In ironic news, the Portland Business Alliance is proposing that downtown condo owners should pay a yearly fee that will pay for the services of, among other things, armed rent-a-cops to roam the streets. As a downtown property owner and outspoken critic of rent-a-cops—the private police who roam downtown without public oversight—I found the idea of paying for their services out of a fee on my property to be somewhat galling, when I heard about the move last week.

Fortunately it turns out my building is one block outside the downtown Business Improvement District (BID), which the fee would be paid into. The Portland Business Alliance is behind the move. Writes Megan Doern, PBA spokesperson:

Matt,

The 10 condo buildings inside the Business Improvement District currently do not pay the fee that commercial property owners, apartment owners and low income housing have paid since the BID was formed in 1988 (though low income housing pays the fee at a reduced rate). The residents of these buildings receive the benefits of the BID - security, cleaning, downtown marketing, community court staffing, Sidewalk Ambassadors - without paying for it. In 2001, the BID board sought the inclusion of condos but the agreement was for condos to voluntarily pay the fee, but none have. Representatives from the BID have met with 8 of the 10 condo building associations. I believe your building is across the street from the BID boundary so your building won't be paying the fee, which I think is unfortunate as it would have been quite amusing to me if you were. The average cost for the unit owner is $145 per year.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Megan

Phew. As long as I don't have to pay $145 a year, that's good news. But other condo owners aren't quite so lucky, like those at the KOIN tower, for example. In a letter to the mayor and city commissioners dated March 10, 2009, attorney Walter Grebe "strongly opposes" the move on behalf of the Portland Plaza Condominium Homeowners association, of which he is chair.

Grebe argues, in the letter, that when the State of Oregon authorized such local improvement districts like the BID, "it was specifically stated that the city shall not levy assessments on residential real property."

Grebe adds that the KOIN tower is located in the far south end of the BID, and does "not receive the same benefits as the business owners downtown." It removes its own graffiti, and maintains its own 24-hour security force.

"The whole intention of the BID was to provide additional services to the local businesses in the downtown Portland area," Grebe writes. "We are not a business."

"We are facing significant expenditures in the next year because we are being forced to replace our roof," he continues.

"As homeowners living in the downtown area, we are already making a large contribution to the stability of the area by being here 24/7," he adds.

And lastly, "we are a nonprofit organization and it seems to us it is unwise for the city to place a burden on those choosing to live downtown by taxing them as if they were a profit-making business."

All this fuss over less than $200 a year, and there's even a petition attached, and signed by 31 condo owners. Honestly. Some people really do take the cake.

Of course, if they move the BID boundary any time soon, you'll be hearing a different tone from me, altogether. I've posted a map of it after the jump, in case you're interested.

BID MAP: Outline in light pink, with Davis' house, X-marks-the-spot...