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November Session Recap
Jona Gómez, Deschutes Defenders - Class Member
City Council:
My visit to the City of Bend offered an invaluable look into how local government operates, evolves, and adapts to the needs of its community. During the experience, we had the rare opportunity to meet the Mayor of Bend and learn directly from city leadership about the structure and history of our local government.
One of the most interesting aspects of Bend’s political development is the significant shift that took place in 2018. Before that year, the mayor was not chosen by the public but was instead appointed by the City Council from among its members. In 2018, however, Bend voters approved a major charter change, transitioning to a system in which the mayor is elected directly by voters. This change fundamentally increased democratic participation and accountability, giving residents a clearer voice in selecting their city’s leadership. Bend uses a council-manager form of government, which divides responsibilities between elected officials and a professional administrator, the city manager. The elected City Council (6 members-Mayor Pro Tem Megan Perkins, and Councilors Megan Norris, Gina Franzosa, Steve Platt, Ariel Méndez, and Mike Riley), including the mayor (1 person- Melanie Kebler), is responsible for legislative decisions, policy direction, and representing community values. Elected officials rotate election cycles (every 2 years), hold positions for four years and there are NO term limits.
The administrative leadership, however, is handled by the City Manager (1 Person - Eric King) . Bend’s City Manager, Eric King, has held the position since 2008. A city manager serves as the professional administrator of a city, overseeing the daily operations of departments, managing the budget, and implementing the policies set by the elected City Council and mayor. While elected officials determine the city’s goals and priorities, the city manager is responsible for turning those goals into real programs, supervising department directors, coordinating services, and ensuring the city remains financially stable and efficiently run. Because the role requires specialized knowledge in public administration, finance, planning, and management, the city manager provides expert guidance that helps the council make informed decisions. Having someone in this position for an extended period is especially valuable because long-term leadership creates stability throughout changes in elected officials. A longtime city manager develops deep institutional knowledge, strong relationships with staff and community partners, and an understanding of long-term projects, many of which span a decade or more. This continuity helps the city maintain consistent standards, complete major initiatives, and avoid disruptions that can occur when leadership changes too often. In cities like Bend, where the city manager has served for nearly eighteen years, that stability supports smoother operations, strengthens organizational culture, and ensures that growth and policy implementation remain aligned with the city’s long-term vision.
In addition to meeting the mayor and city leadership, we learned about the many advisory bodies that contribute to civic decision-making in Bend. These committees, boards, and commissions play a key role in gathering community input, studying specific issues, and recommending actions to the City Council. Bend maintains a wide range of civic bodies, including the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, Bend Economic Development Advisory Board, Budget Committee, Core Area Advisory Board, Environment and Climate Committee, Housing Options Made for Everyone (HOME) Committee, Human Rights and Equity Commission, Landmarks Commission, the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Policy Board and Technical Advisory Committee, the Planning Commission, the Transportation Bond Oversight Committee, and the Urban Renewal Agency. Together, these boards represent the many layers of local governance and demonstrate how residents can participate in shaping Bend’s development. Seeing the variety of these committees helped me recognize how much of local government depends on community engagement, collaboration, and public service beyond elected office alone.
During our visit, we also learned that Bend is currently discussing an adjustment to compensation for elected officials. At present, elected compensation is tied to the Area Median Income (AMI). Council members receive the equivalent of 10% AMI ($9,770 annually), while the mayor receives 20% AMI ($19,540 annually). These levels are notably low when compared to the workload and responsibility involved. As a result, the city has been exploring a salary increase to ensure leadership positions are financially accessible to a wider and more diverse group of residents. After review by the Council Compensation Review Committee in 2023–2024, the City Council approved significant increases that will take effect after the next election cycle. Under the new model, city councilors will receive $30,000 per year, and the mayor will earn $50,000 per year, along with a proposed $3,000 annual health and wellness stipend and optional access to the city’s health insurance plan. Future adjustments will be tied to the Consumer Price Index rather than AMI. These changes are intended to make public service more accessible, acknowledge the increasing time demands placed on elected officials, and ensure that the city’s leadership reflects a wider range of community members.
Some other interesting facts include Bend’s growth in the past 5 years of over 11,000 new residents- more than the population of Sisters and Madras combined. Bend is a relatively educated city with 96% of people holding a high school diploma and 56% holding a Bachelor's degree. Bend’s median age is 40 years old and 83% of the population is non-Hispanic white, 9% Hispanic and 5% other races. About 10% of the residents live below the poverty line, the average income is $89k, and the average house costs $770k (OUTRAGEOUS! The home-value to income ratio is about 8.3 times median income).
Reflecting on this experience, I gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of municipal government. The transition to an elected mayor showed how community action can reshape political systems to become more democratic. The discussions around compensation revealed how financial accessibility influences who is able to serve, and how structural decisions can affect representation. Observing the council-manager structure highlighted the importance of professional leadership and stability within government operations. And learning about Bend’s committee system illuminated the many avenues through which residents can influence policy, share expertise, and remain engaged in civic life.
Planning
Senate Bill 100 plays a major role in how Bend approaches city planning, shaping everything from where the city can grow to how it must balance development with environmental protection. Passed in 1973, SB 100 created Oregon’s statewide land-use planning system; one of the most comprehensive in the country. It requires every city, including Bend, to adopt a local comprehensive plan that aligns with statewide planning goals and to establish an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) that contains most urban development. For Bend, this has meant that expansion cannot simply follow market pressure; the city must prove that new land is needed to accommodate projected population increases and that available land inside the UGB has been used efficiently before expanding outward. City planning in Bend is therefore deeply shaped by this framework. SB 100 emphasizes compact, orderly growth and the protection of surrounding farmland, forestland, and natural resources. Bend’s planners must show that the city can provide necessary services (water, sewer, transportation, parks, and schools) before approving new development areas. This requirement encourages efficient land use and pushes the city toward higher-density development, mixed-use zoning, and infill housing rather than low-density sprawl.
As a result, Bend has steadily shifted its zoning codes to allow more diverse housing types, walkable mixed-use districts, and transit-friendly corridors, especially in areas like the Bend Central District. The statewide goals associated with SB 100 also require coordination between land use and environmental considerations. In Bend, where water resources are limited and growth pressure is high, this means that planning decisions must account for water availability, watershed protection, and long-term sustainability. Transportation planning, energy efficiency, and climate action also tie into the city’s comprehensive plan, aligning with the idea that thoughtful urban form reduces environmental impacts. Overall, Senate Bill 100 provides the backbone for Bend’s city planning, ensuring that growth is deliberate, compact, and resource-conscious. Instead of expanding unchecked, Bend must justify every step of its growth strategy while balancing housing needs, environmental constraints, infrastructure capacity, and the long-term health of the region.
One interesting topic that also came up is that there are 34,000 new homes needed by 2045 (these can be condos, multi-family, single family etc...) which equates to over 115 of the new Jackstraw complex needed in the next 20 years.
Energy
Bend's main energy and emission goals are to reduce community-wide fossil fuel use by 40% by 2030 and 70% by 2050 in accordance with the Community Climate Action Plan. These goals are supported by initiatives focused on boosting energy efficiency, promoting renewable energy, and making the community more resilient to climate change. Key actions include upgrading city facilities, adding electric vehicles and charging stations, and expanding waste reduction and composting programs. We discussed a lot about how to mobilize the public (the carrot vs the stick) and there are currently more incentives (from the Energy Trust of Oregon, local utilities, and federal tax credits) than there are sticks (punishments) although there are talks about implementing fines to discourage the use of natural gas in new construction. We talked a lot about how mix-used real estate will create incentives for alternative forms of transportation, like walking and biking (the Greenwood project) by creating walkable neighborhoods with services like grocery and restaurants nearby. We talked briefly about the potential of geothermal energy in Bend and other forms of small action like buying local products to reduce emission.
Bend PD
The City of Bend Police Department operates with a $97 million annual budget, supported by 120 full-time sworn officers and 47 administrative staff, with approximately $70 million dedicated to salaries. The department is organized into four primary branches: Business Services, which handles budgeting, payroll, records, and evidence management; Support Services, which oversees IT systems, officer training, and internal logistics; Investigations, responsible for major crime and detective work; and Patrol, which provides frontline response throughout the city. Bend PD also makes significant use of drones or Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), particularly in high-risk or complex situations. Their usage is tightly regulated, and officers must be licensed and trained to operate them under state and federal laws. According to the Chief, the most notable trend in recent years has been a rise in violent crime, prompting the department to adopt new strategies such as Community Service Officers (CSOs) who respond to non-suspect callers to free up sworn officers for higher-risk incidents. Additionally, the partnership with Deschutes County Behavioral Health (DCBH) and the opening of the Stabilization Center have dramatically reduced the police department’s mental-health-related calls, ensuring individuals in crisis receive quicker, more appropriate care while easing the burden on patrol officers.
Fire and Rescue
Deschutes County Fire & Rescue is funded by the county through the Rural Fire Protection District rather than the City of Bend, yet it provides full fire and EMS response within city limits. Because roughly 80% of all calls are medical, all 147 firefighters are cross-trained as EMTs or paramedics, allowing the department to function as a fully integrated fire/EMS system. Bend Fire & Rescue operates six fire stations across the city and surrounding rural district, covering a large and diverse service area that includes high-density urban neighborhoods and remote rural zones. Average response times are approximately 6 minutes within Bend and 9 minutes in the surrounding county, but the department faces a significant challenge with the far eastern county boundary, where it can take nearly one hour with lights and sirens to reach the county line due to distance and limited station coverage.
The system is primarily funded through a voter approved local option levy that supports staffing, operations, equipment, and station maintenance. This funding model ensures the department can maintain 24/7 staffing and respond effectively to rising call volumes while simultaneously addressing the geographic constraints and rapid population growth shaping the region. Over the past several years, the approach to forest fire response in Central Oregon has undergone significant change as agencies adapt to longer fire seasons, more extreme weather conditions, and the increasing number of people living in the wildland. Fire response has shifted from a primarily reactive, summer-focused model to a year-round prevention strategy.
Library
In Bend (and across Deschutes County), public libraries are operated by Deschutes Public Library (DPL), a county-level library system that serves urban and rural communities. Their budget is independent of the city and county and instead they rely on voter-approved bonds and public funding. Their libraries provide a wide array of services beyond lending books including public computers and WiFi boxes, printing and copying, digital media (e-books, audiobooks, streaming), homework and research resources, community meeting and study spaces, children’s and teen programs, and Makerspace / creative-tech access. Currently, Deschutes Public Library operates six branch locations: in downtown Bend, East Bend (though that location’s lease is slated to end once Stevens Ranch opens), as well as branches in La Pine, Redmond, Sisters, and Sunriver.
Emergency Preparedness
Disaster planning in Bend is coordinated through a partnership between the City of Bend, Deschutes County Emergency Management, local fire district, and regional/state agencies to prepare for hazards such as wildfires, severe winter storms, drought, earthquakes, and flooding. The city uses an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that outlines response roles, communication protocols, and procedures for city departments during major incidents, while Deschutes County maintains a broader Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan that includes Bend and focuses on long-term risk reduction, community preparedness, evacuation strategies, and resilience planning. Because Bend is in a wildfire-prone area, planning heavily emphasizes defensible space, evacuation route coordination, public alert systems, and interagency wildfire response. The city and county also run public education and alert systems such as CO-Emergency Alerts (sign up if you haven’t!), Ready Set Go, and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) to ensure residents know how to prepare. These coordinated efforts help Bend reduce risk and strengthen its ability to respond quickly and effectively during emergencies.
Accessibility
The City of Bend has made accessibility a major priority in recent years, working to ensure that city services, public spaces, and transportation systems are usable for people of all abilities. The city maintains an ADA Transition Plan that identifies and removes barriers in sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, parks, trails, buildings, and city programs. Bend has been steadily increasing funding for ADA curb ramp upgrades and sidewalk improvements, with hundreds of ramps rebuilt each year to meet federal standards. Accessibility is also a core part of Bend’s transportation planning, such as designing roundabouts, transit stops, and pedestrian routes that accommodate mobility devices, low-vision users, and older adults. The city’s Accessibility and Inclusion Program works across departments to ensure public meetings, digital platforms, emergency communications, and city facilities are accessible, including expanded captioning, interpretation, and website accessibility upgrades. Bend also engages residents with disabilities through advisory groups and open feedback channels, ensuring that community voices directly shape decision-making. Overall, Bend’s commitment reflects a broader effort to build a city that is safe, inclusive, and navigable for everyone.
