community
march16
2017
3
Salem Report
they operate mostly in conjunction
with community colleges and public
Recently state econo- universities, so this will greatly increase
mist Mark McMullen their visibility. Since their creation in
met with the House and 1983, more than half a million individuals
Senate Revenue Commit- have attended workshops and classes
tees to present the March sponsored by the SBDC. This legislation
2017 Revenue Forecast. will help even more small businesses get
This is a quarterly report set up for success.
And speaking of success, I want
to the legislature and the public outlin-
ing the state of Oregon’s economy and to congratulate two schools in my district
what can reasonably be inferred for those who qualifi ed for the Nike School In-
numbers. I’d like to share some of this novation Fund, St. Helens High School
information with you as it will give you and Vernonia High School! The Fund is
a sense of the good news/bad news that awarding 100 Oregon high schools a to-
tal of $1.5 million in grants supporting a
often characterizes these reports.
Our state continues to show program called AVID (Advancement Via
growth, although more slowly than dur- Individual Determination), with the goal
ing the post-recession, generating an of increasing graduation rates, closing the
unexpected $200 million in tax revenue. achievement gap and helping all students
Nevertheless, this still leaves us with a in Oregon prepare for future success. A
$1.6 billion shortfall going into the next full 99% of AVID students graduate from
biennium. This gap is caused by the ris- high school on time with the skills, aca-
ing costs of the state pension system, the demic behaviors and knowledge needed
growth in Medicaid services, and several to succeed in post-secondary education.
voter-approved ballot measures that will It’s a great program and we are so proud
of these schools for qualifying for these
need to be funded.
Job growth continues to keep grants.
Besides food and water, the most
pace with the growing population at
about 3,500 per month, although Mc- important element in human survival is a
Mullen warns that it’s at a slower pace place to live. We are still in the throes of
than in 2014 and 2015, down from 5,000. a long, cold winter, and the stories of en-
In addition, the retirement of the Baby durance by those who are homeless, or in
Boomer generation is causing a decrease inadequate housing, have been all over
in personal income tax revenue. We will the headlines. There isn’t any question
likely not know until after tax returns that we need more housing of every kind.
There are many, too, who are
are processed in April how well we are
doing, just in time for the next forecast low income and could retain the housing
in May. At that time, we will also know that they have but who do not have the
if the “kicker” is triggered, which if this means to do so. Many nonprofi t orga-
happens, will put us even further in the nizations are trying to do their best, but
hole.
We are, of course, thankful that
this forecast was a relatively good one.
In McMullen’s words, “so far, so good,”
but treading water isn’t good enough.
That $1.6 billion budget shortfall is not
going to go away on its own. In the words
In an effort to fully inform the
of the Senate President, Peter Courtney, community about the upcoming elec-
“Our budget isn’t balanced. We’re going tion for Measure 5-265 for the Vernonia
to have to make some cuts. We’re going School Bond, the School Bond Com-
to have to raise some revenue. Both are mittee has scheduled several upcoming
tough. Both have to get done if we are events and activities. These events are
going to meet the needs of Oregon and designed to reach out to the community
her people.” My sentiments precisely… and provide answers to questions the
One thing that we do know for public may have about the bond and how
sure is that one of the biggest drivers the funds will be used to complete the
in job creation is the small business school campus, eliminate existing debt,
community. In late February we passed and provide a better learning environ-
HB 2152, which allows the state’s Small ment for students. Information is being
Business Development Centers (SBDC) distributed in a variety of ways, includ-
to perform outreach and marketing ing direct mailings, presentations to spe-
activities directly to the communities cifi c community groups, public meet-
in which they reside; there are 19 of ings, fl yers, and surveys.
them throughout Oregon. Currently,
Remember,
ALL
COSTS
By State Representative Brad Witt
they do not have the funds to meet these
needs. With this in mind, I have intro-
duced two bills that promise to give low
income families a leg up.
HB 2570 directs the Hous-
ing and Community Services Depart-
ment (HCSD) to establish an Affordable
Home Ownership Grant Program to pro-
vide grants to eligible nonprofi t organi-
zations with affordable home ownership
programs. In other words, organizations
like Habitat for Humanity and Commu-
nity Action Teams throughout the state
are to receive grants that will be dedi-
cated to purchase, construct or rehabili-
tate homes, and manufactured homes,
for sale to persons in low income house-
holds.
This grant program will require
the nonprofi t to create and administer
a revolving fund, which will repay the
grant so that these funds will be continu-
ously available for the next household
in need. The Department will also con-
duct audits and they will require a yearly
report to make sure that the monies are
spent according to the established guide-
lines.
The second bill that I introduced
is HB 2961. This bill also establishes
a special fund within HCSD called the
Home Ownership Repair and Rehabili-
tation Program. This addresses the dire
need of some folks who already have
a house but it may be at risk of falling
down around them. Or perhaps it just
needs a new roof or some dry rot repairs
so that they can stay in their home and be
safe. Again, this will be a revolving fund
and the amount of fi nancial assistance
will be limited to $25,000 per household.
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Contributors
Jim Bryson
Chip Bubl
Tobie Finzel
Karen Miller
Shannon Romtvedt
Robert Schattschneider
Nate Underwood
Representative Brad Witt
Photography
Scott Laird
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Have an article?
Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com
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Vernonia’s Voice is published
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School Bond Committee Schedule
of Informational Activities and Events
incurred are paid for by the Vernonia
School Bond Committee through private
funds. NO FUNDS are being used from
the Vernonia School District 47J budget.
The following is a list of upcoming
School Bond Committee events and
activities:
March 18, Noon to 2:00 pm On the
Street Survey – We will be out on the
downtown streets getting input from you
and taking pictures of YES voters!
March 21, 6:30 pm Presentation to the
Lions Club at Mariolino’s
March 22 2nd Mailout
March 29, Noon Senior Citizen Lunch
& Learn
April 1, Noon A presentation to the pub-
lic at the Cabin in Vernonia from a panel
including Senator Betsy Johnson, School
Board Chair Brett Costley, Vernonia
School Superintendent Aaron Miller, and
Jim Krahn, School Board Chair 2009
thru 2012. Scott Laird, Editor of Ver-
nonia’s Voice, will be the moderator and
will open the fl oor for questions.
April 13, 5:30 pm Mist School Presen-
tation from a panel moderated by Scott
Laird from 5:30 to 6:15 (pizza being
served) and School Board Meeting start-
ing at 6:45
April 15, Noon to 2:00 pm Door to
Door fl yer drop off and survey
April 15 YARD SIGNS GO UP!
April 20 3rd Mailout
April 2017 Sprouts Meeting
Cedar Side Inn
FULL
SPORTS
PACKAGE!
Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7
Karaoke
Every 2nd & Last Friday
EVENTS
Taco Tuesday
from opening until 9pm
3 hardshell or 1 softshell $4.25
Ladies’ Night
every Thursday 6pm-close
• Free Pool • Free WiFi • Specialty Pizzas
iheck our Facebook page for daily specials and upcoming events
756 Bridge Street, Vernonia
503-429-5841
Sat, April 8
• Specialty hamburgers
• 8 Draft beers & mixed drinks
• 5 Craft beers on tap
• Pool tables & satelite TV
• Free Wi-fi
• Beer & Kegs to go
Sun - Thurs 11 AM - Midnight •
733 Bridge St, Vernonia
Third Member
Sun, April 9
Texas Hold ‘em
“BIKER FRIENDLY”
Fri - Sat 11 AM - 2:30 AM
• 503-429-9999
