(Update: Adding video, comments)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A day of new beginnings and getting down to work, for the new president and the new Bend City Council.
Councilors Wednesday evening reviewed a community survey administered by DHM Research through phone calls and and online survey of nearly 1,900 Bend residents to better understand concerns heading into the new year.
DHM President Michelle Neiss presented the findings to the council.
“This is going to be a theme in the survey, that housing and traffic are some of the top concerns your residents have right now,” Neiss said.
Results revealed affordable housing and traffic congestions as residents’ top specific concerns, followed by homelessness and hunger.
Nearly two-thirds of residents also gave an ‘A’ or ‘B’ overall grade for operation of the city, while 88% rated the quality of life as ‘excellent’ or ‘good.’ (You can find a link to the full survey results in Wednesday night’s council agenda.)
“Fairly normal for a city of your size,” Neiss said. “Once you start to get bigger, it then gets harder to have a strong majority of ‘excellent’ (ratings), because you have a greater diversity of opinion.”
The city also amended its COVID-19 state of emergency to reflect changes from the state of Oregon, extending it for another 60 days until Mar. 21.
Councilor Anthony Broadman was the lone ‘no’ vote on the extended order.
However, it was a unanimous ‘yes’ vote from the council to extend mask enforcement for another 60 days as well.
Below is the full news release from the city on extending the state of emergency:
The city of Bend has amended its COVID-19 local state of emergency to reflect changes from the state of Oregon and extended it for another 60 days. City councilors ratified the updated declaration Wednesday evening.
Gov. Kate Brown’s most recent order assigns counties with risk levels, replacing the phased reopening approach previously in place. Statewide information related to COVID-19 is at coronavirus.oregon.gov.
The city’s updated emergency order references this revised statewide approach, tying temporary policies to state-determined risk levels, rather than reopening phases. Currently, Deschutes County is in the “extreme” risk level.
A declaration of a local state of emergency allows for temporary emergency policies related to procurement practices, facility closures, employee teleworking and public meeting protocols and more. It also says:
- The City won’t shut off water for non-payment of unpaid water bills.
- Permitted special events are not allowed, with some exceptions.
- The City can allow some businesses to operate on sidewalks, parking areas or streets to provide a safer environment for customers and employees, and to stimulate the recovery and support local businesses.
- The City can continue to limit in-person meetings and livestream virtual meetings for the public.
- The City can establish or allow private or public entities to establish on public or private property certain transitional housing, with case management, during the emergency.
The City’s updated declaration remains in effect through March 21, subject to further amendments or extension at that time.
