NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
A3
Another round of grants available for
small businesses and sole proprietors
She said the amount of money avail-
able from the county grant would depend
on how many companies qualify for the
Business Oregon grant.
LeQuieu said small businesses with
fewer than 25 employees that have not
received CARES Act funding that have
been impacted by the pandemic could
apply for grant money.
A third grant is available from the
Greater Eastern Oregon Development
Corporation in Pendleton.
The GEODC’s press release said it
allotted $25,000 for Grant County small
businesses.
She said Business Oregon funded a
portion of GEODC’s grant program that
is for businesses with less than 25 people
and sole proprietors that did not receive
CARES Act money.
According to Business Oregon’s appli-
cation, eligible small businesses must
meet the following conditions: A busi-
ness would need to demonstrate a decline
in revenue more significant than 50% in
March 2020 or April 2020 compared to
sales in January or February of the same
year. Or, the business must show that it
could not operate due to the COVID-19
shutdown orders.
Documents that may be needed
include a 2018 tax return, year-over-
year profit and loss documents and an
employee identification number.
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Roughly $35,000 in grant funding
will go to nearly 20 small businesses in
Grant County impacted by the COVID-
19 pandemic.
Stephanie LeQuieu, Grant County
rural venture catalyst with Oregon
RAIN, said the Business Oregon grants
are for businesses that did not receive
emergency assistance under the federal
Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic
Security Act.
She said the federal assistance pro-
grams include the Small Business Admin-
istration’s Payroll Protection Program,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans or other
federal programs for emergency pan-
demic funding.
LeQuieu said Community Lending
Works, a community development finan-
cial institution, entered eligible businesses
into a random lottery and worked with
those selected to complete the process.
She said another round of Business
Oregon grants for small businesses are
still available, and she expects the appli-
cation window to open up by Friday.
LeQuieu said the requirements for
the grants would be the same as the
first round. The funds are for businesses
affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that
didn’t receive federal funds.
Eagle file photo
Stephanie LeQuieu, Grant County rural
venture catalyst with Oregon RAIN, up-
dates Grant County Court members re-
garding grants for businesses who have
been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
that didn’t qualify for federal funds. Le-
Quieu said almost 20 local small business-
es qualified for the first round of grants
from Business Oregon.
LeQuieu said there is approximately
$35,000 of Business Oregon funds
remaining, and there is a 45-day window
to disperse the money.
She said she is funneling businesses
that do not meet Business Oregon’s qual-
ifications into a pool for a separate grant
program through the county.
Special assessments reduce property
tax burden for agricultural land
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
When it comes to property taxes,
owning more land does not necessarily
mean paying more in taxes.
In Oregon, farm and timber land is
assessed differently than residential and
commercial land, significantly reducing
the tax burden for agricultural land.
Grant County Assessor David Thunell
said property taxes are based on assessed
value — not real market value, which is
what a property is actually worth or the
amount for which it would be expected to
sell.
In 1997-1998, assessed values for
most properties, including homes, busi-
nesses and nonagricultural land, were
set at 90% of the 1995-1996 real mar-
ket value, and limited to a 3% increase
each year. Unless there is a change to the
property, such as new construction, zon-
ing changes or subdivision, the assessed
value for these properties typically
increase 3% each year, as long as the real
market value exceeds the assessed value.
“The assessed value is the lesser of
the maximum assessed value and the
real market value, and that maximum
assessed value can only go up 3% a year
as long as it is less than the real market
value and something new hasn’t been
built on the property,” Thunell said.
“How you figure out someones tax is you
take their total assessed value, divide it
by 1,000 and then you multiply that by
the tax rate.”
All improvements, such as homes
and other buildings, are assessed the
same way — whether on a farm, or a
business or residence in a city — so all
building owners pay taxes equally based
on the assessed value of those buildings,
Thunell said.
However, the land is assessed sep-
arately, and for farm and timber land,
Thunell said special assessments reduce
the assessed value to well below the real
market value to encourage agricultural
production, which typically requires
more acreage than other industries.
“If people had all of this land and they
had to pay their property taxes based on
the market value, (no agricultural pro-
ducers) could afford to pay their prop-
erty taxes,” Thunell said. “One reason
why the state did this was to incentivise
ranchers and farmers to keep their land
in an agricultural use.”
Eagle file photo
Grant County Assessor David Thunell looks at one of the many books containing all of
the properties in Grant County and their owners.
ent soil classes and timber land rates are
provided by the Department of Revenue.
Another 2,400-acre property in Grant
County with no buildings has a real mar-
ket value of about $1.3 million but an
assessed value of about $41,000. Last
year, property taxes totaled about $500.
“They’re under farm use, and not
only are they under farm use, it’s all
range land, which is the least productive
type of land,” Thunell said. “So the soil
class determines the value.”
Thunell said tax rates also vary within
the county, depending on which taxing
districts a property is in. Although every
property in the county pays the same rate
to Grant County, rates vary between the
different school and cemetery districts,
and city residents pay an additional rate
to the city.
The Assessor’s Office also collects
fire patrol fees for rural properties on
behalf of the Oregon Department of For-
estry, which show up on property tax
bills but do not get distributed to the
local taxing districts, Thunell said.
Thunell noted that special assess-
ments, like regular assessments, are
also limited in how much they can
increase annually through a for-
mula calculating maximum specially
assessed value, which typically restricts
the assessed values to a 3% increase
per year.
Although farms with large amounts
of land have high real market values,
the assessed values that taxes are based
on are much lower than those for com-
parable amounts of land used for other
purposes.
For example, EO Media Group
owns the 0.28-acre lot that houses the
Blue Mountain Eagle and Department
of Motor Vehicles. The building has a
real market value of $223,780 and an
assessed value of $195,676. The land has
a real market value of $45,020 and an
assessed value of $40,590. In total, the
property has a real market value, or sell-
ing price, of $268,800 and an assessed
value of $236,266 on which taxes must
be paid. Last year, property taxes totaled
$3,881.
In contrast, one farm property of about
1,000 acres in Grant County has a real
market value for land of about $921,000
with an assessed value of about $67,000.
The buildings on the property have a real
market value of about $248,000 and an
assessed value of $233,000 — assessed
identically to buildings or improvements
not receiving special assessments —
but the overall property has a real mar-
ket value of $1,169,000 and an assessed
value of $299,000. Last year, property
taxes totaled about $3,900.
Thunell said the special assessment
values for farm land vary based on differ-
DON'T JUST KINDA TV. DIRECTV.
Blazing Fast
Internet!
Where sports fans call home.
ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY
SELECT TM ALL INCLUDED PACKAGE
49
$
19 . 99
$
99
/mo.
where available
mo.
For 12 mos. plus taxes
w/24-mo. agmt & qualifying AT&T wireless svc (min. $50/mo. after discounts
for new customers). Autopay & Paperless bill req’d. Prices higher in 2nd year.*
2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE
Over 155 Channels
Don’t settle for cable. Call now!
190 CHANNELS
1-877-441-1933
S198975-1
1-866-373-9175
✔Tax Levies & Liens Release
✔Resolve Back Taxes
✔Wage Garnishment Release
✔Payroll Tax Negotiation
✔Stop Penalties and Interest
✔Tax Preparation &
Bookkeeping Services
✔Tax Debt Negotiation &
Settlement
877-557-1912
wash),” Maloney said.
The water from the high
school would travel north to
the car wash where it would
enter the infiltration ditch,
according to Maloney.
“Mostly, this is for treat-
ing the water, and then it will
go into an infiltration pond
... which will be behind the
alleyway behind the soil
conservation building,” said
Maloney.
He added that there will
be a couple places where
they have a transition zone
where they have separated
sidewalk buffers.
When it comes to the
work on the sidewalk near
the high school, Maloney
said ODOT has been work-
ing closely with the school
district.
“Essentially, there’s no
sidewalk there, and people
can kind of pull in and out,”
Maloney said.
Plans have the sidewalk
wrapping around the corner
of the first entrance of the
high school traveling from
John Day heading towards
Canyon City. The side-
walk would then connect
with the high school with a
crosswalk.
John Day City Councilor
Dave Holland asked if the
cost of the project will be too
high to finish, something that
has hampered progress in the
past.
Maloney said that a com-
bination of funding from a
Safe Routes to Schools grant
and ODOT Enhance funding
from previous planning for
this project will be enough
to cover the plan.
“We seem to be in pretty
good shape this time,” Malo-
ney said. “I feel pretty com-
fortable that we’re covered
on this project now.”
The city council agenda
states that the right-of-way
acquisition will continue
this summer, and construc-
tion is scheduled to begin
next year.
Eagle file photo
Planning continues for construction of a sidewalk along South
Canyon Boulevard from Sixth Avenue to the high school.
Imagine The Difference You Can Make
DONATE YOUR CAR
1-844-533-9173
Ask About A FREE 3 Day
Vacation Voucher To Over
20 Destinations!!!
Offer ends 7/15/20.
S198977-1
One solution for oxygen at home, away, and for travel
Introducing the INOGEN ONE – It’s oxygen therapy on your terms
There are many ways we can tackle
IRS or State tax relief together:
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE IN-HOME
ASSESSMENT TODAY!
Discussions continued
regarding the Highway 395
South sidewalk project in
John Day as plans have been
adjusted.
Sean Maloney, the trans-
portation project leader
for Oregon Department of
Transportation Region 5,
gave an update on the proj-
ect, which will provide a
sidewalk from Southwest
Sixth Street to Grant Union
Junior-Senior High School,
during a city council meet-
ing on July 14.
The update focused on
revisions made to the con-
cept plan from winter and
stormwater treatment.
The plan presented in
winter was to have a curb
and gutter with breaks in it,
then a swale and then the
sidewalk for the project. The
swales would help with the
stormwater treatment.
Maloney said that storm-
water treatment has been the
struggle in the design. He
said the team found out that
the swales could not have
stored all the water, so they
were going to store the water
in a vault along Southwest
Sixth Avenue. However, due
to low spots in the ground
and being close to ground
water, the team wasn’t able
to do that.
“So, really, we spent a
fair amount of time since
then trying to figure out what
to do with our stormwater,”
Maloney said.
Maloney said the plan is
for two-thirds of the proj-
ect, from the north end of the
high school to the car wash,
to have a curb-tight sidewalk
design.
“So the water essen-
tially is going to run into
that (curb-tight sidewalk) for
about two-thirds of the proj-
ect and then it’s going to go
into the separated sidewalk
infiltration ditch (at the car
All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or
Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification.
S198976-1
Tax Problems: RESOLVED
Prepare for unexpected
power outages with a
Generac home standby
generator
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Help Prevent Blindness
Get A Vision Screening Annually
Including Local Channels!
CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100
SELECT ALL INCLUDED PACKAGE: Ends 8/31/20. Available only in the U.S. (excludes Puerto Rico and U.S.V.I.). 1st & 2nd year Pricing: $49.99.mo for first 12 mos. only. After 12 mos. or loss of eligibility, then prevailing rate applies (currently $85/mo for SELECT All
Included), unless cancelled or changed prior to end of the promo period. Pricing subject to change. $5/mo. discount: Must enroll in autopay & paperless bill within 30 days of TV activation to receive bill credit starting in 1-3 bill cycles. First time credit will include all
credits earned since meeting offer requirements. Must maintain autopay/paperless bill and valid email address to continue credits. No credits in 2nd year for autopay/paperless bill. Includes: SELECT All Included TV Pkg, monthly service & equipment fees for one Genie
HD DVR, and standard pro installation. Additional Fees & Taxes: Price excludes Regional Sports Fee of up to $9.99/mo. (which is extra & applies to CHOICE and/or MÁS ULTRA and higher Pkgs.), applicable use tax expense surcharge on retail value of installation, custom
installation, equipment upgrades/add-ons (min. $99 one-time & $7/mo. fees for each extra receiver/DIRECTV Ready TV/Device), and certain other add’l fees & charges. See att.com/directvfees for additional details. Different offers may apply for eligible multi-dwelling unit
and telco customers. DIRECTV SVC TERMS: Subject to Equipment Lease & Customer Agreements. Must maintain a min. base TV pkg of $29.99/mo. Programming, pricing, terms and conditions subject to change at any time. Some offers may not be available through
all channels and in select areas. Visit directv.com/legal or call for details. . ©2020 AT&T Intellectual Property. All Rights Reserved. AT&T, Globe logo, DIRECTV, and all other DIRECTV marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated
companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
FREE
MO.
for 12 Mos.
Iv Support Holdings LLC
Sidewalk project along
Highway 395 in John
Day moves forward
FREE TOWING
TAX DEDUCTIBLE
America’s Top 120 Package
*$19.95 ACTIVATION, EARLY TERMINATION FEE OF $20/MO. FOR EACH MONTH REMAINING ON AGMT., EQUIPMENT NON-RETURN & ADD’L FEES APPLY. Price incl. SELECT Pkg., monthly service & equip. fees for 1 HD DVR
& is after $5/mo. autopay & paperless bill discount for 12 mos. Pay $44.99/mo. + taxes until discount starts w/in 3 bills. New approved residential customers only (equipment lease req'd). Credit card req'd (except MA & PA). Restr’s apply.
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
John Day City Manager Nick Green and Mayor Ron Lundbom lis-
ten to an update regarding the Highway 395 sidewalk project.
ACCREDITED
BUSINESS
®
A+
Rating
No more tanks to refi ll. No more deliveries. No more hassles with travel.
The INOGEN ONE portable oxygen concentrator is designed to provide
unparalleled freedom for oxygen therapy users. It’s small, lightweight,
clinically proven for stationary and portable use, during the day and at night,
and can go virtually anywhere — even on most airlines.
Inogen accepts Medicare and many private insurances!
Reclaim Your Freedom And
Independence NOW!
Call us now for your FREE tax consultation & evaluation:
7-Year Extended Warranty*
A $695 Value!
844-945-2056
Off er valid March 16, 2020 - Sept 6, 2020
Special Financing Available
Subject to Credit Approval
*Terms & Conditions Apply
S198980-1
Anthem offers a money-back guarantee designed to help you avoid wasting money on ineffective tax services.
We will gather as much information from you as necessary and work with tax authorities to give you the best
chance of reducing your tax debt. If for any reason that does not work out, and the government notifies us they
refuse to reduce your overall tax liability or monthly payments by any amount, we will gladly refund you the fees
you paid for our services in trying to reduce that debt. Money Back Guarantee does not apply to Bookkeeping
and Tax Preparation Services.
S198979-1
Call Inogen Today To
Request Your FREE Info Kit
1-855-839-0752
© 2020 Inogen, Inc.
All rights reserved.
MKT-P0108
S198978-1