to regional governments to do planning work. Every metropolitan area is required to do a certain level of planning, which the federal government has, in the past, subsidized.
Metro chief operating officer Martha Bennett said those subsidies were met by a local match, which allowed Metro to become a national leader in regional transportation planning.
Now, locally generated revenue will have to cover some of the federal government's basic requirements.
"We're used to being a national leader in this field, it's a challenge to continue our exceptional performance with less funding," Bennett said.
In 2008-09, Metro's planning department had a $24.2 million budget and nearly 86 full-time employees; that year, Metro reported receiving $19.4 million in grants. The proposed planning budget for next year has a budget of $13.8 million and 42 full-time positions, and the budget anticipates receiving $8.8 million in planning grants. Some of those positions were transferred to other departments as part of an ongoing streamlining of Metro operations.
Outside of the planning realm, Bennett said the proposed budget tries to maintain customer service levels at the Metro's venues, including the Oregon Zoo, convention centers, parks and solid waste centers.
The budget proposal includes $1.8 million in upgrades at the Oregon Convention Center, more than half of that coming as part of a roof replacement project. Another $1.3 million in renovations are proposed for the Portland Center for the Performing arts, and $384,000 is slated for lighting upgrades at the Expo Center.
On the revenue side, the budget proposal is still in flux. The budget calls for a decrease in property tax collections to pay off the 2006 and 2008 capital bonds. Bennett said Oregon law requires that the proposed budget be written anticipating passage of the May 18 vote on the proposed parks and natural areas levy.
The levy would charge the $19.20 annually to the owner of a property with an assessed value of $200,000.
But a decrease in spending on the regional government's capital bonds means that those tax rates would be cut by $5.38 for the owner of that home assessed at $200,000 – meaning, if the levy passes, the Metro-related taxes on that property would go up $13.82 for the coming year.
Meanwhile, rates for solid waste customers in the region would go up slightly, increasing about 3 cents per month for customers whose waste haulers use Metro's transfer stations. Metro-related costs for the composting of yard waste and residential food waste would go up 9 cents per month in the proposed budget.