Metro
Hydrangea flowers. (Photo courtesy Wesley Waite)
Contact
Contact: Tom Hughes, President
Address: Metro Regional Center, 600 NE Grand Ave., Portland 97232-2736
Phone: 503-797-1700
Fax: 503-797-1799
Web: www.oregonmetro.gov
Councilors
District 1: Shirley Craddick 2014; District 2: Carlotta Collette 2014; District 3: Carl Hosticka 2012; District 4: Kathryn Harrington 2014; District 5: Rex Burkholder 2012; District 6: Barbara Roberts 2012; Auditor Suzanne Flynn 2014
About
Metro serves nearly 1.4 million people in an area of 463 square miles covering the urban portions of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties in northwestern Oregon. There are 25 cities in the Metro service area, including Beaverton, Gresham, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Oregon City and Portland.
Metro has primary responsibility for regional land-use and transportation planning and is required to address other issues of “metropolitan concern” that cross jurisdictional boundaries. This grant of authority clearly underscores Metro's commitment to maintain and enhance the livability of the region.
The Metro Council is the only regional governing body in the United States directly elected by the region's voters, making it both visible and accountable. The council president is elected region-wide and six councilors are elected by district every four years in nonpartisan races. An auditor, also elected region-wide, reviews Metro’s operations. The council appoints a chief operating officer to carry out council policies and manage Metro operations. The COO oversees more than 650 full-time and 1,000 part-time employees, from economists to park rangers and from cartographers to zoo keepers.
History
Metro was formed in 1979 when voters approved the merger of a council of governments (the Columbia Region Association of Governments) that had land-use and transportation planning responsibilities with the Metropolitan Service District. The service district had been created to provide regional services that included the solid waste management plan and operation of a metropolitan zoo. An elected council and an elected executive officer governed the new Metropolitan Service District that operated with its former authority and that of the council of governments. A 1992 charter gave Metro the distinction of being the nations’ only elected regional government (as it had been since 1979) and also the only one organized under a home-rule charter approved by voters. The charter was amended in 2000, eliminating the executive officer and reorganizing executive staff.
In 1980, Metro became responsible for regional solid waste disposal when it took over operation of the one existing publicly owned regional landfill and began construction of a transfer station. In November 1986, voters approved general obligation bond funding for the Oregon Convention Center, built and operated by Metro. In January 1990, Metro assumed management responsibility for the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, Portland Civic Stadium and Portland Memorial Coliseum (though management of the coliseum was later returned to the city, which turned it over to the new Oregon Arena
Corporation).
In 1994, Metro assumed management responsibility for the Multnomah County parks system and Expo Center. Ownership of these facilities was transferred to Metro on July 1, 1996. In 2000, Portland Civic Stadium was turned over to Portland Family Entertainment for ownership and management. In May 1995, voters authorized $135.6 million in general obligation bonds to acquire and protect a system of regional open spaces, parks and streams followed in 2006 by approval of a $227.4 million bond measure to protect natural areas. In 2008, voter’s approved the Oregon Zoo's $125 million bond measure to improve outdated exhibits and make the zoo more sustainable.
Funding
Metro's funding is highly diversified. About half of Metro's operating revenues come from user fees related to solid waste disposal and waste prevention and admission fees from Metro's visitor venues. Other revenues include grants, property taxes collected primarily for debt service on voter-approved bond measures, and excise taxes paid on Metro facilities, services and construction activity within the region.
Services
Regional land use and transportation planning and development: The centerpiece of this responsibility is the 2040 Growth Concept, the region’s long-range plan. It guides urban growth boundary management, efficient use of land, protection of farms, forests and natural areas, a balanced transportation system, a healthy economy supporting the creation of new jobs, and diverse housing options.
Urban growth boundary management: The UGB is used to protect farms and forests, promote a vital urban core, help local governments plan the location of infrastructure, and promote efficient use of urban land, public facilities and services. Every five years, the Metro Council reviews the 20-year land supply and, if necessary, expands the boundary to meet regional needs.
Data Resource Center: Metro offers state-of-the-art mapping, analysis and forecasting tools that are used for everything from locating businesses to planning new transportation projects. The region’s jurisdictions rely on and contribute to this data center, eliminating duplication between governments.
Solid waste management and recycling: Metro manages the region’s solid waste system, which includes its renowned curbside residential recycling program. Metro owns and operates two solid waste and recycling transfer stations and two hazardous waste facilities, and it runs a recycling hotline. Metro has recycled more than 1 million gallons of latex paint since 1992, saving natural resources and landfill space.
Protecting natural areas: Thanks to two voter-approved bond measures, the Metro Natural Areas Program has protected more than 10,000 acres across the Portland metropolitan area. Today, Metro’s system of regional parks and natural areas include Smith and Bybee Lakes Wildlife Area, a 2,000-acre freshwater wetland in North Portland, Oxbow Regional Park, a 1,200-acre forested natural area on the Sandy River east of Gresham, and Graham Oaks Natural Area, a 250-acre restored oak woodlands in Wilsonville.
Venues for public gatherings and entertainment: Through the Metropolitan Exposition and Recreation Commission, Metro operates the region's public assembly facilities — the Oregon Convention Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, and Portland Expo Center. These venues host hundreds of events each year, drawing millions of people. The Oregon Convention Center generates more than $400 million a year in economic benefit. The zoo is the state’s highest paid-admissions visitor facility.