Metro area mayors lay out their 2021 legislative priorities
To-do list covers economic recovery, housing, mental health, policing and property taxes.
The two dozen mayors in the Portland metropolitan area have laid out their to-do list for the 2021 Oregon Legislature.
Four of the seven priorities by the Metropolitan Mayors Consortium, which is led this year by Forest Grove Mayor Pete Truax, dovetail with those unveiled by the League of Oregon Cities. They are economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, housing and homelessness, mental health services to ease the burden on police who are often the first responders to people in crisis, and changes to Oregon s quarter-century-old system of property tax limits.
Metro to purchase property in Cornelius for proposed transfer station February 04 2021
Metro will pay $3.1 million for a 12.5-acre property in Cornelius, where it proposes building a solid waste facility.
Metro took a major step Thursday, Feb. 4 toward building a new recycling and solid waste transfer station in Cornelius.
The Metro Council unanimously approved a resolution allowing the regional government to purchase a 12.5-acre industrial lot at North Fourth Avenue and Holladay Street, several blocks north of the Cornelius Walmart, where the station would be constructed.
In 2019, Metro created an agreement for the property, providing officials time to assess the suitability of the property for the project and engage with the community about concerns and potential benefits before purchasing it.
February 04 2021
Vital statistics are released for 2020 as the Oregon Health Authority reports 730 more cases and seven additional deaths.
Oregon experienced more deaths than births last year for the first time, in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic wanes, the number of deaths should fall as well, meaning Oregon s natural increase in the population is not yet turning into a natural decrease on a sustained basis, Josh Lehner of the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis wrote on his blog Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Lehner s comment was in response to the updated monthly vital statistics births and deaths released by the Oregon Health Authority through December 2020. In the past 12 months, deaths outnumbered births by just over 200, at least in the preliminary numbers, which will change some when all the records are complete, Lehner wrote.
Referrals increase as the Oregon Health Authority reports the latest virus figures.
The 211 information phone line has seen a dramatic increase in calls as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is underway in Oregon.
Chief Executive Office Dan Herman tells KOIN 6 News that they were taking about 400 calls per day before the pandemic. Now, especially in the last two weeks, the line is receiving as many as 2,000 calls per day. It s a challenge, but it s our mission and we re glad to do the work, Herman said.
Before the pandemic, 211info was providing callers with referrals to basic needs programs such as food, shelter, health care and more. Now, they are still doing that on top of being the vaccine eligibility line for the State of Oregon.