Points from the President

By:
Ray Phelps

Chamber members approved the recommendation of your Board of Directors to update and amend the bylaws. Doris Wehler, ex-officio board member, led this effort. Eighty-five percent of chamber members voting approved the changes in the bylaws. Thank you Doris for your great work!

The City Council adopted earlier this month changes to the city’s sign code. These changes were needed to respond to recent court decisions striking down signage requirements of many local governments due to the content of the signs. The city’s new signage requirements are now content neutral. The significance of the Council’s action enables the city to continue regulating the use of signs in our city in much the same way as in the past, which enables our businesses to continue using responsible signage to attract business.

Your Chamber weighed-in on one amendment considered by the Council. Initially, some folks wanted to repeal the provision in the current sign code authorizing the use of A-Frames for advertisement. The Chamber felt, and so informed the Council, that repeal of this provision would be detrimental to the financial interests of many businesses relying on this form of advertisement. The City Council heard the Chamber, and others, and did not repeal the use of A-Frames for advertising. Chamber member Mark Pruitt, Professional Sign & Graphics Co., was very helpful in this Chamber success.

The Chamber’s Transportation and Transit Committee, led by board member and committee Chair Keith Gibson, is examining the impacts of reduced WES service in the city. In addition, your Government Affairs Committee (GAC), led by board members and committee co-chairs Wendy Buck and Elizabeth Peters, will hear from representatives of SMART/WES on April 7th regarding the impact of reduced service for WES. GAC members will be asked to make a recommendation to your Directors on the direction the Chamber should take to let TriMet know how the business community feels about WES and the service it provides. More later.

The City and the West Linn-Wilsonville School District will be soon swapping land for construction of a new school. This is a very creative approach taken by these two organizations to help minimize costs in providing school buildings for the ever increasing population of students in our school district. The primary reason this exchange of land is being made is the slow development of Villebois Village.

The City is on the “move!” As most of us know from first-hand experience, there are a number of major road projects underway in our city, with more to come. This economic vitality is very beneficial to the many businesses operating in our city. Your Transportation and Transit Committee, with an assist from ex-officio board member and City Councilor Steve Hurst, continues to monitor these projects and will report to you from time to time on the progress of these projects.

As I promised last month to report, the University of Oregon’s Index of Economic Indicators rose 1.7% in January to 88.5 (1997=100) from a revised December figure of 87.0. Tim Duy, Director of Oregon Economic Forum, reported this is the third consecutive month of gains in excess of 1 percent. Data reflects an annual revision of state employment data, which enters the UO index by way of employment services payrolls.

Mr. Duy points out that while the UO index is consistent with solid economic growth, this growth has yet to translate into significant overall job gains. The initially reported December nonfarm payrolls gain was revised to a loss, while January 2010 saw a rise of just 1,100 jobs.

Like the US economy, the Oregon economy is bouncing off the recession lows of last summer. The labor market response to improving conditions, however, has been tepid at best. While overall job losses have largely ended, concerns about the sustainability of growth appears to be leaving firms cautious about hiring; rising activity at temporary employment firms is a hopeful sign this caution is easing.