November 05, 2003
(Updated) News From That Reservoir Bonds Court Hearing I Missed Today
Note: This post has been updated. Any and all updates appear at the end of the original post.
As previously-mentioned I skipped the latest development in the continuing fight against the open reservoir replacement project plans for Mt. Tabor in favor of indulging in some escapist move-going. But there's a brief note from reservoir activist Charles Heying:
The hearing was fascinating to watch. Susan [Stoner] did an excellent job. Her opening statement was devoid of jargon and directly and elegantly summarized our case. The Judge took the case very seriously and was very balanced in her questions. I was surprised to note the concession that the City's attorney made that Portland is pushing the envelope on the broad wording of the bonds. It also seemed that he was somewhat surprised by the large turnout and a bit tremulous in the early part of the hearing.
And there's also a story from OPB:
The case Heying is referring to is a suit brought by opponents over how the city plans to pay for the project.
The city council is preparing to sell $200 million in revenue bonds, and plans to use some of that toward the initial $77 million investment in the project.
By law, the city is forced to tell the public when it's taking on debt, and what the money's going to be spent on.
The city did put a notice in a local daily newspaper last December, but the plaintiffs' attorney Susan Stoner says that wasn't enough.
Susan Stoner: "Basically they said we're going to buy stuff, fix stuff, and some other things. It just wasn't enough for anybody to know. Interestingly, if you read the cities response brief, you'll find that even the city doesn't know what they're going to spend it on."
The OPB story also mentions the challenge to the project before the Land Use Board of Appeals. As for the bond challenge, OPB reports that the judge said she'd "try to have a decision early next week," possibly (according to Heying) on Tuesday.