Okay.

We are gonna get started with our Ben City Council of Business meeting.

This is the first meeting of our new schedule that we just put a press release out about today.

Um so we're starting our meeting at six p.m.

and it's just the business meeting tonight.

Um we'll start with uh roll call down on your end, customer.

Gina Franzosa, she her.

Mike Riley, he him, Melanie Keebler, she her.

Megan Perkins, she her, Hegan Norris, she her.

Steve Platt, he him.

All right, we are all here.

So we have a few items that are good in the order tonight.

We're gonna start with um an item on the middle of honor highway, and Council Platt's gonna introduce that.

Thanks very much, Mayor.

Um, it's my honor to introduce uh Lieutenant Colonel Dick Tobias, and he's uh retired from the United States Army, uh, which is I must he will tell me is the oldest service uh and the service from whence my service uh was born.

Uh and so I honor you, sir, and you're gonna tell us a little bit about the Memorial Honor Highway, a Medal of Honor Highway that you've done a great deal of work on.

Thank you, sir take it over to you.

I should call you counselor and colonel both, right?

Thank you, sir.

We're both supersonic pilots.

Yes, sir.

So the first slide, please.

So what we want to talk about is uh councillor Platt said is the National Medal of Honor Highway, which is uh the first highway named by veterans by Congress and a president.

This had never been done before.

It happens to be the longest highway in the United States, so uh when you think about it, it all started uh eight years ago in Bend.

So Bend is the hot seat of the National Medal of Honor Highway, even though uh given that we had one medal of honor recipient living here from World War II, Bob Maxwell.

So Bob was a direct next slide, please.

So Ben was uh Bob was a uh director of my Ben Heroes Foundation, and those of you who met him was like knew him as the kindest human being in terms of humility, respect, and patriotism.

He never went beyond the seventh grade.

He jumped on a hand grenade in World War II and saved his buddies.

And when I met him, he said, I I really have nothing to do, but I'd like to help.

So we did lots of things, and one of the things was a medal of honor highway.

So this whole story is about keeping a promise to somebody.

You promise somebody you're gonna do something and you've got to do it.

So the Medal of Honor is the is the highest award for valor that the military presents.

It's usually presented by a president.

Bob's case that was presented by a two-star general in Denver after the war.

So Bob was an inspiration.

He was a blessing to this community.

You you the city council did a couple of things for Bob.

We we get a proclamation naming Ben as a Medal of Honor city.

I'd have a resolution from the legislature doing the same thing.

And you declared 21 years ago, you declared Bob Maxwell Day.

And you know, you've been so easy to work with when it comes to things like that, because they're profound and they're noble and they mean something to this community.

Um Bob lived in Bend for about 50 years, and this highway passes through Bend, and it intersects with the World War II highway on 97, so up by target is where the two come together, and then they branch over uh part again at on uh Greenwood.

So Bend has the distinction of being the only in the United States, the only Medal of Honor city, the only Purple Heart City, Bob and I are Purple Heart.

Um the only flag city, the only Blue Star Gold Star family city in the United States, and no other city probably can match that.

There are only three flag cities in the United States, red ones, Redmond is one of them, and it's a place in Ohio.

So what we did, this is a three-phase program.

It started with the Oregon Medal of Honor Highway, and then I got it through all the way across the United States on Highway 20 to Boston, where I was born 90 years ago.

So I had to orchestrate that for each state, which means I have to find somebody because I don't have any resources.

I have to find somebody in each state to do that, and then I write the law for each state like Ohio, and then somebody champions it with the legislature, and then somebody raises my prep sign.

So it's it's three phases.

The final phase, of course, is the national level.

So we put up uh 12 signs across Oregon.

And uh next slide, please.

And that's Bob.

That's 1945 on the left.

It's got the medal on in there.

Um on the right, more recent years.

That's a picture hanging in the VA clinic that I had named for him by uh Senator Merkley in Congress and President Trump uh first term.

Next slide, please.

So there's Bob with Governor Brown signing the law here in Bend uh eight years ago.

I'm standing behind Bob.

The governor wanted me to sit beside him.

I said, no, this is only you and Bob.

So we did that um eight years ago.

Next, please.

And that's the map of Oregon.

There are nine highways that cross Oregon, east, west, north, south, and it's taken me 15 years to get every one of them named for veterans.

But the blue line, east-west and highway 20 is indeed the Oregon Medal of Honor Highway.

And when I wrote the law, I said, you know, this is the longest highway, and it goes all the way to Boston.

So I put it in the law that says we could envision a national highway across the United States.

I didn't know how it was going to be done.

I promised Bob I'd do it, and of course we got it done.

Next, please.

So there's Bob uh sitting in a he's actually younger than I am now in that picture, and that's at Newport.

That's the end of the highway.

And we had a marvelous ceremony there.

So you can see the three versions of the Medal of Honor under the sign.

And on the right, that's the sign that's just between Bend and Sisters at the scenic turnout.

And uh next, please.

Bob is seated there again.

Uh so to prove that I could do it, I got all those states east of Oregon to get laws passed, governors sign them, and then dedicate signs.

So we have a hundred and six signs across the United States.

And so there's Oregon, of course, on the left, and then there's Idaho, Wyoming.

Next, please.

And then Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois.

And I write the laws, and and then ODOT sends the graphics to each state, highway department, and and then we have to pay for the signs.

So we've got about 200,000 dollars in that.

Next, please.

So the Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York, and okay, next, please.

So those states collectively honor about 56% of all 3,528 Medal of Honor receptors.

There are only 61 living.

So you know, it started back in the Civil War.

So only 3,528 recipients from all 50 states.

So how would you convert 12 states into a national thing?

Would you go ask Senator Wyden?

So I met with Senator Wyden about four years ago and said, I'm gonna do this.

Will you be my partner and introduce legislation in the Senate to make it a national?

He said, absolutely.

You get the last state done, and I'll be there in seven months.

Three months later, we had a bill on the floor.

He got his bill passed in seven months.

We had to have a bill from the House side, it had to be by Cameral bipartisan.

The bills were introduced in May of 2023.

Then I got all the veterans' groups to write letters to me and say this is wonderful.

I sent them all to Congress because you have to prove that this is ported across the nation.

This is not just my idea, this is all the people endorse it.

Next, please.

So Senator Wyden's bill.

I he's just a marvelous uh his mom and dad are World War II veterans.

I've met him many times during our honor flight trips, and I'll see him the end of this month in Washington, D.C.

during when I'm going on an honor flight trip.

So the House passed their bill.

Uh they passed the Senate bill.

They passed Senator Wyden's bill by suspension of rules.

And I know that process pretty well because I used to testify to Congress for NASA and the airlines.

So President Biden signed the act on December 17th, 2024, and it was on pins and needles, because we only had a few days left in the session before it ended, and yet start all over.

So we got it passed a week before Christmas, and the session ends.

So there's the act signed by President Biden in Congress by Speaker Mike Johnson and the acting uh president of the Senate Pro Tem uh Patty Murray.

So I I had to go back and get that in Washington during uh March 25th, what's his national medal of honor day?

So while I was there, I had to brief 300 people, including 20 Medal of Honor recipients.

How did I do it and why did I do it?

And uh it was a marvelous because I I've met, I guess, 15 Medal of Honor recipients, so I I met uh four or five more that I hadn't met before.

So that's the first coast to coast highway name for veterans uh of any kind in the history of the United States, and and it's signed by Congress and president, so that's pretty neat.

Next, please.

So that's the act, and uh I had duplicates of it made, so I can put one in in the the high school because I got that new building made for Bob named for Bob, and I got him a high school diploma, so that's gonna go in the new veterans uh uh display there.

So that's the act.

Um that'll go there in the high school.

Next, please.

So that's the map of the highway.

You've been waiting for that map for a while.

So that's the 12 states in blue, and collectively, you know the less than 60 percent of all Medal of Honor recipients were uh accredited to those states.

So by getting that law passed, now we take care of all 100 percent and all from all 50 states.

Um it's it's it's been a great experience for me personally because I kept my promise to Bob.

And I I knew it could be done.

I never had a doubt because our society loves veterans.

And medal of honor recipients are are fairly popular these days because you turn on the TV set and there's a president putting the medal of honor on around somebody.

And so it's it's pretty well known.

So now we'll have we'll have the uh so we have state laws, right?

That says Indiana Medal of Honor.

Now we have a federal law.

So what are you gonna do about that?

Next slide, please.

So see if there's another slide.

Oh, no, keep going the other way.

Okay, so there's there's the state law, Oregon House Bill 2100 implemented on the left with 12 Oregon Medal of Honor Highway signs, and there on the right is the National Medal of Honor Highway.

Well, I'd go do that magic.

I took the word Oregon off and put mash national on there.

So uh we have six National Medal of Honor Highway signs in Oregon, one on each side of Bend.

They gotta do that, and then the rest are scattered across Oregon, and then I have six Oregon Medal of Honor Highway signs.

Now let's go back one.

So we're gonna dedicate this highway next year during the 250th anniversary of the United States, and we want to do it June 4th through 14th.

So there's a reason for that.

July 4th is just gonna be too busy, you're not gonna probably uh a lot of traffic and a lot of things going on, a lot of distractions.

So we're gonna ride motorcycles across the United States.

We're gonna start in the USS Constitution, bring the bell, shoot the can, and get off at Kentmore Square, a mile from the hospital I was born, and then uh we're gonna cross the United States.

So uh I'll pick them up at the Idaho Oregon line and lead them across, and then we'll do photo ops and things like that.

So we'll be here June 13th, is what the current thinking is.

So I'd I'd like to have us do this first class like we've always done.

I'd like to have I'd like to have you designate Councillor Platt to help me organize what we do in Ben.

I think we could do something like a proclamation, meet and greet uh someplace.

I have no idea how big the group would be.

And it would present coins.

Um then we'll have a ceremony at OSU because in Corballus, because we have two Medal of Honor recipients uh from there, one from World War One and one from Vietnam, uh, who was killed in Vietnam.

So anybody here at OSU?

You know what the union is built by uh Edward Alworth, the uh World War One Medal of Honor Recipient, he built it, managed it for 35 years.

We'll finish at Newport on the 14th, which is the Army's 251st birthday and flag day.

And so trying to tie these things into history.

Okay, next, please.

So those are the and that's the coin.

Um if we get this all done, you'll get coins next year.

Okay.

So that's the coin I designed, and it's got the map, and it's got the familiar verbiage that you see in metal bond recipients for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity.

And most people don't know what that means, it means being fearless.

Yet the risk of life is going beyond the call of duty.

So if a metal bond recipient didn't throw themselves on a hand grenade or were willing to sacrifice themselves for that, you'd never be criticized for not doing it.

It's always above and beyond the call of duty.

You're willing to do something that uh the normal human being would be the psychologists have no idea how people do this.

So on the edge of that coin, it says Ben de Heroes Foundation.

So, next, please.

And I want to thank you for this opportunity to chat with you about this.

It started here in Ben, so we're gonna finish it with a get the army to get some tanks out of F-15s or something.

Yeah, he's an F-16 driver, so I flew away to F-8s.

Thank you very much for taking the time.

Thank you very much.

Yeah, photo you think.

We he would love if we would take a photo of council with him and the law that we helped.

So if we just want to stand up here real quick.

Thank you.

You go in the middle there and hold it.

Oh, okay.

I went to the Medal of Honor Museum and Portland earlier this year.

I don't know the museum over at the end.

Thank you.

Okay.

One, two, three.

Okay.

Gotcha.

All right.

Thank you.

Thanks for thank you.

Certainly, yes.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um, so our next item under the order is going to be the proclamation for welcoming week, which council Riley is going to read.

Thanks, Mayor.

Um, and Sonia Capesa, you're going to come and read it in Spanish for us, right when I'm done.

Okay.

Yeah.

Um, as residents of Ben, we share stewardship of land, public spaces, and the responsibility of shaping a culture that is welcoming to all.

Whether recently arrived or born and raised, this is our home, and our stories of arrival, healing, and joy are woven into the ever-changing identity of Bend in Central Oregon.

Since the start of this year, many in our community have been experiencing uncertainty and fear stemming from the federal transition and changes to immigration policy and enforcement.

We've seen escalation by federal agents in the form of increased immigration enforcement designed to instill fear and disrupt our schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces, hurting Ben families, children, friends, and coworkers.

For many in Benn, this is not new, though the intensity and violence of these actions are cause for new concern.

These and other acts that are systemic expressions of hate, discrimination, and bigotry continue to push the community members.

Um continue to push community members into further isolation.

Welcoming week this year from September 12th to 21st is the one is one way that the city of Benn partners with community organizations to celebrate impacted members of our community, specifically our immigrant, migrant, and refugee neighbours who pay significant who play significant roles in enriching our local economy, culture, and social fabric.

This year's theme, Stories We Share, reminds us that listening to one another's lived experience builds connection and trust and creates opportunities for everyone to thrive.

Our commitment during Welcoming Week and Beyond is to move past symbolic inclusion by creating and changing systems and processes within the city to include and value immigrants, migrants, refugees, and community members who've been marginalized by fear, discrimination, and institutional barriers.

We move towards tangible actions that serve those most vulnerable in our community.

In 2017, the Latino Latino Community Association's advocacy led the city of Bend and the Bend City Council to designate Bend as a welcoming city.

Subsequent city councils have upheld this pledge with community members and partners committing to it too.

Bend's continuous learning and welcoming serves as both a celebration and reminder that the work is ongoing.

Therefore, we, the city council and mayor of the city of Bend proclaim September 12th through 21st, 2025 as welcoming week.

Proclamation de la semana de Bienvenida.

Este is nuestra historia de sanation and allegria se entrelazan con la identità simples of Bend and the Central Oregon.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Sonny.

And then I think yourself and Priscilla Cayeros and Agatha Venture, the three of you gonna come up and say a few words if you had something you want to prepare, and then we usually do photographs.

Do you want to do the motion?

I'll second that.

All right, motion by Council Princess, second by Council Perkins, all those in favor.

I agree.

So Sonica Peche with Neighbor Impact, but also I am as a community member, a resident and immigrant, I am I have called Ben my home for the last ten years.

And I am one of the partners of Semana Bienvenida, welcoming week, and I just want to thank the council and the mayor for renewing the commitment to making Ben the place for all.

And I've lived in Ben for seven years.

And I've uh we've part the environmental center has participated in Welcoming Week for several years now.

And I words are great.

Um but I also feel like um there are actions can take to um really follow what these words on these papers say.

Um and I'm excited to organize a Latino Heritage Community event um in October for the Latino community.

Um and I invite you all to participate to uplift uh Latino Latine Latinx culture in Central Oregon.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Agatha, did you have anything on?

I wasn't going to, but I was inspired.

Uh so thank you all again.

Um, this is my first welcoming week, and I have been feeling like Bend has felt more like a community than places that I've known a lot of people.

And so I am grateful to be a part of it and to um advocate for those as a part of the Latino community myself and immigrant myself, um, and now supporting uh the Hispanic community and business owners in that community.

I really want to give them resources that I feel will give them the tools they need, but in this current climate, I'm feeling a bit of a barrier in that and sort of what to do, where to go, exactly what to say.

Um, and so I'm hoping the city could be a partner in giving those um concrete resources and opportunities for people that may face more scrutiny or more barriers in the coming times.

Thank you.

Okay.

All right, one, two, three.

Okay.

Thanks, Ricky.

Yeah, thanks so much for coming.

Okay.

Yes.

Okay, and then our last proclamation tonight is for Constitution Week, and I'm gonna read this one.

Okay.

And the Constitution promises essential civil liberties for all, including freedom of speech, freedom to peacefully protest, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right of every person living on American soil to be free from unreasonable search and seizure and to receive due process of law.

And this guiding document is a critical tool to preserving the democracy that our country was founded to realize.

And September 17th, 2025 marks the 238th anniversary of the framing of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention.

And it is fitting and proper to accord official recognition to this magnificent document and its memorable anniversary into the patriotic celebrations, which will commemorate and defend its principles.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the week of September 17 through 23, 2025, is hereby designated to be Constitution Week in the city of Bend.

All residents are urged to study and reaffirm the ideals of framers of the Constitution had in 1787 by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through this founding document written by and for the people of the United States of America.

Move acceptance of the proclamation.

The second all right, moved by Council Riley, seconded by Councillor Norse.

All those in favor.

If you want to speak first.

Yeah, sorry.

That's how we usually do it.

Is that on?

Yep, you're good.

Is that the same proclamation that you emailed me?

It should be, yes.

Unless there was a change that it looked like it sounded like there are things that I didn't remember being in there.

It should be the same one.

Okay.

Yep.

Okay, thank you.

In 1787, no country in the world had ever allowed its citizens to select their own form of government.

What was revolutionary when it was written and what continues to inspire the world today is that the Constitution put governance into the hands of the people.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution urges all Americans to reflect on the United States Constitution during this month's annual observance and celebrations.

The celebration's goals are threefold.

To encourage the study of the historical events that led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787.

To remind the public that the Constitution is the basis of America's great heritage and the foundation for its way of life, and to emphasize the U.S.

citizens' responsibility to protect, defend, and preserve the U.S.

Constitution.

This year, the Bend National Society Daughters at the American Revolution would like to invite citizens to join us at three events.

We meet down at in front of the Deschutes Public Library on Wednesday, September 17th at 1230, where we ring the bells at one o'clock.

The church bells will be ringing, and this is what people do all the way across the country at the exact same time.

As the church bells of Philadelphia rang out when the U.S.

Constitution was first signed at 4 p.m.

Eastern Standard Time on September 17th, 1787.

And then after that Saturday, September 20th at 1030, we'll have a free constitution class, uh downtown Bend Public Library.

And Tuesday, September 23rd at noon, we have a free constitution class at the Redmond Public Library.

So thank you, Mayor Keebler and Bend City Councilors for the recognition of this nationally and federally recognized holiday.

The 17th through the 23rd of September.

Thank you.

I have a little poster for you, Mayor.

Oh, great.

Come on down.

Okay.

I don't know if you want it.

Is it just the president?

Oh really.

One.

Okay, we can get it a little more.

Okay.

One, two, three.

Okay.

All right.

What else said?

Okay.

Thank you.

Okay.

So that will conclude good of the order for us tonight.

So we will move into council action and reports.

Are there any subcommittee updates?

No, we'll have both the stewardship and community building subcommittees scheduled for October.

So there'll be intermeeting meetings between now and then, so I'll share the agendas for those subcommittees at a later time.

Just to note that we are in the process of really phasing out the subcommittees at the end of the year, and then we'll fold the content into the work sessions beginning in January.

Great.

Okay.

The next topic is the letters.

There's a couple, but I'm gonna fold those into just my report out.

There are not any appointments.

Um so we'll go to the council reports.

I'll start on your ends, Councilor.

But thank you, Mayor.

Um it was my honor to uh attend along with you uh the housing options made for everyone uh and the inaugural committee event, uh, which is our uh attempt to look across the spectrum at ways that we can accelerate housing production here uh in our town.

We're already doing a good job.

We need to do we need to do better, and this is the committee that's gonna help us uh come up with options both in the short term uh and the medium term.

So it was my honor to attend that.

Uh also Council Riley and I had the opportunity to go uh and uh visit a number of places on 2nd Street uh over the last couple of weeks.

Um, one of which was the Lighthouse Navigation Center that we uh were able to tour and see the really really amazing work that they're doing in that facility.

Um to me was some of the changes that they've done recently where they have a commercial kitchen there, they have the shower facilities, they have the laundry facilities.

It's really impressive the services that they're able to provide there, the wraparound services for uh some of the neediest members of our community.

Um so truly impressed with uh what that team is doing, uh particularly with the budget that they have on hand.

Uh and then uh last it was uh my honor also to go uh climb around Hayden Holmes amphitheater a little bit over the last couple of weeks.

We've gotten some sound uh uh complaints and I learned a lot about what they're trying to do to control that um and also respond uh to community concerns about uh the no the noise during concert season.

So I was really um really thankful to have the opportunity.

And Marnie was a great host and her team there, so thanks for that opportunity.

That's it for me.

Oh, and I should say it's first day of school.

It was great to meet some of my students today.

So please drive safely.

Thank you.

Council Norris.

Um I just have one uh the economic development um session in Vest Bend.

We had a session three.

Um, and it was just great to see all our staff did a great job preparing for the event and uh bringing all our leaders in our various sectors throughout the city together.

Um, and just really impressed, and just some leading sectors, just so we all know as biotech, craft beer, retail and restaurants, and healthcare.

And um, we talked a lot about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities.

Um I just thought that was really amazing that you know, unanimously all the various sectors really um you know appreciated Ben and the spirit of collaboration amongst uh all the sectors and cross sectors, and then really just um the acknowledgement that we're doing a lot of great work here and we're setting the example across the state, and so I'm really proud of that and look forward to seeing what this group does and the result of it and outcome.

Great, Council Perkins.

Yeah, it's been um kudos to um the incredible staff for all the work that they've been doing on economic development strategy and investment.

Um things are uh it's been a really thorough, robust process and a very quick process, and um I think it's gonna be um a real game changer for our city.

Um I attended the human rights and equity commission meeting, but we're about to talk about that, so I'm gonna skip that tonight if that's okay.

Um we had a great virtual meeting um last week.

Um we uh also attended the coordinated house less response office um meeting, which was um a little bit of a little bit of a last minute pivot, being that there was we have the the city councilor from sister is on the board and they were having their emergency fire meeting that night.

Um but we we pivoted to a virtual meeting as well, and um what we're trying to kind of figure out right now is we were we're allocated a million dollars um for Deschutes County for um for this work, this regional work.

Um we have you know a percentage of it left.

How do we want to prioritize it?

What kinds of do we want to want it to kind of focus on one thing and try and make a big impact on that?

Do we want to focus on um doing emergencies um that come up and kind of fill gaps?

And so that that can that um conversation is going to continue.

And the other thing that we really start talking about is like what are some ways to kind of to to do some more resource development so that we can not necessarily do this work in place of service providers, but as as elected officials largely on this board, how we can start to kind of help build these partnerships and make these connections in each of our in each of our communities.

And then last to say if you see a smile on my face, it's because school started today, but just wanted to remind everyone that please um please know that there are a lot of kiddos that are walking or biking to school every day and just want to reiterate the important work that things like safe rides to schools do so that we can all get to school safely every day because that's that's the most important thing and I hope everyone has a great school year.

Thank you.

I'm gonna go ahead and just jump in right off of that because that segues right into talking about transportation and what the legislature is doing with transportation.

So the saga of last week was waiting for two hours on Zoom on Monday, not getting called hanging around Friday hoping to there would be a hearing there was not a hearing and I ended up driving to Salem on Sunday to go to the hearing and testify in favor of the necessary but short term fix of the current transportation package.

The um the room is packed people were there to weigh in and then it did pass out of the House but now is waiting in the Senate and there is one senator who is ill and that is holding up the vote.

So they have rescheduled that vote for September 17th.

In the meantime the governor has said on relying on the senators of both parties in the Senate that this bill is going to pass has pushed off the ODOT layoffs that were pending.

So still more to come on that unfortunately I don't think we're gonna have full information when we thought we would on this so we're gonna have to pivot a little bit on that but um we did weigh in on both the importance of doing this now to make sure that our roads are plowed and paved and safe for our community and that we keep moving forward on things like transit and other necessary things but also that there needs to be a bigger conversation statewide about how to fund transportation and make sure we're meeting people's needs and including cities and counties in that conversation.

So we will see how that develops there was also prior to that a legislative town hall with our three local legislators at the state level that was really well attended concerns about that package came up but really running the gamut of concerns from folks and tying in with our welcoming week concerns with folks about how do we protect people from overreach from the federal government and targeting that's happening right now and some words from our legislators on how they they hope to continue to provide those as much resources as possible knowing that they can't ultimately block the federal government from enforcing federal laws.

But I will point out and since we had both Constitution week and welcoming week there have been some key rulings from courts across this nation about overreach that things that are done by the federal government or the president are not necessarily automatically constitutional.

And so our courts are still holding in check and saying you can't do things like send the military into cities without a a reason to do that and other things and you can't deport people under an old act that doesn't make sense and doesn't apply anymore.

So we will see how that continues to develop but that is a community concern that definitely came out.

Had a couple of meetings with um BPRD board folks county commission folks the home meeting that councillor Platt mentioned a good productive meeting with the rural fire district about the future of funding there and sort of what's going on thinking about moving forward with how we fund both of our needs rural and urban and then I also had the first meeting of the Deschutes or the district mapping advisory committee for Deschutes County and actually there's actually an op ed in this paper today that I wrote about that experience and just some questions that I think the community can help us answer about that process and just want to make sure people are paying attention drawing those maps is going to have a big impact on how our county commission works and so folks do need to weigh in.

And then finally just today I just wanted to highlight um actually did an interview with a local reporter talking about the Barry Washington Memorial actually has moved quite along and we're getting very close to being able to have a dedication ceremony I wanted to call out staff Kathy isn't here but who has been working really tirelessly in keeping this ball moving to make sure that this happens for the community and first and foremost for the family of the victim.

So I think um I think we're really close I can't give a date but we're working on putting that together and hopefully we'll have a really great dedication ceremony for the community and I think people can expect to be hearing more about that coming up in the in the next month or so.

And I will pass it to you.

Council really as counselor Platt mentioned I've spent some time the last couple of weeks just um getting to understand what's going on kind of around the call members and second street um with the Platehouse and some of the nearby businesses and some discussions with a couple folks in the police department just kind of better understand the lay of the land and appreciate everybody's time that's made time to do that and just reached out to us.

Um I want to just extend a really big thanks.

I was very impressed as Councillor Platt was with the team at the Lighthouse and just all the work that they do for our community and for serving the houseless folks that you know need a pay place to be that's a little barrier shelter on a regular basis and providing meals there and seeing the all the great service that they're providing and just to really appreciate their dedication to serving that community.

And I want to thank Joe, who's one of the residents there who came and just introduced himself to us and made a point of saying hello when we were there.

Just really appreciated them reaching out.

Um and then um as as others have said, I participated also in some of the investbend folks groups.

Um don't need to repeat much, but I wanted to thank Dwayne Judd.

He organized one of the two events that happened last week on Thursday that did include some um uh BIPOC business owners, and I know that the city's gonna be doing more work to reach out to that part of our community to get their input on the um invest bend strategy.

So I just appreciate Dwayne's efforts that day and looking forward to more of that input as we go forward.

That's what I have.

Okay, that's Mendis.

Yeah, um, just I had the opportunity this afternoon to follow up on uh one of council goals this biennium is to develop 15 additional safe parking spaces for a total of 51 spaces, and I joined one of our uh service providers that operates safe parking um programs this afternoon to talk to adjacent businesses about their concerns and their questions about how these work, and um it was a pretty positive experience.

Um I think there's some concern uh among residents when something like this comes up, it's maybe unfamiliar to them.

So this was a good opportunity for me to hear firsthand what kinds of concerns and questions they have.

Um, but these are basically safe legal places for people to uh spend the night in a vehicle, and um they come with rules and they come with um security, and um answering people's questions about that is I think an important part of making these projects successful.

Um nothing else to report.

Um on October 21st, I attended the core area advisory board meeting um with uh councillor Riley and CAB adopted their work plan um for the next two years and set some goals um to spur development to generate TIFF revenue.

Um the work plan came as a result of the chair and the vice chair of CAB spending quite a bit of time going around talking to stakeholders in the community um and even folks around the region experts around the region.

So um it was I think it was a pretty um big lift and an important contribution for CABS work.

So um I think I think that work plan would be really great to have presented to Burra.

Um I haven't mentioned this to the city manager or to Jonathan yet, but I am now and I because I think there's just a lot of really good information in there that we don't um that BURA and and city council doesn't hear um uh as much as those of us who attend those meetings.

So I think it's I think it's worth the press to hear that.

One key takeaway that they said though um is that you know, really to get the tax increment going, you have to spur private developers.

Um and so to get the private developers, the community really needs um some clarity on things like the Franklin Project, the Hawthorne Corridor, and the city's plans on the land that it owns in the core area, and so those are all items that are coming before us in the next couple weeks.

So um just wanted to underscore the importance um of our actions on on those topics.

Um on October, or sorry, on August 28th, also with Councillor Riley.

I attended the round table that Dwayne Judd hosted for small and BIPOC businesses.

Um what I took away from that is that there is keen interest from the community to ensure that Invest Bend is equitable, inclusive, um, and successful.

Um so I really want to thank those folks who attended that round table, and I'm excited for the update on Invest Bend, which is scheduled for October 15th, I see.

Um, and lastly, I'll just mention I met with um someone in the community who organizes cleanups of homeless camps on the Forest Service Land in the China Hat area.

Um there's another cleanup on uh September 13th, it's you know, all volunteer run.

Um, and you know, out of that conversation, I I I think that just kind of ties with a lot of the conversations that we're all having with folks in the community about the importance of um of really kind of coming together and unifying around how to um address homelessness and how people transition out of homelessness.

So um, and it kind of inspired me to send the city manager a few topics that I hope we can discuss in our next business meeting.

I think it's in two weeks.

Um, we'll be talking about the TSSA um and some other things, and then also we have a meeting with the county commission on September 29th.

So um, yeah, I'll leave it at that.

Thank you.

Okay, great.

There was one thing I forgot that was one of the letters that I actually just emailed out to council today was just um uh a pretty major housing package at the federal level that the U.S.

Conference of Mayors is asking us to support, and it really at this point is just sending an email to our delegation just saying maybe we support this.

Let's let's get it moved forward.

But um pretty actually significant work in that bill that could be very helpful for our housing work.

So I just wanted to make sure that the council was okay, and I will send those emails if we're all okay with that.

Okay, yeah.

Okay.

That will move us on to our visitors section.

Um our one online speaker is no longer online and dropped off in our one um in-person speaker.

We have emailed with him earlier today.

I chatted with him, and he took off to enjoy his night.

So we have no visitor section tonight.

Um, and that will move us on to the consent agenda.

I moved to approve the consent agenda.

So I did have one question, just uh we were gonna talk about the the HPAC.

Sure.

Yeah.

Do you want to pull that?

Yes, if we're gonna do it.

Okay, so yes, consent agenda minus item A.

Yes.

I move to approve the consent agenda minus item A.

Second.

Okay.

Uh moved by Councillor Norris, second by council Riley, all in favor.

All right, let's discuss item A.

Council is asked to authorize a contract, temperate mechanical LLC to replace HVAC equipment and nine different bend fire and rescue buildings in the police department building in an amount not to exceed 799,356 dollars.

Good evening.

Good evening, Matt.

So the real estate department specific question you want me to just kind of yes.

Can you tell me uh when you went through and and did this uh reevaluation to replace these HVAC systems?

Um what type of power system were we able to use or heating system were we able to use?

Um so I have Gary Kay and Trish and Chief Colling back here to kind of provide some insights.

So in 2018, we originally did a study with our current sort of um property management facility management company that helps us facilitate that.

They help look at those fire buildings.

All these buildings have reached the kind of the 20-year life of equipment is coming to the end.

In 2024, we did do a uh we actually got a grant and do analysis with the Oregon Energy Trust that kind of came in and said, How can we improve these facilities?

Their recommendation at the time was the best thing you can do is replace a one-to-one and just make sure it's upgraded to its thing.

So we didn't look any further at possibly retrofitting, so we didn't go to that extra step of what would we need to do to convert some of these gas furnace or anything to electric.

That would be an additional cost.

So as we did the budget, we didn't even factor that in to go look at that based on that analysis.

So I don't have exact what we did, but that was sort of we took that in 2024 and said, okay, our best approach is place what we have, get some instrumental life out of these buildings and kind of go forward with that.

But that's something we can look at in the future.

It obviously costs a few more dollars to bring in the mechanical engineering and actually revisit the entire system.

But if that's something council can't and I think also, Eric, you looked as the power requirements for that too, right?

Is a significant um upgrade in the power that we would need to those facilities.

It was beyond just replacing a unit, it would be a significant infrastructure investment.

And I think that's where Matt is saying is the cost was just became pretty high.

And I guess the reason I wanted to bring this up, and and I appreciate the the time to do that, is because it is hard to change existing facilities off of uh off of a natural gas uh furnace and to and to put a uh heat pump in.

And this is gonna be part of a larger conversation that we're gonna have when we go through when we talk about an electrification uh strategy, and it is just a huge lift um to do that to existing facilities, and we're seeing this as an example right now.

So I understand why we're doing a one-to-one uh replacement here, but I want to bring this up because it's something we're gonna have to talk about, and it's hard to do.

And so, in my mind, looking towards the new things that we're gonna do is really important that we keep our eye on the ball.

But thank you, Matt.

Yeah, and then I think to that point, like our new public works facilities, all electric, right?

So it was much easier to build, you know, with that in mind, uh, so that we could put the necessary infrastructure.

The retro is especially with these buildings, it was just a little bit hard.

And we got other lists, so upgrading windows, lights, etc.

So we've done a lot of that over the years.

This is kind of the last bit, and that's why when police of fire we've both reached that epicenter, we were like bring it all together under one contract.

So we are able to get some reduction price by doing all together.

Okay.

Once you pick a heating system, it's baked in for the life of that hill, and is really what we're saying.

We're about 12, 15 up to 20 years, yes.

That's true.

Thank you.

No further questions.

Actually, can I I just have one question?

My typical bid, I mean, I love the low bid, right?

But it's uh $300,000 less than the next lowest bid, which is nearly 40% difference.

So is there any kind of due diligence done and analyzing the bids to make sure that you know they're really apples to apples, that the process was entirely fair and uh yes.

So each time we go through with our recruitment process in this regard, so Garrett AR facilities project manager goes through all those bids.

We analyze it against our past ones that we've done.

Um temperature has as consistently performed for the city in the past, so we think they are able to accurately portray what those costs are.

Um they are also in the past have been our on call.

So we think they probably what their costing is, they were already anticipating and understood what sort of the demands are for these equipment and facilities.

So we pay attention to that.

Yes, look at that.

And the bid documents are detailed, so you're definitely getting apples to apples.

Yeah, and each one of those broke down the building, its existing facility, and what we're looking for as we go through it.

So it's very much programmed out.

We do bake in a little bit of contingency based on does that mean it's replacing HVAC system last year, prices tend to fluctuate.

Was that because they were mostly equipment and materials coming from overseas?

So we do have to bake that in.

So we are factoring that in.

We we have enough room in our budget that we budgeted that we can accept that lower bid and still have some left for contingency.

But yes, we go through the bid documents.

So they're specifically supposed to address the equipment that we're asking for for this facilities to meet the needs of the square footage and the demand of the units throughout the time.

Um and the police ones are quite substantial, that's why that one was almost as much.

And that has gone up almost double in the last two years when we first looked at this.

Okay, thanks.

I moved to approve item A.

Is that how it's gonna read the whole thing?

Okay, so uh I moved to authorize the contract with temp right yes, mechanical LLC to replace HVAC equipment in nine different band fire and rescue buildings and the police department building in an amount not to exceed 799,356.

Second.

All right, moved by council cloud, second by council Mendez.

All in favor.

All right, thank you, Matt.

All right, so that will bring us to item five.

Council is asked to approve the human rights and equity commission work plan.

All right.

Let's get our folks up here.

Thank you.

Uh good evening, Mayor Council.

Um, as you know, I'm Andres Portela Equity Inclusion Director for the City of Bend.

I'm gonna get my presentation up, and while I do that, I kind of just want to lay a little bit of groundwork um and talk about and kind of set the stage for what we're gonna talk about, which is Atrex work plan.

But uh I want to start from a moment that was honestly a gut punch to the work that we do in A-TREC.

Um, but I'm not gonna talk about the gut punch, which was 2023, in which targeted hate and violence came to HTREC, and we heard um ultimate violence against the folks who are on HREC, but I'm gonna talk about the folks who are right before that, uh, which are two kids and their parent.

Um we had uh two youth from our community talk about the importance of being of HTREC being a body.

Um they talked about the need to continue this work, and they talked about um how it made them feel to be able to pop up at an A-TREC meeting on a wins, a random Wednesday.

And then John Halen, who's on COVAC, and I don't think he would mind me saying this, uh, got up there and just was like, this work is needed.

Um, and I think everyone felt really good.

Um then the opposite happened where we all felt uh pretty crummy.

But I start off with that to really say um the work uh the work that Atrech does as an equity and inclusion director, um, ultimately solidifies the importance of the work itself, but also the the the connection to community.

It's moments like the when those two kids came in that really reflect um the bridge, which is the work that ATREC does.

Um it ensures that city policies reflect our lived experience, uh the needs and the aspirations of all of our community, but it also builds that trust.

It also sharpens our engagement tools, and it develops policy literacy by our uh commissioners, but also our community.

And tonight's uh presentation will talk about the the work that we've put in over the last year and a half to really hone in on their on uh what e-trek can do and be as effective as possible.

This work ties directly into council's goals over accessible and effective government, um, but it also clarifies the role of advisory um uh advisory role to council to embed equity within our decision making.

Um I'm gonna be honest about this though.

Um the risk of of failing the folks, uh the commission, the commissioners, um is a fragmented feedback process, uh missed opportunities for trust and decision making and decisions that uh can ultimately widen inequities with A-Treck.

With HREC, um, we are working to embed equity uh at the start and make sure that community voices are at the beginning of processes.

Um this work plan uh really drills in on how do we do that.

Um tonight I'll be co-presenting with Chair Ventura and Commissioner Kovitz.

Uh together we'll talk about the accomplishments, the work plan, and then ways for council to partner with us, and so we'll ask for some direction.

And with that, I will give you the overview slide just so we're aware of everything that I just said.

HREC will give an overview of what HREC is, we'll talk about those accomplishments, we'll talk about the 2025-2026 work plan, we'll talk about council goals and get some direction on work plan priorities.

We'll talk about uh the connections to council goals, and that's gonna be extremely important.

That way there's no uh lack of clarity on what we're doing and why we're doing it.

Um, but then also uh we did it with the proclamation.

We're going to ask for some clarity.

Um, we're gonna ask for you to show up on welcoming week uh with all the events.

Um what I want you to reflect on as I as we go through these things are how do we want HREC to manage up to council?

Uh is it through measures, is it structured reporting, uh, is it uh partnership on our focus areas and what would be the best way to support these priority areas.

With that, I will turn over to my chair.

Thank you, Andreas, and good evening, Mayor and Council.

This is Agatha Ventura, she her pronouns, the current HREC chair.

And I want to thank, I want to begin by thanking our council liaison, Mayor Potem Perkins, and recognizing our commissioners.

Their dedication makes this work possible, and I often like to highlight that they represent a wide breadth of experiences, both lived and learned, and provide really valuable input.

Unlike other commissions, HREC must know the intricacies of all city work, and we're learning.

We receive presentations on water, economic development, budgets, equity, and a lot more.

And from these discussions, we have distilled four focus areas advisory, engagement, education, and awareness, and policy advocacy.

But our meetings are not only business as usual, they tend to go deeper.

For example, we recently discussed the fears facing migrants and refugees in Bend, as has come up a couple times tonight.

And some commissioners could not fully participate in some uh some conversations because of concerns around immigration status.

That conversation revealed the cost of exclusion, but also underscored the importance of HREC and being able to hold that space.

Our feedback led to the refinement of the city's immigration webpage, making resources clearer and more accessible.

And this is what happens when HREC serves as a conduit for lived experiences to inform the city's actions and decisions.

Good evening, Mayor and Councillors, Jen Covitz.

Um, I am also an immigrant, and I use she, her pronouns.

Uh so the city or HREC has uh many visual visible accomplishments.

Cityfest, welcoming week, housing presentations, target sector analyses, stipend programs, and um most recently letters to council that are producing tangible outcomes.

And these outcomes include intentional proclamations, state-level affordable housing funding, and considerations in the camping code.

But HRAC's impact goes beyond what is visible or easily measurable.

HREC, as Agatha mentioned, creates consistent spaces for dialogue, spaces where community members, staff, counselors, and commissioners can meet as partners.

And we're really honing our muscles in these spaces together around, as Andreas mentioned, policy literacy, coalition building, difficult conversations, and connecting equity principles to both city initiatives and to your council goals.

This work is so important, but as we learn every meeting, it does not follow an easy schedule or a process.

Because HREC commissioners benefit from a nuanced understanding of business and policies across the city, it takes time and we understand staff resources to build that fluency amongst us commissioners so that we can in turn make recommendations to you equitably.

Like other anti-racist and social equity initiatives more broadly, HTREC business often resists easy resolutions and sometimes spurs defensiveness and other complicated reactions among participants.

And as a result, the work that we're doing together with council staff and the community takes patience and grace, but it also ensures that our outcomes are rooted in both care and courage.

One of the things we hope that you'll reflect on tonight, and as you can continue to consider this commission's work is where and how have you, as counselors, already seen HRAC's influence show up in your own work.

Thank you, Jen.

Over the past year and with support from staff, we have been learning when to reply all and when not to, and have our core focus areas around advisory, which circles in on providing structured guidance to council, community engagement, which uh is around facilitating two-way communication between community and council, education and awareness, supporting welcoming week and heritage month recognition and other cultural uh ways to connect, and policy advocacy advancing council aligned initiatives such as water housing and electrification, which involves our full community.

Um all of this work directly aligns with accessible and effective government.

Specifically, I'll talk about the AIM equity tool in just a few seconds and how HREC connects to that.

Um, some of our guiding principles around partnership, engaging with uh engagement and education, uh, public safety, transportation and infrastructure, while also focusing on safety and belonging.

Um but we'd like to understand better from from y'all.

Uh, where do you see ATREC adding the most values while advancing council goals?

Um thing that got really hard through this whole this whole process of creating a new work plan for HREC was the incongruency between both policy uh in their charter while also thinking about how do we adjust and go to go towards community needs.

And so as you start to think about this, um, how can ATREC provide the best counsel to you and add value to advancing the council goals?

Um I will fast forward us to outcomes.

I think one thing that came up pretty uh consistent during council goal process was how are we quantifying this?

Um I think our outcome, our biggest outcome for A-Treck is transformative governance.

Um, it's focused on how do we embed equity on how we govern and not making it an afterthought, um, but intentionally uh from the beginning.

Something we've heard uh with every iteration uh of this work plan is uh how are you gonna do that and what are you gonna do to back it up?

And I think we've we've come out with that for policy.

It's looking at the ATREC partnership with the AIM equity tool and doing that by quarter one of 2026, and then also continuing the work with uh consistent memos to council.

Um it's additionally thinking about how do we do engagement and thinking about is it written annual reports or thinking about how do we create um structured feedback loops with community?

It's education, doing direct connection around welcoming week and heritage um partnerships, heritage month partnerships, but again, um this is an explicit ask.

Which of the outcomes do you most want ATREC to report back on and in what format?

Without these outcomes, we risk uh falling back into a fragmented engagement approach and missed opportunities around embedding equity within policy.

Um I'm gonna show you how we're gonna do that as staff, and I'm gonna show you how we do that with A-Treck.

I think then the next step in January is figuring out how we do that with council and A-Treck and staff.

So here's the AIM equity tool.

Uh, I think council may remember, and I think some counselors weren't on council when uh we gave a presentation on uh the gear framework.

Uh we've pivoted a little bit.

Uh so in that pivot, we started with a pilot program of that gear framework, and we saw it was arduous.

And so what we did was we took a step back, we streamlined a process, we made something adaptable and something cross-cutting.

Um, with that, we have AIM, assumptions identify and measure.

Assumptions challenge who defines success and who will be who will benefit, identify names of the specific communities and inequities at stake, measure evaluates our outcomes in ways that we are going to be accountable and effective.

Equity doesn't happen automatically.

AIM ensures voices are centered, data is disaggregated, and um make sure that there's a connection to council goals, um, and then also make sure that we make these correction corrections before things are finalized.

Um think of it this way.

AIM is the staff lens on oper uh with operations perspective, A-Treck provides the community lens and lived experience together, these are interlocking gears, giving council a 360 view.

Oftentimes considerations you guys receive are just one or the other.

Um, this is the beginning of us trying to conjoin the two.

And you'll get a presentation on that in January with the accessible and effective government.

Um this is just a visual description of what I just uh described.

Again, these things are not redundant, they are complementary.

It looks at how do we how do we go from the AIM equity tool by staff, the HREC lens, and then also managing up to council.

And with that, I will pass it to the chair again.

Thank you very much.

Agatha Ventura, she her.

And we would like to open up the discussion for your input around four core questions.

Does this plan align with council priorities?

What actions should be added or adjusted?

Where should HREC deepen its role, including transportation, the growth plan, water rates, electric electrification, and those um presentations.

And what guidance do you want to give HREC so we remain aligned with your expectations?

Great.

Well, thank you so much, and thank you for both being here and all the work that you and all the commissioners do.

Um really excited to see this tonight and to go over it and to talk about the answers to these questions.

Um I might toss it to you first, Councilor Perkins is the liaison.

If there's anything you wanted to add or start us off with on this work plan, yeah.

I mean, I think first just to um it it's interesting that earlier uh we talked about the Barry Washington Memorial, and one of the first key impactful things that I remember HREC doing was making a statement after Barry Washington was murdered on our streets.

Um and here we are today, and just on Monday of last week, um, one of your commissioners came to the coordinated house list response um uh houseless response office board and um and did a and and shared the letter that you had all written to council um about um more ethical um and um just better ways of of dealing with people who are living on our public lands.

And um, as I think that that was actually just as impactful um in a lot of ways, and um, as the the counselor from Sisters was leaving was messaging me saying please send me a copy of that letter.

You know, and so I think there are a lot of ways that that I've seen that HREC has um really impacted the the the conversation and um um just the dialogue that we that we have in in our communities I just wanted to say thank you and we have a really really incredible um commission right now um that is that is doing some great work and um is is not only that is eager to do the work um and so we are so grateful to for that.

Yeah one um one thing I would say that you sort of touched on is that we could potentially have you help us with every goal, right?

So I think what I'd love council to do is look at what has been identified here.

Um and I think especially the AIM equity tool, sort of the lead project, but um just making sure this is aligned with what um we want to see HREC helping us with in the next in the next um time period, and um you know the policy list there.

Are there any specific policies where that HREC with their lens and also this AIM equity tool could really help us?

Um so open to any discussions or thoughts.

I I will tell you this before you start your discussion.

Um these presentations have both already happened and are planned to happen.

I think the hope is is that you think through your council goals and some things that come to you and say, hey, uh HREC, it would be good to have some partnership on this.

Yeah, I might throw out one just as a suggestion.

Uh the fire, the wildfire resilience work that we're doing.

We're actually really um stepping into that whole well, both these property assessments, the looking at codes, looking at emergency preparedness.

I would really uh love to use the AIM tool on that project uh more comprehensively.

So just a suggestion for council to consider as well.

Yeah, I'm I'm totally for that.

I think it's it, yeah.

I think that would be great.

I have um two thoughts.

One is the um, I think following the home process, the uh housing options made for everyone, um, and the f and the recommendations that we get out of that, and really thinking about um if part of that is about incentives and other resource tools that we might use to support housing and really are we um thinking properly about you know meeting the full spectrum of housing need in our community, all the way from folks who are houseless to market rate housing and just paying attention and giving us some input and feedback on that.

I think that's gonna be important, it's a ways out.

Um, it won't be until maybe quarter two of next year.

Um what's helpful is they might even even suggest on the home committee.

I think we have a great opportunity, as we talked about with the summit with from our advisory committees, maybe doing some joint work with HREC affordable housing, potentially BDAB, when as we get the recommendations from the home committee, maybe having representatives from those various committees.

I think there's a lot of crossover and interest from those different aspects, and this might be a way to keep that going of that collaboration.

We're doing it on electrification.

Um I think we want to do it on the growth plan, and I would like to see it also with the recommendations from home too.

And Carly Colvin is on home committee, and she's also a commissioner on each so there's that good natural connection that maybe Carly can help keep you all updated as well.

Yeah.

Um the other one I was thinking about was transportation funding.

You know, there's just there's a variety of things going on.

If you've looked at what we're doing on our work session and the various things we're tackling in next, the work session next week is going to be about um sort of the transportation utility fee, but also transportation funding, and now we have to wait a little longer to hear what we're the response the legislature.

But um, you know, just paying attention to that and and giving us feedback and input on me spending our money in the right places, you know, in terms of getting equity outcomes.

Because I think I for me that's really important for a bunch of reasons, but I've always been most interested in transportation.

I think because we need to have alternatives for people who can't afford a car, right?

I mean, that that is a huge barrier, it's very expensive on top of all the other affordability challenges in our community.

And and so people who need a car.

Pardon?

And also people who need a car.

Yes, people who people who need a car, but if you can't.

You have to have a car to get it out.

Yeah.

Um, but there's folks who can't afford one either.

And so do they have the things that they need to have a safe system to get where they need to go.

Um, and um that's maybe a little harder on specifics because I'm not quite sure where the right places to plug into that discussion.

I think the home one is a little more concrete because it has a process and outcome and set of recommendations for us.

Yeah, I mean, I would I would I mean I would suggest um maybe starting with just three, um because I think I think that if we really want to talk about you know the how you how you could be most impactful in in these conversations if we have you, you know on every topic on every topic, it's it you know, and I know and I know and I've seen how much you all like to really drill into this kind of stuff, and like you said, this like nuanced work, like it it takes a it takes longer, but it's because you you all really want to do the work, and so I would suggest maybe just starting with uh a smaller number and then and then going from there.

And that doesn't mean that doesn't would not like preclude from um advising on anything else, right?

I mean, like again, these letters that that you're send are are are and and things come up that that do need to be addressed, and and we need your feedback.

Um, but in terms of like the real like deep dive policy, that would be my suggestion.

Yeah, and it helps to know what's in the pipeline so people could tap into community tap into resurgence.

Yes, it is exactly.

I see on the work plan under the um this is sorry, get this to move around.

Um the section, the first section on policy on page one, this the second sort of goal is about equity aligned policies.

If I'm under interpreting what what's written here correctly, you're gonna identify one to two priority areas.

Um I I guess I'm assuming it says by the end of the first quarter of next year, and then work those.

Is that right?

And then we're gonna get policy memos on those two priority areas.

That is correct.

Okay.

Well, um that point, I um so I feel like there's not any area of our work where equity is not important, so it's it is definitely a challenge to say, well, where do we want input and guidance the most?

And I I second everything that's been said.

I mean, how do you how do you choose?

But I think that getting to your last point, Councilor Riley is a challenging question, which is when we have other values uh alongside equity goals that I would appreciate advice on.

So, for example, um, if we're talking about whether it's uh electrification or um water usage, if the goal is something like reduce or make water usage more efficient, and someone has a proposal to uh subsidize more efficient water use among the largest water users, and then you say, well, it turns out that the largest water users are also the most affluent, and essentially what we're proposing is a subsidization to people who are already very well-to-do.

Well, that seems like that would run against um equity goals.

So, advice on how to resolve these kinds of conflicts.

I feel like this is an area that I struggle with because we have competing goals, and so it's not like you can say, Well, do the right do what's right for equity.

It it's it's it's more multifaceted than that, and um you know, trying to figure out what is right in the big picture, I think is a challenge.

That said, reflecting on I think the work that HREC has accomplished is I just wanted to take the opportunity to um let you know, and because you might not be aware of some of the the uh reverberations that your work has in other areas.

Um Councillor Riley and I sit on the Metropolitan Planning Organization policy board, and for example, a small thing that we've done is uh policy board decided to essentially adopt and um uh and mirror the city's stipend policy.

So there are um our committees and boards that advise the MPO policy board, and we looked at this and we thought, well, we shouldn't also adopt this policy because it it's really effective and it's it's uh it promotes equity.

I see our work in equity mapping when we look at things like grant scoring or uh when we look at the effects of things like you know, deploying speed cameras or you know, all kinds of different things implicate equity considerations that and I see uh the the threat of your work running through them, not just in the city of Bend, but also in places like the parks district um informing where they locate parks and uh trail access and things like that.

One area that always kind of boils my blood that I think we're moving away from, but when we see master planning and zoning where multi-unit uh apartment buildings are used as a buffer between something that is undesirable and something that is desirable, I always tend to feel like it needs to be the opposite.

That's where the most families, the most people are living, and they they should have the best access, whether it's to a park or distance to the parkway or something like that.

So I think that some of that is a legacy from old planning where it was thought, oh, we need to use these to protect single family homeowners or something like that from something undesirable.

I think that we're moving away from that, but I think advice on how to make sure that we're doing that when we're talking about things like our growth plan would be really appreciated.

Yeah, that fits right in with the the growth plan and some of the policies that could be in our comprehensive plan for sure.

We have more than enough work for you.

I'm I'm really interested.

So you talked about the sort of conundrum and and how do we decide, and I'm really interested in that AIM equity tool and really interested how it can get us more information and thinking so that we can make those decisions a little bit better.

So I just really want to see that keep moving forward.

I know we're gonna hear about it in January, but um any way that you can help us learn how to use that and how to apply it, I think it's great.

Um, and I think we've got a lot of topics for you to try it out on.

I think water water rate modernization is not a sexy sounding topic, but actually it's really huge implications for what people pay, how they behave with water.

You know, you touched on it, um, Councilor Mendes.

So I think that I see is a really interesting area to try to apply this tool and start thinking about how we can make equitable outcomes.

I will say that the water team has been wonderful in applying the tool.

We've already gone through it.

And uh as we've been working through the just framing up the modernization project, uh HREC's gonna get a presentation on some of the considerations that we've gone through and then start to pilot their own um equity considerations or tools.

So yeah, that sounds great.

Just another tool in the toolbox.

Yeah.

Any other comments?

Go ahead.

Yeah, just thank you for all your hard work.

You guys are doing great job.

Um, and I agree with a lot of things that have been said.

I would just request that we keep the attention on what's happening on the federal level too, and just making sure that we continue to be a leader here in Bend and provide you know safety for immigrants and just um really make sure that we are doing all that we can across all levels when it comes to equity and being a leader, and just like I mentioned, you know, we talked about investment, you know, we're a leader in the state, but and a lot of other cities like to us.

I just want to make sure that we continue to look at that federal policy and uh making sure that we can do what we can on our end.

We've all we've already you know joined some lawsuits, we're doing some really great work there, but um we just got to keep it up.

So thank you.

All right.

I I'll add one thing.

Um since I've served on city committees that did not include the human rights and equity commission and some ad hoc uh advisory boards.

Um I I it occurs to me that um HREC could really offer a lot to um some of those advisory bodies.

I think that um you know we adopt equity as uh a value um for council and for our city as an organization, and then we dispatch these advisory bodies to start to give us feedback, and they don't have necessarily the lived experience that the human rights and equity commission carries.

They don't necessarily, you know, they're they're not agreeing to all the values necessarily that we've put forward, but we want their advice and their recommendations to reflect that.

And so I mean, I I would suggest as you know, your work plan and your your availability allows um that there for there to be a stronger connection between HREC and um and the other advisory bodies.

Yeah, we've talked about that for a while and how to do that.

Yeah, we've talked about that for a while and how to do that most and it it's it's hard because it's either saying, okay, everybody divvy up and and go to these, you know, take more time out of your you know your day or but I think I think Gina that like that the the opportunity for like the the committees to to get together, I think is actually like maybe the way to do that is because I think we've seen you know things are brought up in when you're together with other committees that no one has thought of, you know, from the other committee.

And so I think if we can start doing a little bit more of that, like give give and take there.

Um I think it would be I think it would be great because yeah, there is a lot to to offer a lot of our other.

And you know, and HRIC has been working in the past, and it's just helping us with that stipend program.

Yeah, that was applied to all of our committees, right?

To try to help with uh making those more accessible to more people in the community.

Um so I think not to help keep them back to the equity tool, but it might also be something that we saw having our other committees use, right?

Um and and you sort of are piling it, but then also helping other committees understand how to use that when they're doing the policy work as well.

So I think that's a I think it's a good idea.

Yeah.

And just one other thing.

Sorry, I know I'm talking about um really long agenda, so you know.

I know you know, it it it occurs to me that that you know there there is a structure under which um all of our committees and commissions operate, and HREC has the most unique structure.

Um, and are there things that we can be doing from a code perspective that would allow this is not a question to be answered right now, but just something to be thinking about would allow HREC to operate in maybe a more effective, impactful, you know, maybe a little bit how a better way, a way that you feel like you can be um doing the work that you so much that you so want to do on e-rec.

And so just something I think that we we could talk about is maybe changing sort of the the ordinance and the code that that started this whole thing, um, and saying maybe that's not where we are right now, and maybe the human rights and equity commission um is feeling that we need to be over here.

So something that that I think you know, maybe to get feedback on over the next couple meetings.

Thank you.

And with direction we can do that, align code with our work plan.

Yeah, yeah, great.

Anyone oppose to take a look at that?

I think that's a great idea.

Okay.

So can I maybe because I want to make sure I I fend back some of the things that I heard and then also provide some direction and clarity and maybe work with staff with Andreas and maybe come back and refine work plan based on this feedback.

So we have kind of a draft that we've prepared and we've received some feedback, so let's fine-tune with the idea of incorporating uh potentially some governance changes or co-changes that will help enable the work.

I think maybe that's um a pretty high priority to make sure that we're off with a good foundation that we uh look at when we apply the AIM uh framework, the AIM tool that we are applying it to maybe three priority areas, the ones that we've put out on the table, including the one that I suggested with wildfire work with the water transportation, growth plan, uh, and then you see some of the other ones like the electrification that we have engaged, um, HREC on and others, but maybe just prioritize that a little bit more so that we come back to you with a timeline of how we're going to sync those up and make sure it's sort of synced up with councils because we're not doing all those things along with two, right?

So we can I think we can sync these things up so that they're done sequentially and done in a thoughtful way.

Um I think this idea of how do we cross-collaborate with other advisory boards and how do we provide maybe some education and different ways of thinking and entering their work as well and perhaps application of the AIM tool and this ongoing monitoring of federal issues too, and just other kind of real-time information.

This might feed back to the governance question of really providing the structure on the policy side, which is maybe a little bit different than monitoring real-time community issues that are really important.

Because you kind of there are two different disciplines where you're going deeper with policy and you want to make sure that you're available with community concerns that are more real-time, right?

And that and then might take us looking at that structure to accommodate that.

I think you kind of said this there, but the uh um, you know, looking at the the schedule for the various policy discussions that are happening, and you know, what's HREC feel like its capacity is we could take on one or two of these a quarter.

You know, I mean, some of them are are longer investments of time, and maybe that's uh too much of a box that fit that doesn't quite fit, but um trying to think about that schedule-wise.

Well, you know, a growth plan maybe is farther out.

This other one's coming up really quickly, like um and I and I I just want to emphasize I think the home is a pretty big discussion and pretty important for our community.

Right, and we have some dates and time frames and stuff.

So I'd like to see that uh on your list for consideration.

Thank you.

I mean to obviously and thinking through a book.

I mean, these are also important.

You know, some may be more lasting than others in some respects.

Um but I I know I I think that it's just really important for us to figure out how and begin to experiment with this these tools and be able to get feedback that's generated by them for us as a group to consider actively and proactively and explicitly in our policy discussions.

Yeah.

Okay.

So we've got some direction.

I want to just ask you how are you feeling?

Is there any response to the feedback or anything that we need to fine-tune for for you, or do we feel like we have enough to then refine the work plan?

Chair.

I'll start.

Yes.

Thank you for one, all your feedback and all of the considerations.

You put things on the table that we didn't know were possible, so we're excited to see what we could transform into and keep collaborating with.

Yeah, I'll just reiterate Mayor Pro Tem knows this, but our group is really excited about those summits.

Um I that's come up a lot.

And so this idea that they could be educational, mutually collaborative.

Um, I think it would also help our commissioners feel like they don't have to be fluent in as many things because there are other groups scaling up exactly.

Yeah, so um, I'll just double down on that ask.

Yeah.

Okay.

Great.

Um, do you want a motion today or are you gonna come back with something we're gonna do?

I think we can come back.

I think it was enough there that I would rather I'd feel more comfortable kind of fine-tuning and next meeting.

Let's bring this back for the final approval.

Yeah, but thank you so much for all the work and Q.

It's really great to see, and just excited to keep it moving forward.

Thank you for prioritizing this work.

Yeah, and just a quick shout out to Andres and everyone at the city for keeping us uh informed and also translating whenever it's needed.

It's very helpful.

Thank you.

All right, great.

Thank you.

I'm gonna speed right through this because we're we do have to talk about welcoming week and all the things that are coming up.

Oh, yes, look at that.

This is uh a list that is in flux, as you know when you when you work with community partners, things change, locations change, event ideas change.

And so we we have a pretty good list, and this is where it's going up on the city website.

Um, but here are the events for welcoming week.

I would love we're we sent, I think we sent out an email to all of council to see which ones you probably you would like to go to.

Um, love to see there.

I'm gonna try to make all of them.

Um, but I I just want to make sure that the invitation is there.

Um, stories we share is the um the theme for this year.

We started off with a beautiful event with community organizers and uh counselor Franzosa who was able to pop in to really talk about the stories that connect us all, um talking about how we're able to find belonging with each other, how we're able to find community, and hopefully throughout the next month we get to do that a little bit more.

Um, and we're gonna do that multilingually.

You'll see some of our uh um advertising coming out where we have folks speaking Ukrainian and Spanish and all sorts of all sorts of different ways of communicating.

Um, and it's really just to talk about the the fabric of our community.

And so uh hopefully we see some counselors there and we see community there.

With that, I and I don't think we have any more questions, it's it for us.

That's cool, like some events, lots of work, and just yeah, it's awesome.

All right, great.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

That means this item number six.

This is the second reading of an ordinance to amend fenn development code to amend the Oregon State University Cascades overlay zone to modify the boundaries of the four campus subdistrict.

Amend the innovation district standards to allow increased building height and manufacturing uses without a retail component, modify landscape standards to allow a more natural landscape, realign innovation way and clarify specific street sections.

All right, Mendez.

As an associated faculty member of OSU Cascades, I am going to declare an actual conflict of interest and recuse myself from this decision.

Okay, use a motion.

I move for the second reading adoption of birol call vote of the ordinance to amend Ben Development Code Chapter 2.7, special fund districts to modify the Oregon State University Cascades Overlay Zone as proposed.

Second.

All right, move by uh Council Perkins, second by counselor flatt, rule call vote.

Counselor Branzoza, yes, Councillor Riley, yes, Mayor Pro Tem Perkins.

Yes, Councillor Norris.

Yes, Councillor Platt, yes, Mayor Kepler.

Yes.

Okay.

Yes, I know.

We also know all right.

Well that guy's and we'll have signature support.

All right.

Um so first on the project side.

We are really cranking up on some road projects, right?

We're all excited about.

Um Franklin, so was what the eastbound east of uh third street was closed uh yesterday from 4th to 8th as we make those transportation improvements.

It's roughly a four-month uh project.

We talked about that just a few weeks ago.

Uh just a reminder uh on the northeast side of town, Butler Market uh for westbound traffic from eighth to Brinson will be closed starting the week of September 15th.

This is for the roundabout at Butler Market as well, along with the some geobond key route work.

Um we'll be maintaining one direction of travel during uh those improvement projects that we talked about.

Uh work on the uh Bear Creek Petigrooper Cell roundabout is progressing.

We are on schedule to reopen this intersection by the end of October.

So good news there.

The Skyliner, Skyline Ranch roundabout that I know we we talked um about the last meeting.

We have uh opened the three legs uh late Tuesday evening before school.

Uh hopefully you'll be able to see it's operating okay this morning.

Okay, so the fourth leg will be open next few days.

We just have to install some safety handrails to matter.

It's really safe.

And I was uh family was crossing and it was all very safe, and yeah, it was real much to make it.

Good.

So again, we are very we we know that these projects cause a disruption.

Um, and we just ask kind of to your message uh proton programs, but just slowing down these are people whether they're whatever mode they're taking, these are people, we need to be just traveling with care.

Um so uh and then just a preview of the schedule.

We've made some shifting.

You mentioned the changes with the legislative uh the special session for transportation.

It's really caused us some delay as well because we kind of need that information to make some decisions.

So we are proceeding next week Wednesday, which is just going to be a standalone work session from four to six.

We'll be talking about transportation funding.

I mean, obviously, we're not gonna have that decision, but we'll we'll talk about kind of where we are locally.

Um we're we also need to make a decision about the BPRD request, the Ben Parks and Recreation request to remove or to exempt um that organization from the transportation fee.

We'll provide you an update with where we are on the transportation fee.

And then we have the other item, which is parking districts.

As we've changed the code, we want to initiate parking districts, so we're gonna talk about our prioritization for doing that.

Uh the next weekend on the 17th is when we were planning on having a joint city council budget committee meeting and talking through kind of those budget issues.

Well, that is a little bit awkward.

It's the same day.

So we've decided to move that and actually move that to a work session format, and that would be October 8th.

So we're just pushing it back a few weeks because we want that vote behind us so we have a little more certainty.

What does that mean?

From a big picture budget perspective.

And then we think actually as a work session, we're gonna have everybody at a table, um, more in a you know, round table format.

I think that'll be easier than having us here up on the dice at a regular business meeting on the 17th.

On the 17th, we will be talking about the temporary safe state area.

So it's counselor Francosa mentioned, we want to talk first as a council with some ideas of um some strategies that we can go into that joint meeting with the county commission on September 29th, unified as a body of like what are what are some things that we're interested in, and then sharing that with our uh partners uh uh with the county commission.

Um and then we have a couple of other um other just regular business items on the 17th.

The 24th is a work session on midtown crossings, and so we've now engaged both CAB and T Bach.

They'll be there in attendance listening to your conversation.

We want to have specific questions that we'd like them to tackle.

We're scheduling a meeting, that joint meeting between those two bodies or representatives of those bodies between the 24th and October 8th, which we'll then circle back and get that direction from them as well as um there's one other item that I'm forgetting, and then we have that joint meeting on September 29th.

I wanted to say all that because we have moved to this new schedule.

We have a lot coming at you.

It'll be kind of every once a week, some pretty significant topics.

So just keep checking in with us to make sure that we're all tracking and um if there's any tweaks that we can make to the to make this even better, we're always open to that.

So just wanted to put that out there.

Uh and then on that joint meeting with the county on the 29th.

I am working with the county.

The mayor mentioned we we've met with leadership.

I just want to make sure the council is okay with the agenda as we've formulated it, which is the TSSA, but there's some other items including a um, and this is more of a need to have.

So we have the growth plan that you've all seen as part of that growth plan, which is a multi-year process.

We'd like to we have to request state approval to what to enter in what's called sequential review.

So instead of just doing all the work and then in four years saying here's our comp plan and U GB, we want to have checks along the way, which is a much more prudent, you know, so we because we build off of these things like our housing production uh and housing capacity strategy, all that that you we approve that, and then we build to the next step, right?

So to do that though, it does require the city council to uh sign off on that approach, and also requires the county commission to buy off before we can ask the state to go through.

The only one other city has done this, and that's McMindel.

So we'd be the second city in the state to offer this new path uh our alternative path for approval.

So, anyways, we want to do a brief work session to both bodies in that joint meeting, and then they'll you'll both need to formally adopt that at your regular business meeting.

So that's one item that we're gonna add.

And then we have to be asked to nobody's gonna be asked to vote on it in that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And just to make sure everyone knows what I do.

Everyone knows what we're doing.

You know, obviously, you all know the growth plan, and so you can sort of talk directly to your county commission counterparts of the logic behind why we're doing it this way, and in hopes that we can get both bodies to approve that approach.

Uh, and then the county landfill sighting, there's been some development there.

I think we want to hear an update, and then the oversight of the franchise agreements.

It's been a bit of a challenge.

We've had some with some of the franchisees.

We want to share some of those challenges with you and talk about next steps uh in terms of getting moving towards a unified franchise agreement for the waste haul, the solid waste haulers.

So that's the vision.

Um, it's proving a little bit more difficult than we thought.

So that's it.

So if you have any other topics, let me know or let the mayor know as we're building.

But if you do, let me know.

Do another meeting as well.

Okay.

All right.

Is that it, Eric?

Yeah.

Okay.

Then we are adjourned.