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Regional connector group So Ready outlines resources for small towns; Gold Hill asks about membership fit
Summary
Representatives from So Ready described their role connecting rural jurisdictions to grants and technical assistance; Gold Hill councilors asked how a small city could benefit and staff suggested shared-service models and loans for infrastructure planning.
Representatives of So Ready briefed the Gold Hill City Council on Nov. 4 about the organization's role as a regional connector that helps small cities access funding and technical assistance.
Blair Sundell said So Ready operates on roughly a $700,000 annual budget with five staff and works across 13 jurisdictions and 57 unincorporated communities. Sundell highlighted work on code audits, accessibility and phase‑one studies, and partnership deployments of state grant programs to support infrastructure and economic development projects.
During question-and-answer the city manager and councilors asked whether Gold Hill would see value from membership after the council recently paused membership. Sundell suggested staff sit down with city leaders to identify specific needs, then map available resources such as Business Oregon loans and planning funds, enterprise-zone boundary adjustments, and potential industrial development bonds. Sundell and staff offered a shared‑services model—hiring one economic‑development manager to serve several nearby towns—as one approach to give small communities dedicated support without each hiring a full-time specialist.
Councilors thanked Sundell and noted existing grant support had already funded code updates and housing‑related planning work. Staff confirmed some recent work for Gold Hill was funded through So Ready and related grants and said the city's interactive zoning map will be updated as part of that project.
No formal action was taken; staff and So Ready agreed to continue conversations about fit and next steps.
