Bradshaw

The COVID-19 pandemic is hurting auto dealers just like everyone else.

Doug Crow, co-owner of Main Street Motors in Enterprise, said the pandemic caused auto makers nationwide to scale back.

“I’m just kind of guesstimating that with the way COVID-19 has caused … the late-model used cars that we specialize in are getting hit hard, too,” Crow said.

According to reports by a national used-car dealership organization that posts movement of inventory and lists automobiles online, Crow said there was a bit of a rise in inventory during the early part of the pandemic. Figures from early April showed about 56,000 vehicles available, increasing to a high of 65,000 by mid-April.

From there, it was a steady decline to less than 24,000 vehicles July 8.

“We’ve never had a better month than June,” Crow said.

He said his lot received inquiries from all over the country and sold nearly 30 vehicles that month.

“For a little outfit like us, that’s not bad,” he said.

But looking ahead with the bleak prospects for the availability of inventory, Crow isn’t particularly optimistic.

“We’ve wondered if we can survive or should we make plans to get out of the business?” he said. “It’s tough to have enough inventory to remain in the black at the end of the month.”

Enterprise’s other dealership, Milligan Motors, has sold all its new inventory. Management there, however, declined to comment on the reason or the future.

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Wallowa County is rated No. 1 among the top-10 counties in Oregon for the value property owners receive for what they pay in property taxes, according to a recent study by the financial technology company SmartAsset.

According to the study, the county has a property tax rate of 0.69%, a school rating of 9, home-value growth of 13.91% for an overall value index of 56.82. That overall index is just above Josephine County’s 56.76, where there is a property tax rate of 0.58%, a school rating of 5 and a home-value growth of 13.63%. The top 10 were rounded out by Crook, Union, Deschutes, Yamhill, Hood River, Klamath, Washington and Jackson counties.

The study measured the effective property tax paid in each county to determine the relative property tax burden. From there, the study analyzed the quality of public schools within the county and then measured how much value properties in the county have gained throughout a five-year period.

Taken together, these factors determine where residents are seeing the most value for their property taxes.

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The Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce is reminding local employers and other county folks to consider Buckskin Bucks for employee appreciation gifts, exceptional performance rewards, birthdays or any other special occasions.

It is easy to participate as a buyer. Buckskin Bucks come in denominations of $10 and $25. They are purchased at the chamber office and can be spent at any of the 50-plus businesses printed on the backside of the Bucks.

Retailers, gift shops and restaurants — if you’re interested in signing up for Buckskin Bucks, call the chamber at 541-426-4622.

For more information about upcoming events and activities, visit the chamber’s community calendar online at www.wallowacountychamber.com.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The first portion of this column that quotes or cites information from Main Street Motors co-owner Doug Crow was incorrectly interpreted. It has been changed to explain that numbers cited referred to vehicles available as inventory. Also, the reference to being “scaled back” was to auto manufacturers not dealerships.