The Economic Outlook - Rhetoric vs. Reality
February 11th, 2020
Presentation by Christopher Thornberg, PhD. – View Here
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UncategorizedChamber CEO Testifies at City Council on Charter Review - urges community engagement
January 30th, 2020
January 28, 2020
City Charter
Good evening Mayor, City Councilors – thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak this evening.
My name is Lorraine Clarno, I serve as the President/CEO of the Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce.
I am here this evening representing our Business Advocacy Council and Board of Directors.
We have been following the Charter Review process embarked on earlier this past fall and have done our best to stay up to speed the past few months on your discussions and ultimately, the recommended Charter changes being presented today in this second public hearing.
Beaverton has changed a great deal since the adopted Charter in 1980 and even since the Urban Renewal Charter Amendment in November of 2008. Beaverton as a community, prides itself on being pro-active and current. Successful business operates in a constant world of change and must be evolving and innovating regularly to remain relevant, efficient and ready for the future. To that end we thank you for doing your research and applaud your study to determine what form of government will be best for Beaverton going forward.
I have talked with many of our members and partners personally over the past weeks and we recently called for a special meeting of our Business Advocacy Council on this topic resulting in some great discussions. At this time we have more questions than answers and are not here tonight to advocate for or against the recommended City Manager/Strong Council form of government. In fact, without naming names here this evening, I was shocked at the number of very engaged business owners and operators that had no knowledge of this work being done.
Beaverton spent 5+ years collecting input and having dialogue with more than 10,000 citizens to develop the Community Visioning plan which has served us so well. When working on the Charter Amendment in 2007 to allow for Urban Renewal I can personally recall a tremendous amount of community outreach and informational sessions many of us participated in to ensure its successful passage. What’s before you this evening is a complete Charter/Constitutional overhaul and this is the second public hearing.
Being fully transparent with you this evening, many of those we’ve spoken with agree that it is time to consider a professional city manager model for Beaverton. What started as a language clean up and look at moving to a PT ceremonial mayor/city manager model has resulted in what is a complex hybrid model of Fulltime Mayor/Strong Council. The timing and rush concerns them. There are significant budgetary implications in the Charter draft if passed and yet no discussion around what that is or could be.
If your intention this evening is to move this forward for the May ballot, we would ask you to reconsider and look at the November 2020 election ballot. It would give more time for us to understand why this is good for business – our primary focus. It would give more time to get voters up to speed and understand any needs for change. And, finally, November would allow for more inclusive conversations and you would have a much more diverse electorate deciding on what is best for Beaverton’s future.
We are here tonight as a partner, to ask for more time to engage the community, get questions answered, and ultimately see a successful campaign that passes the first time to lay the foundation for Beaverton’s future.
Questions:
What are the benefits to the citizens of Beaverton in making this change?
Will this streamline or make it more difficult for businesses to build businesses and create livable wage jobs for the citizens of Beaverton?
How will this change impact the collaboration required of our Beaverton City Leadership with the various special districts, Washington County, Metro, etc.?
If approved, how would the transition truly work given that we have candidates filed to run for positions that may actually change before they are even elected or take their seat.
What are the costs of this change to the taxpayers? The current version of the City Charter being proposed includes the addition of a new City Councilor, a new City Manager, undefined numbers of support staff as needed for the mayor and the Council while not addressing the compensation expenses directly of all of the moving parts other than to give the Council full authority to set the pay levels of all of the above.
Assistance League Celebrates 55 years
January 28th, 2020
Assistance League of Greater Portland is celebrating its 55 Anniversary. The Assistance Guild of Portland became a fully qualified chapter of the National Assistance League, Monday, Jan. 18, 1965. The Portland group, organized in 1961, worked for full chapter status through adoption of the Creston Dental Clinic for disadvantaged children as its major project. The Assistance League of Portland was the 33rd chapter in the national chain and the second in Oregon. Today there are 120 chapters across the U.S. Funding for the dental program came from a Thrift Shop at 629 NW 23 Ave., Portland. Selling donated clothing and housewares. At that time the chapter had approximately 70 member volunteers.
Today Assistance League of Greater Portland is located at 4000 SW 117th Avenue, Beaverton with a Thrift and Consignment Shop with 175 volunteer members. The funds generated from the shop support Operation School Bell which cloths approximately 4,000 students annually with new clothes in Beaverton, Hillsboro schools and Portland Public School Clothes Closet. Currently Beaverton and Hillsboro students are shopping for new clothes at Fred Meyer. They are able to purchase $135 of school related clothing.
Here is what a local school counselor said: “Parents really appreciate the program. To families of poverty, the monetary savings to them is significant. It gives them security knowing they can take care of their children’s needs. For older students, they now feel like they fit in. They can have clothes like the other students.”
A mother said: “My family has experienced homelessness for a long time and last year finally had a place to call home. It was a blessing to have my kids chosen for this program. It made them feel special. They told me, ‘Now with my new clothes, I won’t be picked on in school.’ I cried happy tears. You guys made my kids feel good inside. Thank you.”
Assistance League of Greater Portland is an all-volunteer organization so all funds generated stay local and fund additional philanthropic programs which transform lives and strengthen our community:
- Victims of assault are given dignity with clothing and personal need items through
Assault Survivor Kits® given out at seventeen area hospitals and clinics.
- Scholarships are awarded to local students pursuing careers in trade programs at
Portland Community College, giving them the skills to earn a livable wage.
- Member volunteers support the recovery of teen boys in residential treatment run by
Janus Youth Program.
This month’s Coffee Connection, Friday, January 31, will be held at Assistance League. Members will have an opportunity to see first-hand their work and a chance to do a little shopping. On April 27, the annual Portland Promenade Fashion Show luncheon will take place at Multnomah Athletic Club, showcasing area boutiques with a silent and live auction. Tickets are $80 and sell out quickly.
Looking to make a difference in 2020? Consider joining Assistance League. Learn more at www.portland.assistanceleague.org or on Facebook @assistanceleagueofgreaterportland
Categories
UncategorizedIs Your Business Subject to the new CAT Tax?
January 7th, 2020
Dear Corporate Activity Tax stakeholder:
General guidance on how to calculate a business’s Corporate Activity Tax (CAT) liability has been added to the FAQ on the CAT page of the Oregon Department of Revenue’s website atwww.oregon.gov/dor.
The guidance uses two hypothetical examples and includes what information a business will need to figure its CAT liability and how to use the labor or cost subtraction.
Three other new frequently asked questions and answers have been added to the CAT page. The CAT FAQ includes high level summaries of the first rules and topics which will help taxpayers comply with the law.
The subjects covered by the new FAQ are:
- Are motor vehicle dealer trades excluded from the CAT?
- Can I pass the CAT on to my customers?
- How do I estimate the amount of the CAT attributable to a sale?
Registration reminder
Registration for the CAT opened earlier this month through the Department of Revenue’s Revenue Online system found atwww.oregon.gov.dor.
The new law requires businesses with Oregon commercial activity in excess of $750,000 to register for the Corporate Activity Tax. Once they reach that threshold businesses must register within 30 days. Businesses can choose to register early.
To register, individuals doing business in Oregon will need their name, and their social security number or individual taxpayer identification number. Businesses will need their legal name and federal employer identification number.
Businesses and individuals will need:
- Their mailing address;
- The date they exceeded or expect to exceed $750,000 in Oregon commercial activity;
- A valid email address or current Revenue Online login, and;
- Their Business Activity Code (Refer to the current list of North American Industry Classification System codes found with their federal income tax return instructions.)
Those with additional questions are urged to email their questions to cat.help.dor@oregon.gov.
Follow @ORrevenue on Twitter.
Thank you,
Corporate Activity Tax Policy Team
Oregon Department of Revenue
Categories
Uncategorized
Partner All Families Surrogacy Nominated for 2020 Parent Picks
January 2nd, 2020
All Families Surrogacy, LLC
Contact: Carey Flamer-Powell
12725 SW Millikan Way, Suite 300
Beaverton, OR 97005
503-906-7960
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Beaverton Surrogacy Agency Nominated by PDX Parent Magazine for 2020 Parent Picks as Local Favorite Fertility Resource
BEAVERTON, OR – January 2, 2020 – All Families Surrogacy, LLC (“AFS”) is a Beaverton based gestational surrogacy agency, founded by an experienced surrogate, and winner of the 2017 Better Business Bureau NW Torch Award for Ethics. In a further nod to their positive impact on Oregon’s surrogacy and business community, AFS has been nominated by the editors of PDX Parent Magazine as a 2020 Parent Pick in the Fertility and Surrogacy Resource Category.
PDX Parent Magazine holds their annual reader’s favorite Parent Picks poll each January. Editors of PDX Parent Magazine make the initial nominations in many categories for local family friendly businesses and services. This year, categories include Arts & Entertainment, Family Fun, Food & Drink and Fertility & Surrogacy Resources.
Readers can vote for their favorite local businesses and services for the PDX Magazine Parent Picks at https://www.pdxparent.com/vote/ . Winners will be announced in March and celebrated at a PDX Parent Magazine event held at Oaks Amusement Park on June 20, 2020.
“We are honored and excited to be nominated for the 2020 Parent Picks,” says Carey Flamer-Powell, Founder and Director of All Families Surrogacy. “We love being part of the Oregon business community and it is wonderful to be recognized among so many other great fertility and surrogacy resources this year.”
All Families Surrogacy, LLC is a gestational surrogacy agency based in Beaverton, Oregon, founded by experienced surrogate, Carey Flamer-Powell, and staffed by experienced gestational surrogates. All Families Surrogacy provides gestational surrogacy services to parents in the USA and many countries abroad and has helped to bring almost 200 babies into the world since 2014. All Families Surrogacy has established itself as one of the top-rated surrogacy agencies in America. Carey Flamer-Powell is also the Co-Founder and Co-President of the Oregon Surrogacy Professionals Association, a non-profit organization that brings together Oregon based fertility and surrogacy professionals to promote safe and ethical surrogacy practices in Oregon and beyond. For more information, please visit https://www.allfamiliessurrogacy.com/ or call 503-906-7960.
Categories
UncategorizedIMPACT Beaverton
December 17th, 2019
Holiday Newsletter 2019 – Read it here
IMPACT Beaverton's November Newsletter
November 5th, 2019
Great things are happening with IMPACT Beaverton. One on One Consulting, Business Start Up Classes, Referrals and More!
IMPACT Beaverton October Newsletter
October 15th, 2019
Great things are happening with IMPACT Beaverton. One on One Consulting, Business Start Up Classes, Referrals and More!
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