Hales’ new spending plan, a proposal to raise the Business License Fee by 0.3 percent, is the latest in a series of policy decisions that have antagonized the Portland Business Alliance.
From the Portland Business Journal:
With Portland’s general fund at a record high, the PBA argued that increasing the fee made no sense when there was new money available. A smarter option would be to look internally and reprioritize spending, said PBA President and CEO Sandra McDonough in a statement at the time.
The PBA wasn’t the only critic of Hales’ proposal, but with 1,900 members who collectively employ more than 300,000 workers, its opinions carry considerable weight.
