Bend Current, Newsletter for the Community, August 2023

Street Preservation Work Wraps Up for 2023

The City of Bend’s Street Preservation Program is wrapping up for the season.

City street crews and contractors improved 37 (which is 4%) of Bend’s 889 lane miles of roads. 

With the City’s ‘keep good roads good’ philosophy, work focused on using the right treatment at the right time to provide the most cost-effective way to maintain public roads.

Street preservation treatments this year included: 

• Grind/inlays – Old asphalt is ground out and replaced on the existing roadway. The process can take a couple of days.
• Slurry – A treatment for low-volume residential streets. One-day closures typically expected.

To learn more about Bend’s street preservation practices visit Street Maintenance. 

State of the City Gathering

Join Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler and the City of Bend for a State of the City community gathering from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8 at Alpenglow Park (61049 SE 15th St., Bend).  

This year’s State of the City is a family-friendly party in the park.

The event will feature a short message from Mayor Kebler on City goals and priorities, live music, family-friendly activities, lawn games, police, fire and streets vehicles and information on the various City departments and their programs and services.

Local food trucks will also be on-site to purchase food from.   

Bring your family and join the fun as we update you on the work the City is doing to address growth and make Bend work.

City Council Updates

An Update from Mayor Kebler

Mayor Melanie Kebler gives an update on some of the work that the City Council accomplished this past month.

Watch the video here.

Transportation Fee

Council has decided to establish a Transportation Fee, collected from all residents and businesses through the City’s utility bill, to create an ongoing funding source to support our transportation system.

The City has relied on the State Gas Tax and a small portion of local property taxes to pay for transportation system operations and maintenance but those funding sources are not enough to meet our growing maintenance needs.

A public engagement process is underway. The first Transportation Fee roundtable took place on August 9, with future roundtables scheduled for September 13 and October 11.

The City is following through on a community-supported Transportation System Plan, which recommended funding tools including the fee, to meet community expectations and provide the core services Bend community members need to thrive.

Learn more at bendoregon.gov/transportation-fee.

Council Compensation Review

The City is looking for community members to join a new temporary, independent committee to make recommendations on future compensation for Bend City Councilors and the Mayor.

Council approved forming a Compensation Review Committee, which is charged with reviewing and evaluating council compensation. Learn more and apply on the Advisory Committee Application webpage by August 31.

Inside Bend: Understanding Cyber Security with Information Security Manager Adam Young

The latest episode of the Inside Bend Podcast is here.

This month, Information Security Manager Adam Young joins us to talk Cyber Security. 

He explains how the City is working to keep the community safe from cyber threats and gives some great tips on how you can work to protect yourself. 

Listen at Inside Bend Podcast | City of Bend (bendoregon.gov) or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify. 

Welcoming Week 2023

Welcoming Week 2023 is just around the corner!

Welcoming Week will take place September 8 – 17 with culturally-centered events happening citywide that celebrate inclusivity and belonging in Bend.

Join us for the kickoff event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10 at The Commons (875 NW Brooks St., Bend).

The City of Bend Accessibility Advisory Committee and Human Rights and Equity Commission will be hosting this kick-off party, including a celebratory open-mic activity with local musicians and vendors as well as non-profits from the Bend community.

Additionally, there are several events lined up throughout the week such as a food cart crawl in the Bend Central District, a Latin film festival and “Coco” showing at the Tower Theater, Loteria (BINGO) with the Bend Police Department and art and cultural exhibitions downtown. Learn more about Welcoming Week and see this year’s events at bendoregon.gov/welcomingweek

E-Bike Rebate Program Wrap-up 

In January 2023, the City of Bend received a $150,000 Electric Mobility Grant from Pacific Power to provide vouchers for e-bikes.

The program awarded 75 rebates, worth $2,000 each, over the course of three lotteries held in April and May, which were all redeemed at four local bike shops.

To qualify, applicants had to be residents of Bend and at or below 80% of the area median income. Over 600 people applied for an e-bike rebate.

Recipients were encouraged to log-in to the Get There Oregon platform and track their trips.

As of July 28, 363 e-bike trips were logged through Get There Oregon which translates into a savings of 1,125 pounds of CO2 emissions.

Scam Prevention Reminders!

Bend Police have seen an uptick in reports of scams over the past few months. The types of scams vary, but many suggest that you are responsible for something – a warrant or a fine, for example – that you need to pay or face consequences. Don’t fall for it!  

If you receive unusual emails or phone calls asking for personal information or money, be on the alert! Hang up and call nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911 to report the incident. 

A few reminders of how to protect yourself from scams: 

• Scammers almost always operate under pressure – there is a problem or a prize, and scammers will push you to act quickly to solve the problem or claim the prize. As a consumer, you should slow down and take your time. Take a moment to think about what the person is asking of you and to do some research. 
• Scammers will want you to pay in a certain way that legitimate agencies or businesses would never require. A sign that it is a scam? They’re asking you to provide money in the form of gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfer. Others will send you a check, ask you to deposit it and send them the money. 
• Scammers typically pretend to be from an organization you know – Medicare, Social Security Administration, etc. They may spoof a phone number to show that organization’s name, or create an email address that looks very similar to an official one. Ask to call back, or examine the email address to see if it’s real. 
• Never give your personal or financial information in a call or other contact that you did not initiate. Don’t click on links in a text or email. Call the actual organization or bank back and ask whether the organization contacted you. 
• And if you’ve been a victim of a scam, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Call Bend Police, who can advise you of your rights and provide you with additional resources.

POLICE DATA HUB

Check out our new Police data hub, which provides more access to crime statistics and trends!

Go to: policedata.bendoregon.gov

It provides more transparency for community members to learn about the types of calls for service and reported crimes that take place in the City of Bend.

Bend Police have long used data- and evidence-led approaches to understand and improve daily operations and services for our community.

Now, the public can examine trends and learn more about individual crimes and calls for service through reports, maps and raw data tables.

The data will be updated daily.