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Bend Chamber Weekly
January 29, 2010
By Courtney Linville, Government Affairs/Public Relations
This Week's Highlights
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2010 Real Estate Forecast Breakfast
Technically, the recession is over and we are on the road to recovery. But what does that mean for local real estate markets? How much inventory do we really have? What does the future hold?
Join fellow Chamber members and get your questions answered! This year's Real Estate Forecast Breakfast features great experts including Linda Stelle, President of AmeriTitle and Steve Scott, Steve Scott Realtors. Stelle will help attendees to understand the effect of defaults in the current marketplace. She will also explore the "upside down syndrome" and the impact of the rental market.
Scott will discuss real estate inventory and how that relates to the future turn around for our area. He will also talk about niche opportunities.
Don't delay and sign up today to attend this premiere breakfast event at www.bendchamber.org/refb. Individual seats (unreserved) are available for $45 each.
If you are interested in a great marketing opportunity and would like reserved seating, consider purchasing a table sponsorship for $595. This table sponsorship will not only give you a great table location for the presentation, but it will also give you the following: a reserved table for 10, table stanchion with logo, business name listed in the event program, logo on the event Power Point program (displayed before and after the presentations), and name listed on the Bend Chamber Web site.
Partial-table sponsorships are also available. If you would like more information, contact Diana Haffner at 382-3221 or diana@bendchamber.org. |
Bend City Council Questions DLCD Official
The questions were hard and far reaching last Friday as the Bend City Council talked face to face to Department of Land Conservation and Development Director Richard Whitman.
"When I approach a decision, I do so seriously," Whitman told councilors. "Part of that responsibility is to understand the local decision, and understand what goes on at the local level."
Whitman stood firm on his responses to the city's urban growth boundary expansion, but tried to shed light on his decisions within the 150+ page report.
Councilors expressed their concerns over the difference of opinions in the Director's report and questioned if DLCD staff had worked closely with city staff on the expansion documents.
"How much help did you provide our planning staff as we went along step-by step?" questioned Councilor Oran Teater. "There are so many instances where you say we are wrong, and I think we have a wonderful staff and planning commission that did a lot of homework."
Whitman stated he believed his staff did work with the city staff all through process including sending a series of detailed letters and arranging meetings. He believes the reason why his department and the city are so far apart is based on technical issues rather than substantive issues. "I have respect for your planning staff," Whitman said. "But I believe they and you have not followed the state requirements that we did communicate repeatedly as you were going through the process."
Mayor Kathie Eckman questioned if DLCD was trying to use a one-size-fits-all approach in its decision on Bend's UGB. Eckman pointed out staff, steering committees, the planning commission, and citizens have spent several years and millions of dollars on a project that best reflects what the citizens want. "We want to know what the department's position is if they feel the state has a better grasp of what we need in Bend or do the citizens of Bend have a better understanding of that knowledge?" she said. "(We feel) the state is trying to make us look like Beverton or Tualatin or Hillsboro."
Whitman stated Oregon's land-use rules are pragmatic when it comes to expansion. He said the city needs to look at doing what it can to grow efficiently while also minimizing the amount of land needed. He also stressed several times there are concerns about affordable housing in the Bend area.
Councilors balked at several portions of Whitman's analysis stating the information the department is looking for is located within the over 15,000 page record, they also questioned his taking ownership of the document. During his presentation to the council, Whitman referred to the report as "the director's report" rather than my report. "In reading the report, it almost sounds like there are two voices," said Councilor Mark Capell. "Part is being pragmatic and part is being negative. Am I missing something?"
The actual report was written by 12 different people, but Whitman said it was a team effort and he stands behind his team. He also told councilors he spent a lot of personal time on the report and he "takes personal responsibility of the entire report." Whitman again pointed out to councilors many of the decisions reflected comments the city was given previously by his staff.
Though the city has decided to appeal the report to Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC), Whitman said he's still willing to work with the city on issues and technical discrepancies within the report. He also advised council, in their appeal, to use specific references to areas that might have been misinterpreted.
The city has until January 29 to file an appeal with the LCDC. LCDC is expected to have a meeting in Bend in March. More than likely, any appeals from the city will be heard at that time. If the city disagrees with the commission's decision, an appeal can be filed with the Oregon Court of Appeals. |
Economic recovery will be long and slow
During the 14th annual Economic Development for Central Oregon luncheon last Friday, Institute for Trend Research economist Alan Beaulieu said the economic recovery is already underway, but it's going to be a long and slow process.
"This was not the Great Depression, but it was the worst recession we have seen in a long time," Beaulieu said. "The recession was worse than we thought it would be. In some respects, it was worse than the 70's and in some it was the same."
In speaking to a full house of over 450 people, Beaulieu said it's unlikely the nation will dip back into a recession, but it's not going to speed out of it either. "We're going to be looking at a recovery that sustainable, (but) with a broad, rocky bottom we're going to crawl through, then claw our way up the other side," he said.
Beaulieu reminded the audience that recessions are a normal part of life and they happen about every ten years. "This is not the last recession we will face, and if you grow your business around (the idea) that recessions will happen, you will not be wiped out by them," he said.
A lot of media lately has focused on the fact banks aren't lending and there is no money out there. Beaulieu said that is untrue and many of the nation's banks now have more money to lend than before. He pointed out most banks, unlike those on Wall Street, are behaving in a responsible manner. "The media doesn't always get it right," he said. "Regional and community banks are lending too. The fact that they weren't lending previously means they were reasonable people doing what they should do."
There are concerns circulating the U.S. will end up like Japan in the 1990's and have a lost decade. While Beaulieu admitted there is always a danger of that happening, there are several differences. First, the United States is a consuming society where Japan is a saving society. Secondly, the U.S. has a positive demographic where Japan has a negative demographic. Japan's population will decrease as opposed to the U.S. population which will increase.
Another problem to be aware of during the recovery is government's debt. Citing federal data, Beaulieu pointed out the nation is overdrawn by $1 trillion. In looking at it a different way, the government currently has debt equaling 83 percent of its gross domestic product. Beaulieu projects it will reach an excess of 130 percent by 2019 which is equivalent to some third world nations.
"We are printing money like there is no tomorrow, borrowing like there is no tomorrow, and the federal budget is deeply flawed," he said. "We're going to fall behind at an amazing pace over the next 10 years if something doesn't change...(and) unless it does, you and I have to face the reality of higher taxes."
Another key factor in the recovery is the labor market. Beaulieu said he's tired of hearing how American workers are lame, weak, and can't compete. "We are a great people, we just need to recognize and believe in ourselves again," he said. "We are not a brontosaurus. Make plans, and believe in the future."
For the Central Oregon region, Beaulieu believes area leaders should focus on recruiting industries like biotech, medical equipment, alternative energy, and health care, which are less prone to the swings of the business cycle. He also said since the region wants economic diversity that it needs a stronger higher education component, which can generate new technologies and companies.
While a lot of the information might seem like doom and gloom, Beaulieu pointed out there is light at the end of the tunnel. Right now is a great time for businesses to buy equipment and other assets to start building up their business; those might be left on the sidelines in the next few years. "Spend money now because inflation and interest rates will be on your side," he said.
Above all, Beaulieu pointed out that everyone needs to be optimistic. "We have to be optimistic and guide those that work for us," he said. "The people that work for you need to have optimism; they need to have inspiring leadership and guidance."
In closing, Beaulieu stated there will be struggles along the way, but now is the time to have courage and strength in moving forward. "We have to understand you and I are facing some pretty serious headwinds going forward, but it's also a time of fantastic opportunities for people who are willing to take risks," he said. |
Deschutes County sees slight decline in unemployment
Deschutes County saw a slight decrease in its unemployment rate in December. The rate declined 0.2 percentage points to 14.0 percent.
The county did see a job loss of 330 jobs in December, which is slightly higher than normal for this time of year. However, according to a press release from the State of Oregon Employment Department, there were seven private sector industries that added jobs including leisure and hospitality; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; education and health services; financial activities; retail trade; information; and other services.
Oregon's seasonally adjusted employment rate was 11 percent in December. The national seasonally adjusted employment rate was at 10 percent for December. |
In the News
Deschutes County Far & Expo receives Business of the Year: At the recent Redmond Chamber of Commerce & CVB 2009 Business Awards, the Deschutes County Fairground received the Business of the Year award. The Redmond banquet honored member businesses and community leaders who were outstanding in 2009.
Deschutes County Searches for New Audit Committee Members: Deschutes County is currently seeking one to three citizens to serve on the Deschutes County Audit Committee. Applications are being accepted until Monday, February 1. If you are interested in applying, submit a letter of interest demonstrating qualifications and experience valuable to the committee, and complete a Deschutes County Volunteer application. The volunteer application can be found at the County's Web site at www.deschutes.org, or you can pick up a packet or request one be mailed from the Deschutes County Personnel Department at (541) 617-4722. For more information about applying for the vacant Deschutes County Audit Committee position, please call David Givans, County Internal Auditor at 330-4674 or send email to davidg@deschutes.org.
Talk of the Town : Bend's Urban Growth Boundary - Where will it land? Nearly 40 thousand new residents are estimated in Bend over the next 20 years. This will impact housing, employment, transportation and public facilities. Talk of the Town asks, "Which properties will Bend leaders bring inside city boundaries to accommodate this growth and why?" Just as importantly, what role does the State play in local land use decisions? Join the next town hall taping of COTV-11's Talk of the Town, February 4 at the 2nd Street Theater from 6:30 to 8 p.m. This event is open to the public and free to attend. RSVP is Required at talk@bendbroadband.com. For more information about the Bend UGB expansion, the state DLCD report and participating in this Talk of the Town, visit the web at www.talkofthetownco.com. |
Upcoming Events:
February 10 - Business Success Program - The Mediation Process: Discover Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflicts - Business relationships bring challenges. These can result from failures in communication, understanding and interpretation of contracts or documents, or performance expectations. We can all agree that preserving and developing good business relationships is one key for business success. Charlie Young, a mediator/facilitator, who has participated in more than 600 mediations, will tell us that, along with the challenges of facilitative mediation, there are also opportunities. Rather than perceiving a difficulty or disagreement as something to litigate, mediation approaches the situation with the mindset of an opportunity for both parties to gain and to have the business relationship improve and deepen. Everyone will grow and succeed. In this interactive program, we will: Discover the elements of the facilitative mediation process, identify techniques that will allow the process to be successful, explore how this process improves business relationships, identify the economic advantages of mediation for your business, and identify healthy dialogue for everyday business transactions. At the end of the workshop, a fun block game will review the tools learned, and there will be time for a question and answer session. If you are interested in attending this session, please RSVP by Tuesday, February 9 at www.bendchamber.org.
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