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Headlight Herald
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 | Vol. 137, Issue 7
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www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
Creamery takes National Cheddar Day TLT overboard by giving away a boatload of cheese
question hits ballot in May
For the Headlight Herald
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n honor of National Cheddar Day, Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is giving dairy lovers a chance to win a boatload of cheese, 1909 lbs. to be exact. On this day, February 13th, 1909, at exactly 9:05a.m., our founding farmers formed the Tillamook co-operative. So yes, really, now through February 20th, 2025, one lucky cheddar enthusiast will have the chance to win (nearly) a metric ton of Tillamook Cheese. If this takes our love of cheese overboard, we’re ok with that. It all goes back to more than a century ago, when Tillamook dairy farmers embarked on their maiden voyage aboard the Morning Star, a boat built out of the founding farmers’ love of dairy and used solely to share full-flavored products beyond the Oregon Coast. “For over a century, our farmerowned co-operative has shared the same determination that inspired those aboard the historic Morning Star. Since the ship’s maiden voyage, we’ve continued to deliver an unwavering commitment to quality ingredients you can taste,” said Kate Boltin, Executive Vice President of Marketing at TCCA. “Generations of dairy fans have fueled our passion for delivering premium cheddar, and that’s why we are going overboard this year by gifting a literal boatload of cheese.” To celebrate our birthday and make someone’s dairy dreams come true, we could have stopped at a boatload. But where’s the fun in that? Since 1,909 pounds of cheese isn’t enough for a celebration this size, Tillamook is giving the first 15,000 people who enter a free cheese coupon worth up to $6.00. Visit www.tillamook.com/boatloadof-cheese now to enter for a chance to score a boatload of cheese before the ship sails on February 20th, 2025. As the brand sets sail on its 116th year of going overboard for
WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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Courtesy photo
In honor of National Cheddar Day, Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is giving dairy lovers a chance to win a boatload of cheese.
dairy, it unveils the new brand campaign. Paying tribute to the iconic Morning Star that sits proudly on packaging, the creative pays homage to the brand’s origin story and to fans who share its passion for unbelievably good dairy. “Through this new work, we’ve crafted a tale that connects the brand’s past with its present,” said Sarah Block, Executive Vice President, Creative Director at Leo Chicago. The Morning Star is more than an origin story for Tillamook; it is core to their DNA to do whatever it takes to deliver incredible dairy.” The omnichannel campaign, developed by Leo Chicago, calls to attention the brand’s foundation as a farmer-owned dairy co-op and features a series of content and
heartwarming creative that nods to the Morning Star. A celebration of the rich history and wide range of multi-category dairy products, the creative invites the world to experience the delight that Tillamook County Creamery Association has been delivering since 1909. About Tillamook County Creamery Association Founded in 1909 as a farmerowned cooperative, Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is a Certified B Corporation® (B Corp™) and prides itself on its commitment to bringing to market the most consistent, best tasting, highest quality dairy products possible. Guided by the belief that everyone deserves real food that makes them feel good every day, Tillamook’
internationally recognized, award-winning cheese, as well as exceptional ice cream, butter, cream cheese spreads, yogurt, sour cream, and frozen meals, are made with unwavering values that never sacrifice or compromise quality for profit. TCCA is owned by a group of farming families, primarily based in Tillamook County, Oregon. TCCA operates production facilities in Tillamook and Boardman, Oregon and employs more than 1,100. The Tillamook Creamery is the largest tourist attraction on the coast of Oregon and one of the most popular in the state, attracting more than one million visitors each year. For more information on TCCA and Tillamook, visit Tillamook.com.
Federal funding freeze throws $3.6 million in Tillamook County housing funds into doubt WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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freeze on Environmental Protection Agency grants by the Trump administration in early February put the brakes on a program that would have directed $3.6 million to Tillamook County in support of space-efficient hous-
ing. Tillamook County Housing Coordinator Parker Sammons said he had already identified three affordable housing projects in the county that would have been eligible for the funding. The developers of those projects are now working to replace the shortfall and Sammons said that he was concerned about the time it would take to overcome the setback. “The other thing is that when government cuts stuff, it happens very, very quickly,” Sammons said, “but when the government builds stuff, it happens really, really slowly.” The $3.8 million in funding was part of an allocation to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Inflation Reduction Act for Climate Pollution Reduction grants. Funds were going to be distributed to projects that included space-efficient housing, i.e. smaller units. Sammons said that studies have shown space-efficient housing helps to reduce the carbon footprint during construction and during occupancy thanks to lower utility consumption and accumulation of unneeded items. The Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) was the pass-through agency at the state level for the funds and Tillamook County and three cities were selected to participate in the program. Projects would have been eligible for rebates up to $20,000 per unit to offset material costs or systems development charges. As he was applying to participate in the grant program, Sammons had two Tillamook projects in mind for the funding, the Spruce Point apartments that will bring 60 units of affordable housing to Manzanita and the Maker project in Tillamook that aims to bring 36 apartments to a lot adjacent to Adventist Health. The Spruce Point project would have been eligible for up to $1.2 million in funding from the program and the Maker project $720,000. Another project, the proposed development of 56-64 units by B’nai Brith in Rockaway Beach, came onto Sammons’s radar as a possible candidate for the grant funds when they applied for support from the county’s Housing Production Solutions Fund in January. Additionally, accessory dwelling unit (ADU) projects would have been eligible for the rebates,
a prospect which particularly excited Sammons due to the lack of other funds to build those units. “There was a type of housing we need so badly and that’s the thing that I am most lamenting losing so far about these funds going away,” Sammons said. The grant program appeared to be on track for an imminent launch, with DEQ having executed a contract for the funds with the EPA and Sammons preparing to bring an intergovernmental agreement to the board of county commissioners for approval in February. But then, Sammons received an email in the first week of the month from a DEQ official saying that the agency was unable to access the funds and that the program was being paused. Sammons let the developers of the impacted projects know about the pause so they could begin looking for funding sources to replace the yanked program. Sammons said that in a field where projects take years to materialize, the loss of possible funding was disheartening.
ollowing a second public hearing on February 12, Tillamook County’s board of commissioners unanimously approved placing a request to increase the county’s transient lodging tax from 10% to 14% on the May ballot. In response to feedback offered by owners of short-term rentals at earlier meetings, commissioners amended the proposed adjustment to be phased in over two years and delayed the initial increase from July 2025 to September. The proposed increase comes in response to budget shortfalls of $1 million this year and $3-4 million projected annually going forward, as one of a slew of potential solutions being examined by county leadership. Tillamook County’s transient lodging tax (TLT) was approved by voters in 2013 at a rate of 10% and went into effect in 2014. 70% of the funds raised by the tax, assessed on all overnight stays in the county, go towards supporting tourism promotion or tourismrelated facilities, in accordance with state law, with the remaining 30% dedicated to road maintenance. The proposed 4% increase is projected to bring in an additional $2.4-2.8 million annually, with $720,000-840,000 (30%) available to the county government for any purpose and the remainder obligated to fund tourism promotion or projects. The unrestricted 30% of the additional funds generated by the proposed increase would be split, with 80% going to the sheriff’s department to maintain current staffing levels, 10% dedicated to the maintenance of the forthcoming emergency radio system and 10% to the county’s emergency management department. Initially, commissioners were planning to seek a 5% increase in the TLT rate effective on July 1, but feedback from short-term rental (STR) owners at two open houses and the first public hearing led commissioners to reduce the ask and take a phased approach. At those meetings, STR owners complained that they were already being squeezed financially by high fees from third-party booking sites, increasing costs for cleaning and other services, and updates to the county’s requirements of their properties approved in 2023. Owners also said that their revenues had been falling this year and that they did not believe their customers would be willing to pay the increased taxes and that their bottom lines would take a hit. They also expressed concern over the impacts the change would have on existing stays already booked for this summer, whose contracted rates include the current tax rate. Tillamook County Chief Administrative Officer Rachel
See FUNDING TO, Page A3
See TLT TO, Page A3
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