WINTER WEATHER PREPARATION

It’s been beautiful fall weather lately but with rain in the forecast if you’ve lived here for a while you know winter can arrive any day. 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.

Are you an experienced snow driver? Be sure to peek at the Oregon Department of Transportation’s helpful winter driving guide.

HELP THE TRANSPORTATION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE PRIORITIZE BOND PROJECTS

The Transportation Bond Oversight Committee has been hard at work prioritizing the next five years of transportation bond projects, and community members have an opportunity to provide input!

In November 2020, Bend voters passed Transportation Bond Measure 9-135. The Transportation Bond Oversight Committee was created to monitor, track and report to the community on the progress of the projects funded by the bond, as well as recommend metrics for prioritizing the projects, recommend project scheduling, and project sequencing.

The Transportation Bond Oversight Committee is now in the final stages of drafting project recommendations for the City Council. These recommendations will be discussed at the committee's next meeting, Tuesday, Nov. 9. Community members wanting to provide input can view the current list of recommendations and submit prioritization requests to tboc@bendoregon.gov before Nov. 9. There will be additional comment opportunities as the project list moves on to City Council.

To view further detail about the transportation bond projects, visit the interactive project map at bendoregon.gov/safe-travel.

PROPOSED CODE CHANGES TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF SHELTERS

Houselessness is a big concern for our community. Shelters can provide a bridge for houseless community members until they can get into more stable or permanent housing. Shelters are part of the City Council’s comprehensive strategy to provide safe housing options for people.

Right now, the City is working on proposed code changes that will provide options for various types of shelters to be built in most City zoning districts. These types of code changes create opportunities for more types of shelters for people who need roofs over their heads.

A new interactive online tool explains the proposed homeless shelter types and asks for public feedback. Learn more about the proposed code changes and provide your input online.  

Community members interested in learning more about shelter code changes should visit bendoregon.gov/shelter-code-changes or read our recent news release.

One type of shelter being recommended in the proposed code changes are outdoor shelters.

A handful of City Councilors recently joined partners from the Bend Heroes Foundation and Central Oregon Veterans Outreach for a tour of the Central Oregon Veterans Village, a new outdoor shelter community of transitional cabins designed to provide shelter and services for veterans experiencing homeless. This shelter site project was launched by Bend Heroes and Central Oregon Veterans Outreach and more rapidly approved by the City because of HB 2006, which let the City approve an application for an emergency shelter that includes sleeping and restroom facilities.

The project received funding and support from a public-private partnership with the City of Bend, Deschutes County, and the State of Oregon. Central Oregon Veterans Village is being modeled after a successful program in Clackamas County.

Follow all things related to the City’s work supporting houselessness solutions by subscribing to eNews updates at the bottom of bendoregon.gov/houselessness.

CITY COUNCIL UPDATES

Fireworks Ban

This month, the Bend City Council permanently prohibited the sale and use of fireworks in Bend. Here is a news release with more information. If anyone has fireworks they would like to surrender, contact Bend Fire & Rescue at 541-322-6386 to make arrangements.

House Bill 2001 Update 

Councilors approved code changes to implement House Bill (HB) 2001 which go into effect in November 5. Housing is a statewide issue and the Oregon State Legislature passed HB 2001 in 2019 which requires cities over 25,000 population to allow the development of "middle housing," such as duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, cottage cluster developments and townhouses, in more Bend neighborhoods citywide. Read more in this press release.

Council Goals Dashboard

Our 2021-23 interactive dashboard that highlights some of the City Council Goals is up and live! There’s a lot of good information here and it’s a great way to stay up to date on the progress that is being made towards achieving Council Goals. This dashboard will be regularly updated: Council Goals 2021-2023 Dashboard

Biennial Report

The new 2021-23 Biennial Report overviews how the City Council develops goals and how the City’s budget works. You can find the 21-23 biennial report on the City Council webpage. It touches on work accomplished over the last biennium and a look ahead at what to expect this biennium. Email communications@bendoregon.gov if you want printed copies of the magazine-style report.

Inside Bend: Eric King

And speaking of planning for the current biennium, the latest episode of inside Bend dives into just how that goal-setting process works.

This month’s episode features a great discussion with City Manager Eric King, where he reviews how that process works. He also explains how those goals have an impact on the day-to-day lives of those in our community. The City Manager also touches on how the City is responding to the pandemic and the housing crisis. You are not going to want to miss this episode!  

You can listen to Inside Bend at bendoregon.gov/inside-bend or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.

COLLECTION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN

The City is embarking on a long-range plan for the City’s wastewater (sewer) collection system, called the Collection System Master Plan. This plan will shape future development and maintenance of Bend’s sewer system. Developing the Collection System Master Plan will help the City achieve a Council goal to invest in Bend’s infrastructure systems to meet community expectations. 

The plan will be based on forecasts and assumptions about the City’s future population, housing types, employment, and types of development. The team working on the master plan will present information to the City Council’s Community Building Subcommittee at 9 a.m. on October 27 about the land-use projections and assumptions on which the Collection System Master Plan will be developed. The virtual meeting is open to the public. (Community Building Subcommittee information is here.) 

Interested in learning more? Here are some resources:  

2014 Collection System Master Plan 

2018 Collection System Public Facility Plan  

2016 UGB Expansion

CLIMATE ACTION PLAN UPDATE

The Community Climate Action Plan is a community-supported set of strategies that will guide the City and the community as we work together to reduce fossil fuel use. The Council-appointed Environment and Climate Committee recently made recommendations to a subgroup of City Councilors about how to begin implementing the action plan. They recommended prioritizing: 

1. Creating a revolving loan fund for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in homes and commercial buildings
2. Developing a home energy score program
3. Achieving a 100% renewable electricity supply for the community 
4. Supporting a more energy-efficient building code  
5. Conducting outreach and education on food waste prevention  
6. Improving access to recycling in multifamily housing 

The Environment and Climate Committee also emphasized the importance of continuing to progress on alternative transportation projects already underway, such as improving bike and pedestrian infrastructure, creating mobility hubs and supporting transit.  

The Community Climate Action Plan was adopted in late 2019 after a 1 1/2-year planning process, following City Council direction to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Implementing the plan is a part of the City’s new Council Goals and the Environment and Climate Committee has spent the last several months evaluating all the actions in the plan to select priority projects for this biennium.  

The Environment and Climate Committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 11 a.m.

SAFE DRINKING WATER

Is your irrigation system ready for winter? 

As the fall irrigation season comes to an end, it’s essential to get your backflow assembly tested before irrigation shut-offs. If you have underground irrigation sprinklers, you need to have a backflow assembly on your system, and it must be tested annually to ensure contaminants like fertilizer and pet waste don’t make it into your household drinking water. It’s important to do this before the system has been winterized or “blown out” for the season because water needs to be flowing through the system to perform the test.  

If it fails the test, it must be repaired right away and retested until it passes.  

Protecting our water and customers is our priority. Visit bendoregon.gov/crossconnection for more information.

WATER CONSERVATION

Hang in there, irrigation season is almost over! 

As we progress through the fall season and temperatures start to cool down, it’s time to reassess your sprinkler system usage. This is the time of the year when you can start ramping down runtimes and turning sprinklers off when freezing temps are in the forecast.  

Use the “Seasonal Adjust %” feature on your irrigation system controller to make easy reductions to scheduled runtimes. These simple steps will prevent unwanted irrigation runoff from freezing on the streets and sidewalks, causing hazardous conditions for our neighbors. Thanks for doing your part, Bend! 

Learn more at: bendoregon.gov/conservation.