Murmurs: Hey, You Kids, Get Off My Property Tax Bill!

1. Oregon has special taxing districts to fund libraries, transit and ports. In fact, state law gives local voters the power to create 26 different kinds of taxing districts to raise revenue and provide services. The next reason: children. City Commissioner Dan Saltzman is the sponsor of the Portland Children’s Levy, a property tax voters have renewed every five years since 2002 to raise money for child-abuse prevention, foster care, early education and hunger prevention. Saltzman was in Salem on Sept. 15 to ask state legislators to create authority for a permanent “children’s services district.” While it sounds nice, money raised by the district would squeeze other local governments competing for a slice of property tax bills, which are capped by law. He’s already twice met with Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek about the plan. Saltzman says the success of the Children’s Levy makes him confident Multnomah County voters would pass a permanent district to fund children’s programs. “We’ve delivered on what we said we were going to do,” he says.

1. Fire inspectors who perform safety checks at music venues and nightclubs during concerts and other nighttime events have been told by Portland Fire & Rescue not to go into clubs without bulletproof vests. “Recent gang-related shootings at some night assemblies prompted us to review safety protocols for our night inspection program,” fire bureau spokesman Lt. Damon Simmons tells WW. The city is spending $1,650 to provide two inspectors with the gear. Meanwhile, the Fire Marshal’s Office remains unsettled pending an ongoing investigation into Assistant Fire Marshal Doug Jones’ handling of the downtown swingers club Ron Jeremy’s Club Sesso (“Hot Tip,” WW, Aug. 20, 2014). Jones faces allegations he improperly helped the club avoid penalties for fire code violations, which he denies. A Bureau of Human Resources spokeswoman says there’s no timetable for finishing the investigation.

1. Dave’s Killer Bread has been struggling to figure out how to protect its image since the company’s co-founder and public face was charged with assaulting police officers with a Cadillac Escalade last fall. The company had built its marketing around Dave Dahl’s prodigal-son journey from meth-dealing convict to sober-living baker (“Breaking Bread,” WW, Jan. 8, 2014). The question was, how would the Milwaukie bakery continue to promote its loaves when Dahl’s redemption story turned fishy? Rewrite the tale. The company’s bread wrapper previously was sold carrying a personal message from Dahl, who awaits trial. New wrappers appearing in stores acknowledge Dahl’s contribution but shift the spotlight to the company and away from Dahl’s ongoing role. As for Dahl, says company spokeswoman Gabrielle Enfield, “He is an active member of our board of directors.”

WWeek 2015