Bend Chamber Weekly
January 15, 2010
By Courtney Linville, Government Affairs/Public Relations

This Week's Highlights

• The 2010 Preferred Business Guide Has Arrived!
  
  
• Downtown Dollars Now Available at Bend Chamber
  
  
• Council gets quick update on UGB
  
  
• Questions and Answers on Measures 66 & 67
  
  
• efusjon featured in Success Magazine
  
  
• In the News
  
  
• Upcoming Events
  

The 2010 Preferred Business Guide Has Arrived!

     The 2010 Preferred Business Guide is now available at the Bend Chamber! Over the past several days, the Bend Chamber Ambassadors have delivered over 1,800 Preferred Business Guides to Chamber members throughout Bend.
     If you have a home-based business or location outside of Bend, your directory will be mailed to you on Monday. Extra copies of the 2010 Preferred Business Guide are available at the Chamber.

Downtown Dollars Now Available at Bend Chamber

     Downtown Bend Dollars are now available at the Bend Chamber. Downtown Bend Dollars are gift certificates that come in $10 or $25 amounts and are valid at any of the businesses in Downtown Bend.
     The certificates are valid for one year from the date of purchase. If you are looking for a great gift, consider purchasing Downtown Bend dollars.

Council gets quick update on UGB

     In a joint work session with the city Planning Commission, the Bend City Council received an update on the report from the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) regarding the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB).
     City staff received the report just before noon on Monday, and quickly skimmed the document. Long Range Planning Manager Brian Shetterly told councilors and commissioners it will take the staff a few days to absorb the full report. He said what he had seen of the report so far is nothing new.
     The 156-page report questioned the overall size of the expansion, planning for housing needed for current and future residents, transportation needs, future sewer system investments, natural resources, and more.
     City Attorney Mary Winters told councilors and commissioners there appears to be a remand on "pretty much every fundamental issue." She stated because there are so many remand items, the staff needs more time to analyze the document.
     Shetterly told councilors land use law is really subjective and there is always the question of what is reasonable and adequate.
     The City Council is expected to hold a work session on the UGB at its January 20 meeting. The council will also hold a special session with DLCD Director Richard Whitman on January 22. Whitman requested the opportunity to present the report to the council. Several councilors stated they are interested in hearing Whitman's point of view.
     The original UGB document was approved by the city council on January 5, 2009 and is over 15,000 pages long. The city has 21 days to appeal the report. Should the city decide to appeal, January 29 is the due date for any appeals to be filed with the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC). LCDC is scheduled to have a meeting in Bend in March.
     A copy of the report is available online at www.lcd.state.or.us/LCD/report_on_bend_and_deschutes_ugb_amendment.shtml.

Questions and Answers on Measures 66 & 67

     Q: What does Measure 66 entail?
     A: Measure 66 revolves around personal income and reduced income taxes on unemployment benefits in 2009.

• Unemployment compensation has typically been taxed by both the state and federal government. However, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, federal guidelines excludes up to $2,400 of unemployment compensation from taxation .
• Measure 66 would phase-out the federal tax subtraction for high-income filers (single filer $125,000 and above and joint filer $250,000 and above). According to the report from the Legislative Revenue office, a joint filer with $250,000 of adjusted gross income (AGI) or a single filer with $125,000 of AGI would only be able to subtract $4,480 rather than the typical $5,850. A single filer with greater than $145,000 (AGI) and a joint filer with more than $290,000 AGI, would not be eligible for any federal tax subtractions.
• Measure 66 creates a permanent rate increase for high-end tax payers. As described in the Legislative Revenue Office Report in September 2009, "the bill is an increase in the top marginal tax rate for single filers with taxable income of at least $125,000 and for joint filers with taxable income of at least $250,000." For tax years 2009-2011, high income filers will pay an additional 1.8 percent tax. In 2012, the tax will be lowered; however there will be a permanent .09 percent rate increase.

     Q: What is entailed in Measure 67?
     A: Measure 67 raises the state's corporate minimum tax, business minimum tax, and corporate taxes on sales, even if there is no profit.

• Under Measure 67 there will be increases in the Secretary of State business registry filing fees. For example, a non refundable fee of $100 per document (Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Organization, applications for registration, and trust documents) will be enforced.
• The allocation of the business registry funds has also been changed. Under Measure 67, $20 of each filing will go into the Secretary of State's Operating Account, and all other fees collected during the month will be transferred into the general fund. The code also states, "Amounts deposited to the General Fund under the subsection are available for general governmental expenses."
  C-corporations, S-corporations, partnerships, and LLC's will be subject to a flat minimum tax of $150.
• Measure 67 also has another tax rate for corporations. For tax years 2009 and 2010, corporations who have a net income above $250,000 would be subject to a tax rate of 7.9 percent. Those corporations who have a net income below $250,000 will stay at the same 6.6 percent tax rate. Starting in tax years 2011 and 2012, corporations making over $250,000 will see a slight decrease in the tax rate to 7.6 percent on net income. By 2013, the tax would apply to only to corporations who have a net income in excess of $10 million and would face a 7.6 percent tax rate.

     Q: What have state revenues done over the past 10 years?
     A: The state revenues have actually grown over the past 10 years. During the 1999-2001 biennium, the state budget was $30 billion. That figure has now grown to $55.9 billion for the current biennium. (The figures listed include federal funds, but are not adjusted for inflation.)

     Q: How much money will the state raise with the passage of the measures?
     A: Measure 66, the personal income tax increase, is estimated to raise $472 million for the current biennium budget. Measure 67 is estimated to raise $255 million.

efusjon featured in Success Magazine

     efusjon was recently featured in of the current issue of Success Magazine. The company's unique business model, the efujson Energy Club, caught the attention of the national magazine and is featured throughout the issue.
     The efusjon Energy Club is a unique home-based business opportunity that fuses E-Commerce with energy drinks. Several personal success stories of individual efusjon distributors are featured throughout the magazine.
     efusion's headquarters are located in Bend, Oregon. In its first year of production, efusjon had $29 million in gross revenue and over 60,000 members and distributors.

In the News

     EDCO Announces 2010 Annual Luncheon Speaker: Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) will bring back a distinguished and popular speaker from the Institute for Trend Research (ITR) for an economic forecast on January 22, 2010. Economist Alan Beaulieu is a principal of ITR, a New Hampshire-based privately-held, independent forecasting firm. Beaulieu will cover a broad range of topics, providing an outlook for Central Oregon, the U.S. and abroad. EDCO's Annual Luncheon will take place at the Riverhouse Convention Center in Bend from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $50 for EDCO Members and $65 for Non-members. Seats may be reserved by contacting Dayna Dudkowski, EDCO Events and Membership Manager, at 541-388-3236 or by registering online at www.edcoinfo.com. Today is the last day to make your reservation.    

     Deschutes County Featured in Wall Street Journal: Deschutes County was recently featured in the Travel section of the Wall Street Journal. The article looked at what to do, where to eat, and where to stay in the area. Several Chamber members were mentioned in the article including Mount Bachelor, Cascade Lake Brewing Company, Deschutes Brewery, Bend Brewing Company, Alpenglow Cafe, McMenimans Old St. Francis School and Lara House Bend & Breakfast.

     Donations needed for new utility bill assistance program: The City of Bend is now accepting donations for a new utility bill assistance program. Customers can request to be billed a onetime donation or a recurring monthly amount on their regular utility statements. They can also make changes or discontinue the donations at any time. Customers who need help paying their water bills, and meet the qualifications, can apply for the funds. The City hopes to raise $10,000 in donations and will also apply for Community Development Block Grant funding to enhance the program. If successful, the City could receive up to $80,000 in additional funding. This new program has the potential to help up to 600 city water customers.For more information on how to donate, call 541-388-5515.

    Class Prepares Volunteers to Mentor Children: On Saturday, January 16, Central Oregon Partnerships for Youth (COPY), a program of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, is offering a class to prepare volunteers to become mentors for children with an incarcerated parent. "We know from research, children with an incarcerated parent are at significantly higher risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system," explains Deschutes County Sheriff Larry Blanton. "Our agency is committed to providing alternatives to incarceration. Mentoring these kids today will result in fewer people incarcerated in the future." The six-hour class covers program policies, how to establish a mentor relationship, the impact incarceration has on families, and communication skills. There is no cost to attend, but an application is required. For additional details or to request an application, please call 388-6651 or email COPY@deschutes.org. Additional program information is available online at www.deschutes.org/copy.

Upcoming Events:

     January 26 - Business Success Program - Boost Your Organization's Productivity through Coaching - Studies and common sense tell us if we engage our most valuable and complicated resources, our people, it has a significant payoff -- or cost if we fail. Coaching is a long-established practice supporting and developing staff, boards, managers and executives by unlocking their potential, inner passion and talents. It's a win-win for all involved. In this interactive workshop, JoAn Mann, president of PREP Profile Systems, Inc., explores how to:

• Integrate coaching: from simple self-coaching techniques to developing one-on-one peer communication practices
• Evaluating a professional coach for personal/career effectiveness
• Identify tools, keys and secrets to coaching used by successful coaching programs and professionals.