ORLA Update – August 4, 2023

Payroll Tax Referral / Safety Summit / Charity Golf

Salem Payroll Tax Referral – Oregon Business & Industry (our state Chamber of Commerce) is leading an effort to refer a recent 5-4 payroll tax vote of the Salem City Council to the November ballot. This would tax anyone performing work within the Salem city limits at a rate of .814 percent. ORLA has been engaged in this effort through testimony and volunteer signature gathering for effected members within the Salem City limits. Thus far, over 4,000 signatures have been collected to get the payroll tax on the ballot for voter consideration with a goal of 6,000 by August 9 to allow room for collection errors. We haven’t seen a collection effort that has resulted in this many signatures so quickly and our friends at OBI deserve a lot of credit for their efforts. Engage in this effort by visiting letsalemvote.com.
 
Portland Hotel & Restaurant Safety Summit – Downtown Clean & Safe hosted a Portland Hotel and Restaurant Safety Summit at the Nines last week in partnership with ORLA. About 40-50 hospitality industry members were in attendance and armed with concerns and questions. Speakers represented the Portland Police Bureau, mayor’s office, DA’s office, and Multnomah County. Outcomes include the Portland Metro Chamber (formerly the Portland Business Alliance) and ORLA collaborating on drafting 5-6 specific “asks” from the business/hospitality industry that will be presented to city, county, and state leadership. Read more in our new Portland Advocacy Blog.

AAHOA Charity Golf Tournament – The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) is holding a Charity Golf Tournament coming up on August 14 at the Reserve Vineyard & Golf Club in Aloha. One of the four recipients of the funds raised is the Oregon Hospitality Foundation. If your are interested in supporting the charities and can participate on August 14 please visit the Player and Sponsor registration links. 

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The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA) keeps members informed and educated on important issues impacting the hospitality industry. If you are not yet a member of ORLA, please consider joining the association in order to access the latest industry intelligence for businesses like yours. Visit our Membership page or reach out the ORLA Regional Representative nearest you.