KMHD kudos YOUR ONLINE LOCAL Over and onward Jazz station wins national DAILY NEWS Oregon wins another bowl game, honor amid rejuvenation www.portlandtribune.com looks forward to stellar 2013 Portland— See LIFE, B1 Tribune— See SPORTS, B88 THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013 • TWICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPER • WWW.PORTLANDTRIBUNE.COM • PUBLISHED THURSDAY Roosevelt sees hope in bond projects First, PPS will listen to what students, 8819 S.E. Reedway St. 9337 N. Central community want 1,256 square feet 1,120 square feet Market Value: $162,940 Market Value: $155,230 By JENNIFER ANDERSON Assessed value: $150,880 Assessed Value: $69,200 The Tribune ■ Taxes: $2,588 ■ Taxes: $1,556 There’s one classroom at Roosevelt High School that used to be so crowded, some students had to sit in the win- TRIBUNE PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT dow sill because there was no space for more desks. Eventually, students dropped out. In other rooms of the North Portland school, fl oor boards are warped, the heat doesn’t SIMILAR PROPERTIES, turn on and students use rela- tively new computers with In- ternet connections so slow that their web pages often expire — right in the middle of fi lling UNEQUAL TAXES in scholarship applications. Junior Abby Pasion, Roos- evelt’s student body president, has been working to see that those problems are soon in the ■ East of 82nd Avenue, homeowners pay more, while others pay a lot less past. By lending her voice to the “Our Portland, Our Schools” By STEVE LAW a psychological barrier that de- campaign, she helped convince The Tribune Portland homeowners’ uneven property taxes notes less-desirable communities voters to approve the $482 mil- to the east. Now, new research by lion Portland Public Schools hen Jean DeMaster Oregon homeowners don’t pay property taxes on the real market value of their homes, ever since Bill a suburban Portland fi re district construction bond measure in sold her Hollywood Sizemore’s “cut and cap” tax limitation. The 1996 initiative rolled property taxes back to 1995 levels, shows that 82nd Avenue is a de- May. district home and minus 10 percent, and only allowed the taxable value to rise 3% a year. As a result, Multnomah County marcation line for property tax Finally, the changes will Wbought a cheaper homeowners with similarly valued homes now pay wildly different property taxes. disparities as well. soon become a reality. And Pa- house in East Portland, her fi rst “For the most part, it’s the poor sion is thrilled that Roosevelt property tax bill was a shocker. 50,000 people who are being screwed,” is fi rst on the The new house cost $50,000 less, says Jody Wiser, leader of the ad- list. but property taxes were $600 40,000 vocacy group Tax Fairness Ore- “We want “Even if I’m more. gon. “It means that our current to make not here to It turns out that residents east 30,000 tax system is actually hurting sure we do see it, my sib- of 82nd Avenue, like DeMaster, many of our families that are lings will be,” routinely pay more property tax- 20,000 struggling the hardest.” this one says Abby, es than their counterparts in Unequal property tax bills for who has a Southeast, Northeast and North same-priced homes is not a new right. We 12-year-old Portland for similarly priced 10,000 phenomenon in Oregon; it derives understand brother and homes. East Portland residents Number of homeowners from voter approval of Bill Size- people are 2-year-old sis- often pay double, triple or four 0 more’s “cut and cap” property tax ter. times as much. 0-10% 10-20% 20-30% 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% 90-100% limitation in 1996. watching.” This month, 82nd Avenue has long been con- Share of home value that county property owners are taxed on* — Greg Newman, the PPS Offi ce sidered an invisible dividing line, See TAXATION / Page 2 Roosevelt High of Moderniza- Source: Oregon Legislative Revenue Office. *Based on 2010 data. School vice tion begins its principal “education specifi cations” process to cre- ate a guide for what the reno- vated physical spaces at Roos- evelt and other schools should Buying the perfect gift? Fuhgeddaboudit look like. The public process includes students, teachers, families You’re not alone if According to economists and and community members en- marketing experts, it’s no sur- gaging with the architect on you didn’t get what prise that few people receive contract, Dull Olson Weekes holiday presents they cherish. Architects. you wanted this year That’s not the way the holidays The general plan is for Roos- are set up, they say, and giving evelt — constructed in the By PETER KORN pleasure to the recipient is not 1920s — to be gutted and mod- The Tribune what gift giving is primarily ernized, while maintaining the about. historic style and structure of In the lobby of a Pearl Dis- “Gifts are not about the re- the facade, including the bell trict fi tness studio last week, ceiver, gifts are about the giver,” tower. someone asked the handful of says Portland State University But what will it look like in- men and women waiting for economist James Woods. side, exactly? class if any of them had re- Woods likes to cite studies by Abby wants to see larger ceived the holiday gift of their a trio of Norwegian psycholo- classrooms, with better tech- dreams this year. gists who posed to students the nology. When nobody answered, a option of getting something Vice Principal Greg Newman second question followed: Could prestigious and elegant, or wants to see “transformable” anyone recall the best holiday something useful. They tried a learning environments for stu- gift they had ever been given? A designer scarf vs. a practical dents and teachers as well as few mumblers said they’d have jacket, and an expensive bottle 24/7 access for community to think about it. of wine vs. two moderately members, who could drop in It was just days after Christ- priced bottles. When asked for computer classes or sum- mas. No doubt, family members which they would give as a pres- mer programs. and friends of those people had ent, students consistently chose “Roosevelt is the center of spent countless hours and a fair the elegant. When asked which the St. Johns community; it is TRIBUNE PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT amount of money on presents they would rather receive, they Shoppers at The Real Mother Goose store downtown can usually fi nd something unique, but sometimes the they thought would be perfect. See BOND / Page 4 price matters more. But apparently they weren’t. See GIFTS / Page 9 “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune Habitat builds ■ Portland’s Habitat for Humanity has reached its $12 million fundraising goal and plans to continue deliver balanced news that refl ects the on $12 million building homes in Southeast Portland, Rockwood and Gresham. Search: Habitat for Humanity. stories of our communities. Thank you Online for reading our newspapers.” goal Read it fi rst at portlandtribune.com — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR SHOP, COMPARE AND TEST DRIVE SPONSORED BY JANUARY 24 – 27, 2013 THE NEWEST MODELS! OREGON CONVENTION CENTER Don’t just wish… say “I got this” THURSDAY – SATURDAY 10AM – 10PM FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION, VISIT SUNDAY 10AM – 7PM PORTLANDAUTOSHOW.COM 341454.011013 A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Thursday, January 10, 2013 8721 S.E. Mill St. 6615 N. Kerby Ave. 1,795 square feet 1,509 square feet Market value: $202,360 Market value: $215,750 Assessed value: $163,990 Assessed value: $99,590 ■ Taxes: $3,192 ■ Taxes: $2,239 TRIBUNE PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT Taxation: Progressive system twisted in knots ■ Steve Novick. Many African- From page 1 Americans and others dis- Skewed property tax assessments in Portland placed by gentrifi cation moved But the stark contrast be- to cheaper housing in East Port- tween East Portland and closer- land, Novick notes. “Now in eastside neighborhoods they’re paying higher taxes Share of property wasn’t so clear until the release than the people that displaced value that owners of a color-coded map by Tuala- them.” pay taxes on: tin Valley Fire & Rescue last 100% year. The map depicts most of How it happened the residential areas of North, Sizemore’s Ballot Measure 47 90% - 99% Northeast and Southeast Port- dropped assessed property val- 80% - 89% land in shades of blue, which ues back to 1995 levels, then cut means homeowners are paying them another 10 percent and 70% - 79% property taxes on less than 60 capped future increases at 3 60% - 69% percent of the true value of percent a year — with little re- their homes. Starting at 82nd gard for what subsequently 82nd Avenue 50% - 59% Avenue and moving east, neigh- happens to neighborhoods or 1% - 49% borhoods suddenly shift to home prices. warmer colors, which means As a result, some North and Public land residents are assessed taxes on Northeast Portland homeown- 80 percent, 90 percent or 100 ers only pay property taxes on 5 percent of their home’s market percent or 10 percent of their value. actual property value, says After seeing the map, De- Randy Walruff, Multnomah Master had a County assessor. clearer under- Many of those standing of why “We receive neighborhoods her tax bill went were tarnished by up when she less services, gang violence in moved from but it looks like the early 1990s, Northeast Port- which depressed land to East Port- we’re paying home prices.