MEET THE NEW BEND CITY COUNCIL

Municipal Court Judge Gwen Moore administered oaths of office to new Councilors Anthony Broadman, Melanie Kebler, Megan Perkins and Rita Schenkelberg on Jan. 6. A video of the swearing in ceremony is available at bendoregon.gov/councilagenda.

They join Mayor Sally Russell, Mayor Pro Tem Gena Goodman-Campbell and Councilor Barb Campbell on the Bend City Council. Voters select Councilors and the Mayor to serve four-year terms. Councilors select a Mayor Pro Tem, which is essentially the Vice Mayor, who can serve as the presiding officer any time the Mayor is not available.

More information about the individual Councilors is at bendoregon.gov/citycouncil.

GOAL SETTING AND BUDGET ADOPTION

Councilors have begun a goal-setting process that directs the City’s two-year work plan and influences how discretionary funds are prioritized in the biennial budget. Councilors set goals based on all the feedback they’ve been collecting from the community in a variety of ways.

After two-year goals are adopted, they get tracked in an online dashboard which is available at bendoregon.gov/council-goals. Currently it shows data about progress made on the existing biennial goals for the 2019-21 budget.

COMMUNITY SURVEY RESULTS

The Community Survey is one of several inputs Council considers prior to setting goals for the City. Affordable housing and traffic congestion are the community’s most important issues that local government should address, according to respondents in a Community Survey conducted in December. Concerns about growth and development followed closely behind.

You can see results of the phone survey here, which provides a valid representational sample of people who live in Bend and who are randomly selected. The complementary online survey provides a broader opportunity for all residents to opt in and provide input to the Council.

VACCINATIONS

Bend Fire & Rescue employees—along with other Central Oregon fire, emergency medical service, and law enforcement employees—have been getting vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus! The first round of vaccines began on Dec. 30 and second doses will be administered to these front line workers in late January. So far, more than 450 fire, EMS, and law enforcement employees have received the vaccine. Bend Fire and Rescue estimates more than 80 percent of its employees are getting vaccinated.

Thanks to collaboration and coordination with Deschutes County Health Services and St. Charles Health System, our vaccine rollout has gone very smoothly. Deschutes County Health Services and St. Charles are diligently working to vaccinate the “1a” group, which is the first group eligible for the vaccines. The two organizations are moving their vaccine clinics to the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center next week, allowing them to transition to a larger-scale vaccination model.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION ON VACCINES

Deschutes County Health Services is launching an online platform that will allow residents to sign up to be notified when they are eligible and about how to make an appointment to be vaccinated. More information will be available at deschutes.org/covid19vaccine.

Here's additional information from the Oregon Health Authority about vaccines.

COVID-19 EMERGENCY DECLARATION UPDATED

The City of Bend has amended its COVID-19 local state of emergency declaration to reflect changes from the State of Oregon, and extended it for another sixty days.

Here’s more information about what an emergency declaration is and what that means for our community.

Violations of the statewide requirements are enforceable locally. The City of Bend’s Code Enforcement division has set up an online form as well as a hotline to report mask violations in the City of Bend. Report a mask violation.

MURPHY CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS

The City is in the final stages of the Murphy Corridor improvements project in southeast Bend!

The project includes transportation improvements along the existing corridor from Parrell Road to Brosterhous Road, and the extension of Murphy Road from Brosterhous Road over BNSF Railway, connecting to 15th Street at Golden Gate Place.

The south and east leg of the Murphy Road/Country Club Drive roundabout opened in November 2020. The remaining legs of the roundabout will open in summer 2021. Complete street upgrades between Country Club Drive and Parrell Road will be done in summer 2021, weather permitting. Construction of a new two-lane roadway connecting Brosterhous Road to 15th Street, including a crossing over the BNSF Railway, is underway and expected to be completed in summer 2021.

To learn more about upcoming phases of work, traffic patterns or detours, or to sign up for regular updates on the project, go to bendoregon.gov/murphyproject

COLUMBIA ROUNDABOUTS

In December, the City Council approved a contract to build two roundabouts on SW Columbia Avenue, at its intersections with Colorado Avenue and Simpson Avenue. The work is in partnership with OSU-Cascades and the Bend Park and Recreation District. More information on the contract and the partnership is in this issue summary.

Design work is under way for the Colorado intersection. We anticipate starting construction no later than March. Construction for the Simpson intersection will start once Colorado is done and we anticipate construction will be done in August 2021.

Watch the project website and sign up for project update notifications here.

SAVE WATER AND MONEY ON YOUR UTILITY BILLS

Saving water indoors this time of year may lower your monthly sewer charges throughout the year!

Your average water consumption during the months of December, January and February each year (called Winter Quarter Average) is used as the basis for setting your monthly sewer volume charges. If you reduce indoor water usage during those months, you might be able to reduce your sewer volume charges when they are updated in July.

Want to save water indoors and help reduce your Winter Quarter Average?  Request your FREE indoor water conservation kit from the Utility Department’s Water Wise program. More information at WaterWiseTips.org.

WINTER

Everyone has a responsibility to prepare for winter. That means getting resources and supplies lined up before the big storm hits. Learn what to expect and get information about street plowing, sidewalk shoveling and protecting your home at bendoregon.gov/winter.