On June 21, Corvallis City Councilors will consider requiring that home sellers get an onsite Home Energy Score assessment before listing or advertising their property, and then disclose the score to prospective buyers. Similar programs already exist in Portland, Hillsboro, and Milwaukie.
Under the proposed ordinance, homeowners would contract with a certified home energy scoring inspector, with costs ranging between $150 and $300. A flat fee of $35 would also go to Earth Advantage, a nonprofit that does assessor training, marketing, and administration of Home Energy Score policies across the state.
If passed, the city says the ordinance would go into effect sometime in early 2023. To submit written testimony to the City Council for their June 21 meeting, or to sign up to give verbal testimony or comment, email the city recorder at alex.downing@corvallisoregon.gov by 9:00 am on June 21.
In other news:
LES SCHWAB MAKES A MOVE: The Northwest Corvallis Les Schwab will be getting a new and bigger building, so they’ve made a temporary move during construction. You can find them at 350 NW Circle, just east of 9th Street – the old McGrath’s Fish House location.
Currently, the old restaurant houses the offices, and a temporary building has been erected in the adjacent parking lot for service bays. Location manager Craig Hendrickson said they should be back to their old location by the bowling alley in early 2023.
The new building will feature eight bays and improved ergonomics. For instance, with staff better able to see each other and work as teams, it’s anticipated the new building will mean an increased number of customers can be served more quickly.
STATE ECONOMICS FORECAST: Oregon’s Office of Economic Analysis has released its quarterly revenue forecast, noting upfront that all things seem to be in boom mode for the moment, and also offered some caveats and concerns for the future. Specifically citing oil shocks from Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and supply chain problems fueled by China’s continuing pandemic shutdowns, the report goes on to say we could be headed for an inflation fueled boom and bust cycle. But, the report is guardedly hopeful.
ABOUT INFLATION: The analysis cites tightening monetary policy as helpful, but also notes that increased interest rates take time to work their magic on rising prices. The report also assesses that goods prices will slow and oil shocks will fade, and that labor income and overall household finances will moderate. It goes on to say, “This will slow overall demand to be in better alignment with the economy’s productive capacity in the years ahead.” The analysis sees all these forces working together to moderate prices.
AND THEN, THERE’S WAGES: Oregon’s quarterly report went on to summarize that wages rose 17% from the start of the pandemic, but inflation ate about 12% percent of that gain. Comparatively, lower wage workers saw a 20% wage increase over the same period. Notably, much of that loss in real wage gain came just this last year: a 3% decline. The assessment anticipates inflation will take another moderate bite from real wage increases, but that year end will bring a moderate uptick in wages that should modulate that bite somewhat.
POWER LUNCH WITH THE CHAMBER: On June 23, at noon, the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce will be welcoming Nick Starita, the Division President of Energy Solutions at Hollingsworth & Vose, to speak at the latest in their Lunch Forum series. Starita will be talking about innovations in batteries to transform our fight against climate change. Go to the Chamber’s website for details.
DO YOU WORK WITH RANCHERS OR FARMERS: Folks in this sector commit suicide at six times the national average, but if you’re a banker or supplier, or anyone else that regularly does business with ag industry people, you may be able to help save a life. Oregon State University will be offering a two-hour virtual training focused on how to question, persuade and refer people you may encounter that need help. This two hour virtual training is scheduled for Wednesday, June 15, at 6 p.m. Click here to register.
GOOD SAM SELECTED FOR NATIONAL STUDY: Good Samaritan Medical Center has been selected for a study of a blood filtering technology that may well save the lives of sepsis patients.
Samaritan says that for more than a year, critical care specialist Brian Delmonaco, MD, and his intensive care team have found success using the blood filter treatment on some of the sickest COVID-19 patients they’ve encountered, and now, this same ICU staff will try the treatment for sepsis patients. Samaritan also said the participants involved in the study will be ICU patients who have septic shock, bacteria in their blood, and are on certain medications to raise abnormally low blood pressure.
Other study partners include Baylor Scott & White Health, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and University of Southern California. The study is funded by the Department of Defense and sponsored by the Uniformed Services University, Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine and ExThera Medical Corp., the filter’s manufacturer.
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