ENTERPRISE — Another effort is underway to get legislative assistance for Wallowa County to solve economic problems such as workforce development and affordable housing, County Commissioner John Hillock reported.

Hillock said he’s seeking the sponsorship of state Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, for House Bill 2376, which would declare an economic emergency in the county and establish a Wallowa Rural and Recreational Economic Development Board to develop and implement strategies, including grant and loan programs for the region.

“We’re trying to set up a committee with an eye on economic development and housing,” he said.

Hillock said he plans to hold a town hall-style meeting in the not-too-distant future to garner support for the bill. He noted local support is critical to push the measure through the Legislature.

“Support for the bill is crucial for it to pass, and local leaders are seeking backing from the community,” Hillock said.

The commissioner said during the last long session of the Legislature — in 2023 — a similar bill received strong support in the Legislature’s Economic Development Committee, but it failed to get a crucial hearing in the important Ways and Means Committee, which meant it couldn’t advance to the floor of the House.

Hillock said the bill is not unlike one passed in 2017 that was pushed by Gov. Tina Kotek, who was then speaker of the House, and U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, then a state representative. That bill, which created the Eastern Oregon Border Economic Development Board, has brought about $10 million to Malheur County to help it deal with problems associated with being on the Idaho border and the competition with Idaho that situation created.

“Since the creation of the EOBB they have brought in excess of $10 million into their region to help solve the same problems Wallowa County has,” Hillock said. “We could certainly use a boost like that.”

Although Malheur County has a more agriculture-based economy and Wallowa County’s is based more on tourism and recreation, there are similar challenges. Both counties need assistance in providing affordable housing for their workforces and help with other economic issues.

Housing is one of the chief issues in Wallowa County.

As Hillock said in his proposal for the bill, “Wallowa County is a beautiful place to live and recreate, and because of this our property values have skyrocketed. Vacation rentals and second homes make up a fair amount of our current housing stock; these properties generate a lot more money for their owners, as rightly should rentals versus monthly rentals,” he said. “According to U.S. News and World Report, 24% of your housing is vacant … From the same source, 17.6% of the population spends at least 30% of their income on housing and spends 56 hours per month to earn their rent money, compared to the national average of 40.2 hours per month, which tells us our rents are higher, our salaries are lower or some of both.”

Hillock recommended a publication from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that addresses the issues the county faces and suggests answers that can be found online. The document on Recreation Counties and Available Housing in Rural Oregon is at tinyurl.com/hudonhousing.

He has asked Levy to resubmit the bill modified in a way to bypass the Ways and Means Committee and go directly to the House floor and to the governor. Funding for the bill would come from state lottery funds, he said.

Hillock urged anyone interested to call him at 541-398-0141, email jhillock@wallowacounty.gov, Levy at Rep.BobbyLevy@oregonlegislature.gov or Sen. Todd Nash at sen.toddnash@oregonlegislature.gov.