The Bend City Council held a hybrid regular meeting on October 18, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. following a 5:00 p.m. work session. The agenda included a proclamation, public comments, consent agenda items, a public hearing on a federal housing grant, a resolution to amend the Transportation SDC project list, second readings of the Caraway Master Plan and annexation ordinances, and council reports. All votes were unanimous.
Item D – Percent for Art Program (pulled): Councilor Campbell expressed initial concern over a $110,380 contract with Art in Public Places, Inc., to manage selection and community education for art at the Public Works Campus (total art budget over $800,000). She questioned whether funds could be used for other city art or spread over time. Staff explained the city's code requires 1% of public construction costs for art, and the contract includes community education. Council approved the motion after discussion.
Go ahead and get started. Great. All right. So we will begin the business meeting of the Bend City Council. We will start with roll call. Um, start on your end, Barb Campbell. Um my name is Fark Campbell, and I prefer the pronoun she and her. Ariel Mendez, he, him, Anthony Broadman, he, him. Melanie Fiebler, she, her. Megan Perkins, she, her. Mike Riley, he him. Megan Norris, she her. And today, Councillor Riley has our land acknowledgement. Thank you, Mayor. Um the Bend City Council would like to thank the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs for offering this land acknowledgement for us to read during our meetings. We encourage everyone watching to learn about the indigenous people whose homelands we occupy. We would like to acknowledge that the beautiful land known as Bend, Oregon, north of the Columbia River is the original homelands of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The Confederated Tribes ceded this land in the Treaty of 1855 while retaining regular and customary hunting, fishing, and gathering rights. The Wanalama, Warm Springs, Wascu, Wasco, and Northern Paiute people inhabited this area in certain seasonal times that clearly established their presence. This trade route expanded the impact of commerce between tribal nations. We acknowledge and thank the original stewards of this land. It is our hope that guests continue to honor and care for this land. And I just wanted to um share one other comment, um, kind of personal on the land acknowledgement, and that today I had a chance to just spend some time outside. It was a beautiful, beautiful fall day. If anything, it was a bit on the warm side. Um just I was really reminded of the value of being outdoors and the healthy environment in order to provide um some solace and some quiet and time for reflection, especially in times that are very, very difficult. Um there's lots of controversy and turmoil in our national capital. There's a variety of things happening in the Middle East that are very difficult right now, and um it's always provided a place for me to um just get some perspective and help myself calm down and figure out kind of what the best path is forward. And um I just really wanted to acknowledge the value of that and thank um the native people who came before us and helping us leave a place um where we could still get that today. Thank you, Council Riley. All right, we will move to good of the order. We have um a domestic violence awareness month proclamation, and Cassie McQueen from Satan Grace is here with us, and Cassie, you can have have a seat in front of the mic, and I will read the proclamation. So whereas domestic violence affects every person in Deschutes County, whether as a victim or survivor, or as a family member, friend, partner, neighbor, educator, employer, or co-worker, and systemic oppression and inequity create a culture in which some communities are especially targeted for violence and experience greater barriers to access services. Now, therefore, the Bend City Council does hereby proclaim October 2023 to be domestic violence awareness month in Bend and encourages everyone to join in this observance. Move to approve. Thank you, Mayor Keebler, thank you, Council, thank you, Mr. King. I think you all know me well enough that I normally come in here and share some numbers with you. I'm not gonna do that today. I'm gonna tell you a little something that happened here in Bent. Um here at the Deschutes County Courthouse here in Bend today, we had two trained advocates and a volunteer, which is historically about three times as much as we've ever had there. Um, with a line out the door of folks from our county from our city looking for temporary restraining orders. We had two staff and a volunteer working every hour possible before that restraining order clinic opened and wasn't able to serve the need today. We had a line outside the door and we were calling in reinforcements. Um and I share a little bit of a different perspective with you today because again, we know that this is pervasive. Um we know that we are throwing resources to try to look at domestic violence to try to intervene with it to try to prevent it. Um, but it is here, it is here in our community, and it is felt it is felt by our friends, it is felt by our colleagues and our family, and it was most certainly felt here at the Deschutes County Courthouse today. So I want to thank the council for acknowledging it. I want to thank the community for supporting us, and I want to make sure we all know that this fight is far from over, that we have a lot of work to do to end domestic violence here directly in Bent. Um, and again, thank you for your support.