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Bend Chamber
Weekly
December 5, 2008
By Courtney Linville, Communications Coordinator
This Week's
Highlights
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Bend City Council
Highlights
Jodie Barram sworn in: Jodie Barram, a former member
of the Bend Planning Commission, was sworn in to the
Bend City Council on Wednesday evening. In a 5 to 1
decision last week, Barram was appointed to the City
Council to fill the seat of Bill Friedman. During
her interview Barram stated her passions lie around
public safety, the environment, and a fiscally sound
budget. “We need to look at how to keep our mandated
programs going with the funding we have and minimize
the impacts to public safety and basic needs and
general fund reserves,” she said. Barram’s term will
end in 2010.
Council gives nod to increase lease rates for
T-hangers at Bend Airport: The City Council approved
the increase of Bend Airport T-Hanger lease rates by
3 percent for each of the past 3 years along with an
annual increase of 3 percent. Bend Airport Manager
Sue Palmeri stated compounded, the rate would
increase by 9.8 percent. This will make Bend
Airport’s rates at least the second highest if not
the highest in the state. Councilor Chris Telfer
questioned the increase of rates at this time and
how the revenue is spent. City Manager Eric King
said the increases will allow the airport to get to
a point were it can sustain itself. “This money
means taking less from the general fund,” he said.
There are currently 41 people on the waiting list
for T-Hangers. The council also approved the removal
of the current 5 percent early pay option.
Council accepts proposal from Paratransit Services:
In a 5-1 decision, the City Council accepted the
proposal for the Paratransit Services and authorized
staff to negotiate final costs and terms. Among
other items, most notably the new contract term will
be for three years with two one-year extensions,
have labor wage scales and benefits decided by the
labor union, and the vendor will provide insurance.
Several councilors questioned if the city was
duplicating efforts with the contact and current
statt, but city staff replied a person
is needed to oversee the contract. Councilor Chris
Telfer opposed the proposal.
Council looks at increased need for temporary
emergency shelters: With the weather turning colder,
the Bend City Council discussed the need for more
temporary emergency shelters for the homeless. Many
churches and other facilities would like to open
their doors for overnight accommodations, however
new fire code regulations require sprinkler systems
for this type of use. The staff will conduct
additional research on this issue and report back to
the council.
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City Council moves closer to
finalizing the UGB
After over three hours of deliberation, the final
Urban Growth Boundary expansion map is nearing
completion;
however, Bend City Councilors are divided on two issues.
The council was presented with a new map called
Alternative 4A by city staff Wednesday evening which
updates the map from testimony from the public
hearing as well as planning commission
recommendations. The map includes removing the
commercial auto mall from the north end, removing
mixed employment and industrial acreage on the west
side of South Highway 97, adjusting the boundary to
include the Baker Road interchange right of way, and
adding remnant parcels owned by the Bend Metro Park
and Recreation District in Shevlin Park and along
South Century Drive.
Overall, the newest version of the UGB has decreased
479 acres in size, possibly making it more
attractive to the state. If this map is approved,
the reduction only leaves the city with 308 acres of
surplus land.
The council was very close to approving the new map,
but locked in a 3-3 decision about the removal of
143 acres out of Oregon Department State Lands
(Section 11) and the addition of 91 acres to the
Ward property located on the south end of the city.
Councilor Jim Clinton stated he could not support
the staff recommendations of removing Section 11
lands because “it represents good urban planning.”
Clinton also stated the addition of lands to the
Ward property represented bad planning and he
believes having urbanization on one side of a major
roadway (Knott Road) is not the way the city should
grow.
Councilor Jodie Barram stated the acres in the Ward
property are better rated than Section 11 lands and
the Ward land is more defensible. She also stated
the planning commission was not happy with only
including 143 acres of Section 11 because the master
planning would have been difficult.
Mayor Bruce Abernethy stated he was supportive of
the staff recommendations regarding both properties
and felt the city has done a good job listening to
concerns from the public, the Oregon Department of
Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), and the
Oregon Department of Transportation. He stated it
was his belief the Board of County Commissioners
would not support the map if the entire Ward
property was not included in the UGB expansion.
“From my perspective, that’s the only thing I see
them asking for,” Abernethy said.
However, many councilors argued the Board of County
Commissioners stated several times this is the
city’s plan and the city should decide what it wants
the expansion to include.
Barram echoed Abernethy’s sentiments by saying the
city needs to work with the county on a product to
“endorse and move on.” The city and the county need
to be in joint agreement before the UGB proposal is
sent onto the state.
City Manager Eric King reminded councilors if the
remaining Ward property is not included and the
council goes forward with the Section 11 lands,
there is a risk DLCD will not approve the proposal
because the Ward property has higher priority lands.
Councilors Chris Telfer, Barram, and Abernethy voted
for the staff recommendations while Councilors Linda
Johnson, Peter Gramlich, and Clinton voted against
the recommendations.
The council will now wait for Councilor Mark Capell,
who wasn’t in attendance, to return to make a final
decision. The issue will be addressed again at the
council’s December 17 meeting with a special session
on December 22 to adopt an ordinance. Another
special meeting will then be held on January 5 for
the second reading and approval of the ordinance.
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Santa Express to Collect Food, Clothing, and Toys
for Needy Families
Bend Fire Department’s Santa Express food and
clothing drive is building steam and will head into
local Bend Neighborhoods on Monday, December 8
through Thursday, December 11. The Bend
Firefighter’s Association and Bend Fire and Rescue
are working with The Salvation Army to collect
non-perishable food items, clothing, and toys for
needy families.
Santa will ride along with the Bend Fire Department
to help with the collection, as well as many
volunteers. To find more information on
neighborhoods or where you can drop items off, go to
www.ci.bend.or.us and go to the Santa Express Link.
In 2007, the Santa Express collected 7,200 pounds of
food and enough clothing and toys to help more than
1,500 needy families within the community.
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Employment Numbers
Unemployment numbers increased in Central Oregon
from September to October. Crook County saw the
largest changes, while Deschutes County had the
overall lowest unemployment rate in the tri-county
area.
Deschutes County’s rate increased 1.4 percent to 8.1
percent in October. Though the county did lose 800
jobs, this figure was smaller than the typical 890
jobs. Most of the job losses came from the private
sectors. “Overall, the county’s employment has shown
mixed trends this year, with employment flattening
out after rapid growth in the past few years,” stated
a State of Oregon Employment Department press
release.
There were some job gains in October with 440 jobs
in local education and 480 jobs in the local
government.
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In the news
Interest Rates could possibly see a decline: On
Monday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated
it is “feasible” interest rates could be lowered.
However, he also warned such an action might not
revive the weakened U.S. economy. Economists believe
the Federal Reserve’s key interest rate could be
lowered by Bernanke and his colleagues in
mid-December. “Although further reductions ... are
certainly feasible, at this point the scope for
using conventional interest rate policies to support
the economy is obviously limited,” said Bernanke. He
also stated the Fed will continue to look for
innovative ways to get through the credit crunch.
Gas Prices continue to Decline: Much to driver’s
delight oil prices have continued to decline and are
approaching four year lows. Only four months ago, a
barrel of crude oil was trading for $150 and on
Thursday was trading for $45.84 on the New York
Mercantile Exchange. The ripple effect of oil’s
decline can be felt in Middle Eastern nations as
well. Just this week Iran’s President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad announced that the shift in oil prices
will cause the government to have spending cuts.
Experts are now questioning if oil will go as low as
$40 a barrel by the end of the year.
T-Mobile phone acts as cold and flu companion: Zicam
released a program this week for T-Moblie’s G1 phone
that warns about how many people have viruses within
a zip code. The “Zicam Cold & Flu Companion” will
relate the percentage of people that are suffering
from illnesses and list the symptoms associated with
the viruses. Phone users can also check the risks in
other zip codes. The data provided to users is taken
from polls from health care providers and pharmacies
across the nation. The maker of the program, Matrixx
Initiatives Inc. stated the program will also be
made available for the iPhone soon as well. |
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Blasting to continue
at Knott Landfill
The Deschutes County Knott Landfill Recycling &
Transfer Facility has announced it will continue
blasting operations for the next 6 to 8 months to
create a new waste cell at the facility.
Drivers should be aware that Knott Road and 27th
Street might be closed during the blasting
operations.
Rock from this project is being hauled across
Rickard Road from Knott Landfill to the Rose Pit as
part of a cooperative reclamation project with the
Rose Pit mine. Drivers and cyclists using Rickard
Road near Knott Landfill are reminded to drive or
ride with care and should expect delays at times
between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Mondays through
Thursdays.
The County's goal is to minimize disruptions to the
public and to complete the project in a timely and
safe manner. If you have any questions, please call
the Deschutes County Department of Solid Waste at
317-3163.
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