News Portland voters gave their blessing to a $35-a-person tax last fall on the promise the money would be used to restore arts and music to the city’s public schools. So imagine the surprise of    More

News UPDATE, 6:25 pm: Several procrastinating readers have alerted WW that the arts tax website—the city's preferred method of payment—has crashed. It could not handle the volume of people trying to pay on the last day before a promised $20 penalty."At this point the deadline to pay the Arts Tax will be extended until the problem is resolved," the site reads. "We appreciate everyone's patience with ...   More

News Happy arts tax day! For those of you keeping score at home, the $35-a-person Portland arts tax is due today—the deadline moved back a month after the city had trouble getting money from people without computers, couldn't get debit-card payments to work, changed the exemptions twice, offered refunds, and was sued in two courts.The civil trial in the first of those lawsuits, filed by Lewis & Clark ...   More

Murmurs Just as Mayor Charlie Hales moves to bust the Portland police commanders union, a bill to expand the rights of police brass to unionize is working its way through the Legislature. House Bill 2418 ex   More

News Mayor Charlie Hales has struck a deal to give Portland Public Schools and five other school districts their first payment from the arts tax—whether or not the tax is struck down as illegal by the courts.The deal calls for the City of Portland to cover two-thirds of the money the schools expects this fall, if it loses two pending lawsuits against the error-riddled tax. But today's deal—regardless ...   More

News The star-crossed, $35-per-head arts tax Portlanders approved last November continues to sow confusion in the populace. For the second time, the city is having to issue guidance about who should and should not have to pay the tax—and this time, it's offering a refund.Mayor Charlie Hales, whose exasperation with the flawed measure is obvious, announced this morning that the city will offer refunds ...   More

News  Portland City Council on Wednesday directed the city revenue bureau to look for more potential changes to the arts tax. City Commissioner Steve Novick has one in mind: He wants to change the very structure of the tax.Novick described the arts tax as "beyond regressive" when it was a ballot measure in November, because it charges every person above federal poverty levels the same $35, regardless ...   More

Murmurs It’s not like Jack Bogdanski to be coy. The Lewis & Clark Law School professor, best known by the nom de blog Bojack, is ever willing to skewer local officials and the media. But this week   More

Cover Story You won’t believe who is in Brian Wannamaker’s basement. Against one wall, Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock plays electric guitar next to a wild boar. Nearby, rock chanteuse Storm Large bel   More

News Lewis & Clark Law School professor and blogger Jack Bogdanski has filed a lawsuit against the City of Portland in Oregon Tax Court, alleging the city's $35 arts tax violates the state constitution. Bogdanski's lawsuit, obtained today by WW, was filed on March 7.It's the only lawsuit pending against the arts tax, according to a tax court clerk in Salem. Bogdanski's suit asks the tax court to find ...   More