Gaps in oversight found in Metro affordable housing bond
Metro Auditor Brian Evans said the regional governing agency ignored some protocols for approving projects.
Metro, the regional government, disregarded some of its own procedures when selecting affordable housing projects to fund with 2018 bond money, according to a report from the Metro auditor.
Auditor Brian Evans said gaps in data collection also impeded the Affordable Housing Bond s appointed oversight committee s ability to monitor progress on some of the promises made to the public specifically that the bond would lead with racial equity and create opportunity throughout the region. It was hard to tell if the methods outlined in the bond s work plan were used to evaluate projects. Using different methods could make funding decisions less reliable and more difficult to defend, according to the 23-page report. Unclear procedures also created uncertainty about project and program reporting.
Metro leader Lynn Peterson on Friday will discuss agency serving Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
Metro Council President Lynn Peterson will discuss the efforts and future of the unusual regional tri-county government agency she heads on Friday, Feb. 26.
The online virtual discussion, which runs from noon to 1 p.m., will discuss the agency s expanding role in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, whether it is sufficiently accountable to the public, and what the future holds, according to the City Club of Portland, which is hosting the online event.
Following her address will be a discussion between Peterson and Katrina Holland, the executive director of JOIN and a co-founder of Reimagine Oregon, a coalition formed by Black-led organizations to push for policies and programs to address systemic racism.
Hundreds take aim at Senate gun bill February 22 2021
Hearing on legislation allowing jurisdictions to ban legally carried firearms in public buildings draws some praise, a lot of criticism.
A Monday morning Senate hearing on legislation to alter state gun laws drew a cavalcade of passionate opposition.
Members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation heard four hours of virtual testimony Feb. 22 on Senate Bill 554, which allows local jurisdictions to prohibit people with concealed handgun permits from carrying firearms into public buildings. Anyone caught with a firearm in a public building could face Class C felony charges.
The bill is necessary because state law allows people with concealed handgun permits to carry firearms into some public buildings.
Oregon redistricting mess could be headed to court February 23 2021
Delayed federal Census data is gumming up the works for state lawmakers, other legislatures across the nation.
Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature are uniting to push the reset button on delays that would cut them out of drawing political maps for the 2022 election.
Citing the overwhelming challenge of counting heads during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau says the data due April 1 won t arrive until Sept. 30 six months late. We are going to blow by all the deadlines at this point, said Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Lake Oswego, chair of the House Redistricting Committee, on a press call Monday, Feb. 22.