Bend Current, Newsletter for the Community, December 2022

A year-end message from Mayor-elect Melanie Kebler

As we step into 2023, I feel so much gratitude for all that this Council and this City staff have been able to achieve together despite the challenging times we are working in. We set ambitious goals and chose bold action, forging new paths and looking for new ways to collaborate on the solutions our community needs right now. The vision of this Council was supported by the incredible hard work of our City staff. We innovated and pivoted as needed to find new solutions, while still providing consistent, excellent services to our community. The City is truly a leader in our region and in our state when it comes to creating affordable housing, evolving our transportation system, and taking climate action. I can’t wait to step into the role of Mayor and work with my fellow Councilors to continue moving Bend forward.

It has been a privilege to serve alongside dedicated community leaders, some of whom have already left the Council or will be moving on from their role on the Council in January. Former Mayor Sally Russell convened a motivated new Council and helped us set a work plan that meaningfully moved City policy and investment towards equity and progress. Rita Schenkelberg provided a sorely-needed perspective and never hesitated to call out injustice and inequity – they taught us so much, and we still have so much to learn. Mo Mitchell brought forward a fierce emphasis on equity that our Council and our community needed to hear. Stephen Sehgal holds deep roots in this community and provided steady consideration even through difficult policy decisions.

Finally, Mayor Gena Goodman-Campbell’s service over the past four years, her commitment to improving our community, and her passion for protecting our natural environment has made Bend a better place. Mayor Goodman-Campbell willingly stepped into her new role despite the unexpected circumstances, and her dedicated leadership has helped the Council continue our important work. All these leaders have shown they are committed to making positive change in Bend, and I thank them deeply for their service to our community.

My gratitude also goes out to all those who have served and continue to serve on our many City advisory boards, where residents volunteer many hours of their time in order to help the Council make better decisions.

I look forward to working with our incredible staff and with Councilor Campbell, Councilor Perkins, Councilor Broadman, and new Councilors-Elect Ariel Méndez and Mike Riley. I’m excited to write the next chapter for our City Council.

Sincerely,

Melanie Kebler, Mayor-Elect

It’s Been a Productive Year!

As we wrap up the year we have much to celebrate. In 2022, addressing housing and transportation needs for this rapidly growing community were top priorities for the City of Bend. With more than 700 employees, the City provided high-quality public safety, water and sewer service. We worked to nurture strong community partnerships, steward the natural environment and cultivate tomorrow’s economy.

The City has improved how it does business by using and sharing more data, considering equity in all the services we provide and seeking innovative approaches to solving problems. Here’s a recap of some accomplishments that can be celebrated as we wind down 2022.

Housing

The City wants people of all incomes to have a place to call home, and affordable housing is a vital component in economic development.

To increase affordable housing options, 2,967 housing units have been completed or are under construction this biennium! Of those, 62% are multi-family, townhome, duplex, and accessory dwelling units and 38% are single family homes – a shift in development patterns from historical trends.

We aimed to support the creation of 1,000 units of rent-and price-restricted housing that’s accessible and affordable to all, and 805 units have been completed, are in permitting, or are funded this so far this biennium.

That’s 805 more homes for people who need them!

Stillwater Crossing

The City’s housing strategy includes a multi-faceted approach to address homelessness. The City sought 500 beds of shelter for houseless individuals and families and, so far, 394 units are available with about 60 more potential beds anticipated in spring 2023. 

The City established a Navigation Center, (a low-barrier shelter and service hub,) used a state grant (Project Turnkey) to purchase a motel on Division Street as a permanent shelter site, funded the development of Bend’s first temporary outdoor shelter and purchased a hotel on Franklin Avenue to use as temporary shelter in the Bend Central District.  That’s a lot of shelter capacity.

The City also supported multiple organizations that provide services including meals, case management and foreclosure prevention counseling to vulnerable community members disproportionally effected by COVID.

We facilitated an Emergency Homelessness Task Force and helped create a plan to address houselessness through a more coordinated and wholistic approach. City efforts helped land $1 million to launch the Coordinated Houseless Response Office and hire a director.

We modified City codes to allow for managed camps, shelters and other facilities to address homelessness, and we developed a new camping code to manage rights-of-way in a humane manner and regulate where, when and how people can sleep on public rights of way.

This work is far from done but signifies tremendous progress toward helping people find housing in Bend.

Resident at Veterans Village

A year-end wrap-up message from Councilor Megan Perkins on houselessness.

Councilor Megan Perkins’ year-end wrap up on the City’s work on houselessness, from the Dec. 21, 2022 Council meeting. Some of those solutions come in the form of brick and mortar – literal beds and buildings with roofs and heat. Other solutions focus on policy development.

Transporation

Designing, building and maintaining a connected, multimodal transportation system so people can move around safely, equitably and efficiently requires serious investment.

To maintain transparency around how we manage those community investments, the City established a Transportation Bond Oversight Committee to oversee and help prioritize projects from the $190 million bond approved by voters in November 2020.

This year, we completed the first two phases of Wilson Corridor Project, the first bond project. 

New roundabout at Wilson and Ninth

Some other notable transportation and infrastructure projects over the year include:

• Midtown Pedestrian and Bicycle Crossings feasibility study
• Newport Corridor stormwater, water, sewer and transportation improvement (expected substantial completion in Spring 2023)Southwest
• Bend sewer improvements Septic to Sewer improvements
• Sewer pump station upgrades
• Wastewater treatment plant improvements
• Several Neighborhood Street Safety projects

Street safety improvements; photo credit Craig Powell Photography

Safety, Health, Justice and Accountability

To create an environment where all community members feel safe accessing the services they need, both the Fire and Police departments have made improvements to respond to the increasing and changing natures of calls for service.

To maintain Bend Fire & Rescue’s response times amid increasing calls for service, the City and the Deschutes Rural Fire Protection District partnered to provide ‘bridge’ funding to add nine firefighter/paramedic personnel to staff a fire engine at the Pilot Butte station in advance of the opportunity to renew Bend Fire & Rescue’s operating levy.

Bend Fire & Rescue maintained a response time goal of about six minutes within the City of Bend, and nine minutes in the rural district, and a 50% cardiac survivability rate.

Better response times means more lives saved!

Bend Fire & Rescue

The Police Department revised the Police Chief’s Advisory Council, forming a 20-member committee from diverse backgrounds who provide input on Police issues and are involved in hiring panels.

We’re also proud of the Police Department for becoming the first agency in Oregon to use “SPIDR” technology that enhances community members’ experiences when calling 911 or the non-emergency line requesting police services. With the program, callers get opportunities for additional communication and relevant information sharing, including updates about possible delays.

Last but not least, we’re supporting a non-law enforcement response to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis by creating an agreement with Deschutes County Behavioral Health Mobile Crisis Assessment Team and through funding a Stabilization Center, to respond to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

Bend Police

Environment and Climate

Over the past year, the City has worked to improve clean air, water and a healthy environment.  To help reach Climate Action Plan goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the City completed an electric vehicle readiness plan, adopted a Home Energy Score program, is transitioning to more alternative fuel vehicles by including all-electric utility trucks and including more than 30 hybrid Police vehicles.

Solar Panel Installation

And not to forget our award winning water: The City’s sprinkler inspection program resulted in almost seven million more gallons of water saved over the prior year.

Sprinkler Testing

This is not a comprehensive list of everything the City worked on in 2022, but it’s a compilation of things we are proud to celebrate.

We look ahead at 2023 with intentions to keep working hard, serving the community and providing the core services people need to live great lives.

You can always learn more about the work that the City of Bend is doing at bendoregon.gov.