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County weighs funding to sustain local business advising after CET dissolution
Summary
Presenters asked Columbia County to commit funding to a rebranded Columbia Business Alliance—housed in Scappoose—to preserve advising, trainings and promotional programs after the Columbia Economic Team dissolved; presenters cited lost grants and a proposed county contribution (initial ask near $75,000; later framed as a $40,000 minimum) to keep services running while pursuing additional grants.
Ben Gardner asked the Columbia County Board of Commissioners on March 25 to support a rebranded local business-support program he said will preserve advising, training and promotional services after the Columbia Economic Team (CET) dissolved in December. ‘‘We don't want these stories to end,’’ Gardner said, urging the county to continue the funding that underwrote those programs.
Gardner described a plan to house the program in the City of Scappoose as the Columbia Business Alliance to lower overhead while keeping services available countywide. He said the city would provide administrative support and that advising would be delivered…
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