Recently, The Source Weekly asked me to recap the City’s top accomplishments in 2018. Winnowing down our many accomplishments into what I think are probably the top 10 most significant ones was a rewarding exercise, so I wanted to share these highlights worth celebrating:
Fire Levy Success
In 2018, voters approved a Fire Department operating levy with more than 70 percent approval. Good response times means more lives saved, and Bend’s cardiac survivability rate is one of the highest in the nation.
Police Community Engagement
Our Police Department’s improved staffing, award-winning wellness program and innovative community engagement program set the scene for more than 2,500 positive, preemptive interactions with members of our community. Proactive calls increased 27 percent. This contributed to a reduction in mental health calls and allowed us to better respond to the serious 911 calls.
Improved Streets
A Council goal to improve street maintenance and some creative, short-term budget reallocations to boost street maintenance funding, resulted in an increase of our pavement conditions. Pavement Condition Index (a rating of street conditions on a scale of 0-100) increased to 73 in 2018, from 71 in 2017 and 68 in 2015. Crews treated nearly 100 lane miles of streets in 2018. Our deferred maintenance backlog reduced from $91 million to $79.4 million and pothole complaints went down.
Affordable Housing
The City’s Affordable Housing Program built 103 affordable homes this year and we have 196 more in the pipeline. The City also won a legislative expansion of our urban growth boundary, which will add 185 more affordable units and 175 middle-income units east of Bend. And, our Affordable Housing Fund leveraged $24 million in funding from state, federal, and private partners to improve housing supply.
GO Bond Completion
We wrapped up a 7-year, $30 million transportation system upgrade to street corridors and intersections all across the city. The 14th Street ribbon cutting in October marked the final transportation project funded by a General Obligation Bond that voters approved in 2011. Improvements benefitted all modes of travel and also included Reed Market (which includes a roundabout at 15th and a new bridge and traffic signal at American Lane) and 27th Street, as well as new roundabouts at Brookswood/Powers, Simpson/Mount Washington and 18th/Empire - intersections that had a lot of serious crashes prior to the improvements. Neighborhood Voices Amplified
In recent years, we’ve helped volunteers revive several dormant neighborhood associations. In 2018, the Council recognized that the growing body of voices wanted more connection with the Council so we formed a new advisory committee called the Neighborhood Leadership Alliance. It will provide a better way for neighborhood associations to participate in the Council’s policy making process.
Elected Mayor
Following a public input process and a citywide vote that changed our charter, we modernized local government by allowing the voters to elect their own mayor, a change from our old system where Councilors selected a Mayor from amongst themselves.
Sewer Systems Upgrade
In 2018, we finished the Southeast Interceptor, an 8-mile pipe under 27th Street, which carries waste out of our growing City. We finished it ahead of schedule and under budget by almost $2 million. This pipeline relieved capacity issues around town and because it’s a gravity-fed system, it let us to reduce energy use for pump stations that used to pump waste. The City also finished the water reclamation facility (sewage treatment plant) expansion, increasing its capacity by a couple million gallons a day.
Growth Plan Springs into Action
The community-supported Growth Plan has shifted from community planning to action. In 2018, we figured out funding for the extensions of Empire and Murphy roads, and Empire improvements are now well underway. We chose the contractors for extending Murphy Road, which begins soon. We are involving local residents and businesses in the updating of the transportation plan.
Climate Action Plan
The City is auditing its own facilities and operations and investing in improvements to reduce energy use and save money. We’re also helping the community do its part to achieve the community-wide fossil fuel reduction goals. With grant funds, the City hired a Sustainability Coordinator this year to manage the development of the Community Climate Action Plan and public involvement process that will figure out what the community can do to reduce emissions in ways that benefit to businesses and residents.
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