By Jeb Bladine • President / Publisher • May 2, 2025 TweetJeb Bladine: Take blindfolds off RB Rubber project planningLet’s acknowledge up front that community development under Oregon’s urban renewal law is complex and confusing. But that doesn’t justify the city of McMinnville’s long-delayed and inadequate responses to questions about the proposal for development of the RB Rubber property. In April, the News-Register spent almost four weeks pleading with city officials for answers to questions about UR and the RB Rubber project. Is interest paid on the RB Rubber loan — and other UR debt — paid by TIF outside the $30 million debt limit? The UR Agency’s purchase of the RB Rubber property has, indeed, reduced McMinnville’s UR debt limit by $4.25 million.