Portland mayor reviews transportation utility fee with no concrete tax plan

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Portland Mayor Keith Wilson met with Hillsboro Mayor Beach Pane to discuss a transportation utility fee, according to emails obtained by KOIN 6 News.

The fee is a tax on residents and businesses that goes towards maintaining roads and fixing things like potholes. Hillsboro has had one since 2008. After meeting with the Hillsboro mayor earlier this month, Wilson reached out to the Portland Bureau of Transportation saying he would like to review next steps in an effort to fund the transportation system. But Wilson said they have no plans for a tax.

“What we’re doing is, is we’re just looking at all sorts of scenario planning. Nothing is concrete,” Wilson said. “All it is, is a lot of discussions to address some of the structural issues we have in the city.”

In an email back to the mayor, PBOT’s director said the bureau has already started considering how Portland could use the tax. In a statement to KOIN 6 a PBOT spokesperson said PBOT is happy to provide information and support to the mayor and city council as they look at opportunities for funding the transportation system. Wilson said Portland has an infrastructure that could take billions of dollars to fix, and they have to address that now.

“There are so many different areas in which we can look at,” he said. “The transportation Utility tax is only one, and it certainly isn’t something we’re looking at. It’s down the road. It’s in the future, it’s years in the making. But we’re just talking to people right now. Like what do they want their city to look like?”

The mayor said he is working with bureau directors and the city council because people deserve safe roads.