North Douglas Herald
Business Matters
Milestone Achieved
in Oregon’s
Broadband Equity,
Access, &
Deployment (BEAD)
Rollout
The Oregon Broadband Office is
pleased to announce the BEAD Initial
Proposal Volume II (IPv2) approval
by the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration.
The 5-Year Action Plan, Initial
Proposals Volumes I and II, and
the public comments that shaped
them are Oregon’s strategy to invest
$689 million from BEAD funding
to provide access to affordable,
high-speed, reliable broadband to all
Oregonians.
“Oregon is committed to ensuring
that all people across our state have
access to affordable and reliable
high-speed broadband internet,”
Governor Kotek said. “Today’s
announcement from NTIA is an
exciting development in our steadfast
efforts to bridge the digital divide
and ensure positive social, civic,
economic, and educational outcomes
for Oregonians.”
Now that Initial Proposal Volume
II has been approved, Oregon
will receive the necessary funding
allocation to administer the program
and can start the subgrantee selection
process.
At the end of 365 days, Oregon
must have the BEAD Final Proposal
approved by the NTIA to receive the
balance of the $689 million and award
the funds to the subgrantees. The
approved subgrantees will carry out
the work of building the infrastructure
necessary to provide broadband
access to unserved (no internet access
or under 25/3 Mbps) and underserved
(access under 100/20 Mbps) locations
identified during the BEAD Challenge
Process.
For more information about
the Oregon Broadband Office, visit
www.broadband.oregon.gov.
Growing Oregon’s
Economy is the Path to
Addressing Urgent
Priorities
Salem, OR – The Office of Economic
Analysis’ June 2024 Revenue Forecast
indicated that Oregon’s economy is continuing
to stabilize and provided legislators with
important information about funds available
for investment. Senate Majority Leader Kate
Lieber (D – Beaverton & SW Portland)
released the following statement in response:
“Oregonians’ hard work is paying off. This
stable economic forecast is welcome news,
especially given the urgent challenges we are
facing. If we’re going to make the necessary
investments to address the drug crisis,
homelessness, affordable housing, education
funding, and more, we need to keep growing
our economy.
“Senate Democrats want to see
Oregonians’ wages keep going up, more
opportunities for working families to move to
Oregon communities, and local job creators
expanding operations across the state.”
July 2024
Page 11
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Business Oregon
Lane County to
Legislature Begins
Awards $3 Million to
Accountability Hearings Auction 6 properties in
County Fair
for Employment
July
Operators to Relieve
Lane County is conducting a sealed-bid auction
Department Delays of real property now through 11:00 a.m. PST on
Pandemic-Related
Monday, July 22, 2024. Bids will be opened at 11:
Salem, OR - In the past several months, 00 a.m. on July 23, and winners will be notified
Revenue Losses
Business Oregon announces $3
million in grant funding awarded to 34
County Fair Operators in Oregon that
experienced significant revenue losses
due to statewide shutdowns per health
mandates that affected Oregon during
the COVID-19
pandemic.
In the 2023 legislative session per
HB 3410 Section 9 and 10, Business
Oregon was allocated $3 million to
provide this grant assistance. This
funding is only eligible to be used for
the significant loss of earned revenue
or the sale of goods and services
including admission/ticketing, charges
for services, rentals, permits and fees,
merchandise, food and beverages, and
contracted services and performances
experienced by County Fair Operators.
County Fair Operators is defined as a
county fair board, fair association, or
fair district that operates a county fair.
The grant amounts awarded were
determined equally based off the
number of eligible applicants. The
awards ranged from approximately
$30,000 - $94,000 each, depending on
how much revenue each county lost.
Below is the list of awarded County
Fair Operators.
• County of Baker; Baker County Fair
Board
• Benton County Fair Board
• Clackamas County Fair and Event
Center
• Clatsop County Fair Board
• Columbia County Fair Board
• Coos County Fair Board
• Crook County Fair Board
• Curry County Fair Board
• Deschutes County Fair Board
• Douglas County Fair Board
• Grant County Fair Board
• Harney County Fair Board
• Jackson County Fair Board; Agency
of Jackson County
• Jefferson County Fair Board
• Josephine County Fair Board
• Klamath County Fair Board
• Lake County Fair Board
• Lane County Fair Board
• Lincoln County Fair Board
• Linn County Fair Board
• Malheur County Fair Board
• Marion County Fair Board
• Morrow County Fair Board
• Friends of the Multnomah County
Fair, Inc.
• Polk County Fair Board
• Tillamook County Fair Board
• Umatilla County Fair Board
• Union County Fair Board
• Wallowa County Fair Board
• Wasco County Fair Board
• Washington County Fair Board
• Wheeler County Fair Board
• Yamhill County Fair Board
• Oregon State Fair Council dba:
Oregon State Fair & Exposition
Center
Visit www.oregon.gov/biz to learn
more about the County Fairgrounds
Operational Support program.
legislators have heard from constituents
experiencing benefit delays and slow
phone times from the Oregon Employment
Department, and took action during May
legislative days to examine issues more
closely and hold the agency accountable.
These hearings were organized as a joint
effort between the Chair of the House
Committee on Labor & Workplace
Standards, Representative Dacia Grayber
(D - SW Portland & E Beaverton), and the
Chair of the Senate Committee on Labor and
Business, Senator Kathleen Taylor (D - SE
Portland & Milwaukee). OED leadership
was called upon to provide details on its
plan to get caught up on backlog volume, in
order to improve customer service and claim
resolution times. OED will be returning to
the legislature to testify again in September,
and report on their progress.
“Losing employment can throw a person’s
life into uncertainty, and most people do
not have enough savings to afford rent or a
mortgage for several months while they find
a new job,” said Representative Grayber.
“OED must do everything in its power to
get Oregonians the clarity and help they need
to get back on their feet, and I appreciate
OED’s communication and willingness to
urgently tackle the work ahead of them.”
Funding
administrative
staff
for
unemployment programs falls to the Federal
Department of Labor, which is currently
only providing ~70% of what is needed
to fully staff the program. This has led to
demand for benefits far exceeding the level
of staff available to process claims in a
timely manner. OED employees have been
working significant overtime to compensate,
and a major technology migration to manage
claims has improved processing efficiency
once early bugs were fixed. Despite these
efforts, Oregonians in urgent need of
their benefits are waiting hours to receive
information on the phone, and the most
complex claims can take up to 12 weeks to
be adjudicated.
“Our
fellow
Oregonians
facing
unemployment deserve timely and efficient
assistance during these challenging times,”
said Senator Taylor. “It is crucial we
work together to ensure that the Oregon
Employment Department fulfills its duty to
provide the necessary support for those in
need.”
In the recent 2024 legislative session,
the State Legislature passed HB 4035,
introduced by the House Revenue committee
chaired by Representative Nancy Nathanson
(D - Eugene), which increased available state
funds to the OED in order to offset needed
Federal funding. That hiring push has already
gotten underway, but OED says it will take
time to see the impact. In the meantime, it
has reduced available phone hours to provide
staff more time to process claims, which has
shown promising early results.
When OED returns in September,
they are expected to provide an update on
how new staffing levels have impacted their
backlog and resolution times. If the agency
is not making enough progress on its own,
both the House and Senate committees
are prepared to coordinate on additional
legislative support in the 2025 session.
by telephone and email. The opening of bids
will be livestreamed on Lane County’s YouTube
channel.
Included in the auction are lots located in
Springfield, Florence, Triangle Lake, Fall Creek
and Pleasant Hill. The Springfield property
includes a single-family home, one Florence
property includes a manufactured home, and the
remainder are vacant lots. The properties up for
auction range from a $3,500 minimum bid to a
$150,000 minimum bid.
The properties have minimum bid amounts
and will not be sold for less than the minimum bid.
The properties will be sold on an as-is basis using
a quitclaim deed, which passes any title, claim
or interest in the property to the buyer without
making any representations regarding other
claims or liens.
Payment must be made with cash, cashier’s
checks or certified back checks payable to Lane
County. No personal or business checks, debit and
credit cards or financing will be accepted. A 20
percent deposit of the minimum bid amount is due
within 24 hours of the bid opening. The remaining
balance, plus a $100 recording fee, is due no later
than 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
For more information including a
complete list of auction terms, property
descriptions and registration information, visit