Regional economic plan updated, Baker County given chance to propose projects

The Northeastern Oregon Economic Development District conducted its quarterly board meeting on Monday, December 8, 2025, at the Misener Conference Room, 1001 4th Street in La Grande, with regular business beginning at 1:30 p.m. The session was open to the public and offered remote participation through a Zoom connection and phone access, with meeting join link, meeting ID and passcode posted on the NEOEDD event page.

Agenda items focused on regional economic development priorities and included a project submission form for stakeholders in Baker, Union and Wallowa counties to propose projects for inclusion in the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, commonly referred to as CEDS. The CEDS is the region wide planning document that guides project prioritization and helps shape which initiatives are positioned for economic development funding opportunities. NEOEDD encouraged public participation and provided the online access details for those unable to attend in La Grande.

For Baker County residents and local governments the meeting represented an opportunity to influence the next planning cycle for regional investment. Inclusion in the CEDS can affect how projects are evaluated for grant readiness and eligibility in competitive funding pools administered at the federal and state level. By submitting project ideas through the form highlighted at the meeting, Baker County stakeholders can seek to elevate priorities such as infrastructure upgrades, workforce development, broadband expansion, or small business support into the consolidated regional strategy.

The quarterly cadence of NEOEDD board meetings gives counties recurring windows to update the CEDS and respond to shifting economic conditions. Remote participation options reduce travel barriers for rural residents who face long distances to La Grande, improving access to planning processes that have tangible implications for local budgets and project timelines. Baker County officials and community groups that missed the December 8 meeting can find the project submission form and Zoom connection information on the NEOEDD event page at neoedd.org to prepare proposals for the next review cycle.