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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (March 30, 2016)
Polk County News 2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 30, 2016 Economy: More jobs, fewer unemployed largest age groups younger than 20 years old. Polk County actually ranks first in the state in f o re c a s t e d l a b o r f o rc e growth. Continued from 1A Irvine said the city is not only focused on investing in infrastructure that business- es are interested in, but what might appeal to workers, such as parks and making downtown more appealing. “It used to be quality of life doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s the workforce, utilities and price of land that brought business. I always felt that was wrong. Good quality workers want a good quality of life.” Obstacles County progress Most of the development or potential development in Polk County is happening in the cities, but unincorporat- ed parts of the county also have seen an uptick in proj- ects. Building permits have in- creased in number and in value of work being done, said Austin McGuigan, Polk County Community Devel- opment director. “We are running 20 per- cent lower than the peak, pre-recession, but those were hyper-inflated times,” McGuigan said. The county also does electrical permits for Dallas, Independence, and Falls City. Those have increased significantly and are per- haps a better measure of de- velopment in the area. “We talk to people at the counter all the time, and we think there’s a lot of opti- mism,” McGuigan said. “People are just generally willing to take more risk than they were before, and we are starting to see that a little bit.” Low unemployment Official statistics back up the impressions local offi- cials have about the econo- my. Will Summers, work- force analyst with the Ore- gon Employment Depart- ment, said the current pre- liminary unemployment rate for Polk County is 4.9 percent, down from 5.8 in 2015 and 6.39 in 2014. The 4.9 percent rate measures those who are “able and available for work and who are looking for work.” It doesn’t include those who are underem- ployed (meaning they are LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Anna Balbaneda of First Call Home Health Care, was one of 32 vendors at the Polk County Job Fair on March 23. overqualified for their job), working part-time when they are looking for a full- time job or discouraged workers who have given up looking. Summers said the 4.9 is close to the statewide rate. “We are getting to the state of what we want to call full employment,” he said. “Businesses are getting to the point of saying again, if you can fog a mirror, I need a body. I can plug you in at the bottom level of our or- ganization.” Chad Freeman, the presi- dent of Strategic Economic Development Corporation (Sedcor), said a job fair held at Central High School last week offers more evidence of improvement. The fair had 32 businesses in atten- dance. “Every one of them was hir ing,” Freeman said, adding a job fair held last year had similar results. Sedcor focuses on recruit- ing and supporting existing traded-sector businesses in Polk, Marion, and Yamhill counties. In the last three years, Sedcor has been in- volved in assisting business with nearly $150 million in LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Halo Employment and Resource Specialist Lisa Howard talks with a job seeker during the Polk County Job, held at Central High School on March 23. investment, bringing or re- taining more than 2,100 jobs in the region. Freeman said his “pend- ing project” portfolio is $200 million. Not all those proj- ects will come to fruition, but it’s another measure of growth in the region. “It is significantly larger than when I came on board three years ago,” Freeman said. Job growth Other indicators imply the upward trend could con- tinue. Salem, which is the major employment center for peo- ple in Polk County, is in the midst of the fastest job growth in 25 years, accord- ing to a report released last week from the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis. The report also stated the Salem area has the demographics to supply a healthy work- force in the future, with its That isn’t to say there aren’t still momentum killers — a low inventory of industrial and retail spaces, a lack of qualified workers, and the shadow of the impending minimum wage increase. Businesses have the most questions about minimum wage, and that may put a chill on job growth, especial- ly for medium and small businesses. “It’s scary because we have worked so hard, especially the last couple of years, at getting employers to a place where they can hire some- body and be hiring staff back,” Metcalfe said. “Now a lot of those are off the table or have giant question marks on them because that cost is going to be so impactful in so many ways.” Lawmakers are already proposing tweaks to the bill passed during this year’s short legislative session. While revisions are ham- mered out, Metcalfe recom- mends businesses start plan- ning now, or perhaps attend a financial management class or workshop, so they are prepared for changes. Freeman said the three- county region Sedcor repre- sents is down to about a 2 percent industrial facility va- cancy rate. Anything below 10 per- cent is considered a seller’s market, he said, so he proj- ects the next wave of invest- ments will have to include businesses building their own facilities. As for building a work- force, with programs like Halo (Helping Achieve Life- long Objective) and K-12 school districts and commu- nity colleges creating “career and technical education” programs, development is making strides. “We are seeing that is happening and I think that will be a competitive advan- tage in the future,” Freeman said. Emily Mentzer contributed to this report. Minimum wage increases loom as ‘unknown’ to business owners Small, mid-sized, family-owned companies should plan now to accommodate higher state wages, Metcalfe says By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — If signs of economic recovery are evident in Polk County, there’s one recent de- velopment that could stall mo- mentum: The impending increases in the minimum wage. Lawmakers passed legislation in this year’s session that would grad- ually increase the minimum wage in Polk County to $13.50 over six years. “That is panicking every size business, especially our small- to mid-size businesses that are fami- ly-owned and operated,” said Chelsea Metcalfe, the executive di- rector of the Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce. “Now they are al- ready having to look at, OK, do I go back to just family because we aren’t going to be able to maintain having all our employees here at this rate.” She said increasing minimum Matinees are all shows before 6pm. New pricing for matinees are: Adult $7.25 Children $6.75 • Senior $7.00 Pricing does not reflect 3D showings. wage will have a ripple effect in cost increases for businesses that is creating the uncertainty. “It’s the fear and unknowing of how that is going to affect our economy,” Metcalfe said. “How do we get through this as a communi- ty — a small community — and keep people in the jobs they have?” House District 20 Rep. Paul Evans, a supporter of the bill, said the intent of the increase was to create more financial stability for working families and change wage structures to sustain the middle class. Work on the proposal that passed began last year, he said. “In ’15 there was a recognition that we needed to figure a way to Furniture Upholstery All types: for homes, offices, equip- ment. 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It also presents another prob- lem. “Unless the rest of the nation follows suit, it will put Oregon at a disadvantage,” Boquist said So far, at least in Dallas, Metcalfe hasn’t seen evidence of minimum wage alone stopping a business from opening. “People are still excited about their business and following their dream,” she said. She noted that businesses should take time to plan for the impending increases, nonetheless. “That’s not something anybody wants to (do), but I think it’s the one thing that everybody needs to do.” 7:15 7:30 6:50 8:15 6:45 7:10 7:20 Charlotte Lamb will be honored on Sunday, April 10th, following the church service at 12:15 for her 75+ Years in the Dallas United Methodist Church Choir. Please come and visit and enjoy cake and coffee. 565 SE LaCreole Dr., Dallas No gifts please — your presence is enough. Visit us online at www.polkio.com