Metro (Oregon regional government)

Last updated
Metro
Metro Oregon logo.svg
Agency overview
Formed1993 (1993)
Preceding agencies
  • Metropolitan Service District (19791992)
  • Columbia Region Association of Governments (19661978)
  • Metropolitan Service District (19571966)
TypeRegional Special-purpose district and Metropolitan planning organization
Jurisdiction Portland metropolitan area
Headquarters Portland, Oregon
Employees793 (2014-15 fiscal year) [1]
Annual budget$484 million (2014-15 fiscal year) [1]
Agency executives
  • Lynn Peterson, President
  • Brian Evans, Auditor
  • Marissa Madrigal, Chief Operating Officer
Website www.oregonmetro.gov

Metro is the regional government for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area, covering portions of Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties. It is the only directly elected regional government and metropolitan planning organization in the United States. [2] Metro is responsible for overseeing the Portland region's solid waste system, general planning of land use and transportation, maintaining certain regional parks and natural areas, and operating the Oregon Zoo, Oregon Convention Center, Portland's Centers for the Arts, and the Portland Expo Center. It also distributes money from two voter-approved tax measures: one for homeless services and one for affordable housing.

Contents

History and evolution

Metro in its current form evolved from Columbia Region Association of Governments (CRAG) (1966–1978) and a predecessor Metropolitan Service District (MSD) (1957–1966). [2] Measure 6, a 1978 statewide ballot measure established Metro, effective January 1, 1979. In 1992 voters approved a home-rule charter that identified Metro's primary mission as planning and policy making to preserve and enhance the quality of life and the environment, and changed the agency's name to Metro. This charter was amended in November 2000 when Ballot Measure 26-10 was passed by voters, although the principal changes did not take effect until January 2003. [3] The measure eliminated the Executive Office and reorganized executive staff. The position of Executive Officer, elected by voters, was merged with that of council presiding officer, chosen annually by fellow Metro councilors, creating the position of Metro Council President. [3] Metro's first president was David Bragdon, who served in the office from January 2003 until September 2010. [4]

Metro's scope has grown over time. It took over Glendoveer Golf Course, regional parks, pioneer cemeteries and the Expo Center from Multnomah County in 1994, [5] and the City of Portland transferred management of its performing arts venues in 1989. [6]

In 2020, Metro placed a measure on the May ballot intended to raise $250 million for homeless services. It was approved and was enacted in January 2021. [7] Under it, individuals with earnings of over $125,000 annually and couples with earnings over $200,000 are subject to 1% marginal income tax. Businesses with a gross revenue over $5 million are also subject to a 1% business tax. [8] [9]

Areas of responsibility

Regional Illegal Dumping Patrol

Regional Illegal Dumping Patrol or RID Patrol cleans up illegal dumping and it is the designated contact for the public to report illegal dumping on public property, such as furniture, hazardous waste and construction debris. [10] [11]

Planning

Operations Management

Jurisdiction, leadership

Metro serves 24 cities, including Portland, in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties in Oregon, as well as unincorporated parts of those counties. [13] The Metro Council consists of a president and six councilors, all directly elected by their districts, and nonpartisan. [13] The incumbent president is Lynn Peterson, who assumed office January 7, 2019. [14]

According to the 2020 census, the average district population for the districts used from 2011 to 2021 was 248,362 and the current population of the old districts is as follows (the populations for the newly drawn districts are yet to be determined): [15] [16]

DistrictIncludes (as of 2020)2020 Population for 2011-21 districts [17] Current councilor [18]
1 Boring, Damascus Fairview, Gresham, a portion of eastern Happy Valley, portions of East Portland, Troutdale, Wood Village 255,353Ashton Simpson [19]
2Unincorporated parts of Clackamas County and Stafford, Dunthorpe, Gladstone, most of Happy Valley, Johnson City, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Oregon City, a portion of Southwest Portland, Rivergrove, and West Linn 278,609Christine Lewis
3Most of Beaverton, some of West Slope and Raleigh Hills, and all of Bull Mountain, Durham, Garden Home–Whitford, King City, Metzger, Sherwood, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville 283,198Gerritt Rosenthal
4Northern Washington County, communities of Aloha, northwest portion of Beaverton, all of Bonny Slope, Cedar Hills, Cornelius, Forest Grove, and Hillsboro, most of Bethany and Cedar Mill, and some of Raleigh Hills and West Slope297,578Juan Carlos González
5All of N and NW Portland, portions of NE, SE S, and SW Portland (including downtown), Maywood Park, and parts of Washington County, including West Haven-Sylvan and small portions of Bethany and Cedar Mill278,302 Mary Nolan
6Portions of S, SW, SE and NE Portland, Raleigh Hills, and West Slope278,727Duncan Hwang
Total1,671,767

Metro's approved 2020-21 Budget is $1.4 billion, with 979 FTE. [20]

Regional plan

Metro is also the Portland regional planning organization and develops a regional master plan to coordinate future development. Metro's master plan for the region includes transit-oriented development: this approach, part of the new urbanism, promotes mixed-use and high-density development around light rail stops and transit centers, and the investment of the metropolitan area's share of federal tax dollars into multiple modes of transportation. Metro's master plan also includes multiple town centers, smaller versions of the city center, scattered throughout the metropolitan area.

In 1995 Metro introduced the 2040 plan as a way to define long term growth planning. The 2040 Growth Concept [21] is designed to accommodate 780,000 additional people and 350,000 jobs by 2040. This plan has created some criticism from environmentalists, but few consider it a threat to Portland's legacy of urban growth management.

An April 2004 study in the Journal of the American Planning Association tried to quantify the effects of Metro's plans on Portland's urban form. While the report cautioned against finding a direct link between any one policy and a specific improvement in Portland's urban form, it showed strong correlation between Metro's 2040 plan and various west-side changes in Portland. Changes cited include increased density and mixed-use development as well as improved pedestrian/non-automobile accessibility.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland, Oregon</span> Largest city in Oregon, United States

Portland is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated in the northwestern area of the state at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, it is the county seat of Multnomah County, Oregon's most populous county. As of 2020, Portland's population was 652,503, making it the 26th-most populous city in the United States, the sixth-most populous on the West Coast, and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest, after Seattle. Approximately 2.5 million people live in the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA metropolitan statistical area, making it the 25th most populous in the United States. About half of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area.

Ballot Measure 5 was a landmark piece of direct legislation in the U.S. state of Oregon in 1990. Measure 5, an amendment to the Oregon Constitution, established limits on Oregon's property taxes on real estate. Its primary champion and spokesman was Don McIntire, a politically-active Gresham health club owner who would go on to lead the Taxpayers Association of Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Council (Minnesota)</span>

The Metropolitan Council, commonly abbreviated Met Council or Metro Council, is the regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota serving the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area, accounting for over 55 percent of the state's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Park (Portland, Oregon)</span> Public municipal park west of downtown Portland, Oregon

Forest Park is a public municipal park in the Tualatin Mountains west of downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Stretching for more than 8 miles (13 km) on hillsides overlooking the Willamette River, it is one of the country's largest urban forest reserves. The park, a major component of a regional system of parks and trails, covers more than 5,100 acres (2,064 ha) of mostly second-growth forest with a few patches of old growth. More than 80 miles (130 km) of recreational trails, including the Wildwood Trail segment of the city's 40-Mile Loop system, crisscross the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland metropolitan area, Oregon</span> Metropolitan statistical area in the US

The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area with its core in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. It has 5 principal cities the largest being Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area used by the United States Census Bureau (USCB) and other entities. The OMB defines the area as comprising Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill Counties in Oregon, and Clark and Skamania Counties in Washington. The area had a population of 2,512,859 at the 2020 census, an increase of over 12% since 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MAX Yellow Line</span> Light rail line in Portland, Oregon

The MAX Yellow Line is a light rail line serving Portland, Oregon, United States. Operated by TriMet as part of the MAX Light Rail system, it connects North Portland, Portland City Center, and Portland State University (PSU). The line serves 17 stations; it runs north–south from Expo Center station to PSU South/Southwest 6th and College station, interlining with the Green and Orange lines within the Portland Transit Mall. Service runs for 21 hours per day with headways of up to 15 minutes. The Yellow Line is the fourth-busiest service in the MAX system; it carried an average 12,960 riders per weekday in September 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Portland, Oregon area elections</span>

Multnomah County, Oregon, the city of Portland, Oregon, and Metro held elections on May 16 and November 7, 2006.

David Douglas School District No. 40 is a school district in eastern Portland, Oregon, United States. Its administrative offices are at 11300 NE Halsey St. Portland, OR 97220.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lents, Portland, Oregon</span> Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, United States

The Lents neighborhood in the Southeast section of Portland, Oregon is bordered by SE Powell Blvd. on the north, the Clackamas County line or City of Portland line on the south, SE 82nd Ave. to the west, and roughly SE 112th on the east. The NE corner overlaps with the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood. In addition to Powellhurst-Gilbert on the north and east, Lents also borders Foster-Powell, Mt. Scott-Arleta, and Brentwood-Darlington on the west and Pleasant Valley on the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Expo Center</span> Convention center in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Portland Expo Center, officially the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, is a convention center located in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States. Opened in the early 1920s as a livestock exhibition and auction facility, the center now hosts over 100 events a year, including green consumer shows, trade shows, conventions, meetings and other special events. Located on the north side of Portland near Vancouver, Washington, it includes the northern terminus for the Yellow Line of Portland's light-rail transit system and has connections to TriMet Bus Line 11-Rivergate/Marine Dr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional Arts & Culture Council</span>

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is an organization that administers arts grants in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties that also do advocacy in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It evolved from the city’s Metropolitan Arts Commission agency in the 1990s. In 1995, the Metropolitan Arts Commission became the RACC as an independent non-profit organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Portland, Oregon</span> City commission government system of Portland, Oregon

The government of Portland, Oregon is based on a city commission government system. Elected officials include the mayor, commissioners, and a city auditor. The mayor and commissioners are responsible for legislative policy and oversee the various bureaus that oversee the day-to-day operation of the city. Portland began using a commission form of government in 1913 following a public vote on May 3 of that year. Each elected official serves a four-year term, without term limits. Each city council member is elected at-large.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springwater Corridor</span> Bicycle and pedestrian trail in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area

The Springwater Corridor Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian rail trail in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It follows a former railway line from Boring through Gresham to Portland, where it ends south of the Eastbank Esplanade. Most of the corridor, about 21 miles (34 km) long, consists of paved, off-street trail, though about 1 mile (1.6 km) overlaps city streets in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood. A large segment roughly follows the course of Johnson Creek and crosses it on bridges many times. Much of the corridor was acquired by the City of Portland in 1990; remaining segments were acquired by Metro thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Lake Regional Park</span>

Blue Lake Regional Park is a public park in Fairview, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The 101-acre (41 ha) park, near the south shore of the Columbia River in Multnomah County, includes many covered and uncovered picnic areas, playing fields for sports such as softball, a cross country course and infrastructure related to lake recreation including swimming, boating, and fishing. Encompassing wooded areas, three ponds, and a wetland in addition to the lake, the park is frequented by migrating birds and other wildlife. Paved paths run through the park, which is near the 40-Mile Loop hiking and biking trail. Park vegetation includes cottonwoods, willows, and other trees and shrubs as well as wetland plants such as cattails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bragdon</span>

David L. Bragdon is an American politician and civic leader in the U.S. states of Oregon and New York. From 2003 to 2010, he was the elected president of the Metro Council, a regional government in the Portland metropolitan area. He served as Director of the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability in the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City. He is currently executive director of TransitCenter, Inc., a New York-based non-profit organization which commissions and conducts research and advocacy related to urban transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooper Mountain Nature Park</span> Public park in Portland, Oregon, United States

Cooper Mountain Nature Park is a 231 acres (93 ha) nature park in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 2009, the park is owned and operated by Metro, the regional government in the Oregon portion of the metro area. The park is named after Cooper Mountain, the primary geological feature in the area near Beaverton. Maintained by the regional Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District, the natural area has 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of hiking trails. It is one of THPRD's two nature parks, along with the Tualatin Hills Nature Park.

Michael Leigh Burton is an American politician. He served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1985–1995 and was Speaker Pro-tempore (temporarily) in the 1991 session.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multnomah Greyhound Park</span>

Multnomah Greyhound Park was a greyhound dog track located in Wood Village, Oregon, part of the Portland metropolitan area. The park opened in 1957 and closed in 2004. After standing empty and disused for almost 12 years, the buildings at the site were demolished in summer 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deborah Kafoury</span> American politician

Deborah Kafoury is a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Portland, Oregon</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Portland, Oregon

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon on February 28, 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 "Metro's 2014-15 adopted budget" (PDF). Metro. July 1, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  2. 1 2 Carl Abbott. "Metro". The Oregon Encyclopedia .
  3. 1 2 Oppenheimer, Laura (November 20, 2002). "Bragdon to lead streamlined Metro". The Oregonian , p. C1.
  4. Crombie, Noelle (August 11, 2010). "Metro chief David Bragdon leaving for top New York City post". The Oregonian . Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  5. APPROVING A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN MULTNOMAH COUNTY AND METRO REGARDING THE TRANSFER OF REGIONAL PARKS, NATURAL AREAS, GOLF COURSES, CEMETERIES AND THE EXPO CENTER | Multnomah County
  6. Office of the City Auditor (June 2011). "PORTLAND CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: Outsourced management good for the City, but agreements and oversight need improvement".
  7. "Metro Discusses Next Steps After Passage Of Homeless Services Measure". opb. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  8. Powell, Meerah (March 8, 2020). "Metro's $250 Million Homeless Services Measure Receives Legal Challenge". www.opb.org. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  9. Bailey Jr, Everton; Rogoway, Mike (2020-02-26). "Metro sends tax measure to ballot, would raise $250 million a year for Portland-area homeless services". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  10. Tomlinson, Stuart (2018-03-28). "Metro's Regional Illegal Dump Patrol is out there, hunting tires, couches and dumpsites". KATU. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  11. "Regional Illegal Dumping Patrol". Metro. 2014-03-21. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Aoki, Keith (2005). "All the King's Horses and All the King's Men: Hurdles to Putting the Fragmented Metropolis Back Together Again – Statewide Land Use Planning, Portland Metro and Oregon's Measure 37". Journal of Law and Policy. 21: 397, 431–436.
  13. 1 2 "What is Metro?". Metro. 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  14. "Metro Council President Lynn Peterson". Metro. 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  15. "Metro: New Metro Council district boundaries". Metro. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  16. "Metro proposes redrawing its six districts". Daily Journal of Commerce. 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  17. "Metro Council kicks off redistricting process". Metro. October 19, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  18. "Find your councilor". Metro. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  19. Ramakrishnan, Jayati (May 28, 2002). "Lynn Peterson wins second term as Metro Council President". The Oregonian/OregonLive . Retrieved January 2, 2023. Ashton Simpson ran unopposed for District 1, centered in east Multnomah County.
  20. "Metro budget". Metro. 2014-05-08. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  21. "Metro: Making the Greatest Place". Metro. Retrieved 2014-11-17.