OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City Council Meeting Summary - January 07, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, January 7, 2026
BodyBend, Oregon
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, January 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:13:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:52

Our meeting started.

0:53

Thank you, Ashley.

0:54

Um, let's do roll call down at your end, Counselor Black.

0:59

Megan Norris, she her.

1:00

Megan Perkins, she her.

1:02

Melanie Keyboard, she her.

1:03

Mike Riley, he and Ariel Mendes.

1:06

Gina Franzosa, she her.

1:08

Great, we are all here.

1:09

Um, so we're gonna start with a presentation from Latino Community Association, and um Catalina Sanchez Frank is gonna come on up.

1:35

Good evening, Mayor Tibler, City Council members, Mr.

1:39

King.

1:40

Thanks for the opportunity to present tonight.

1:42

My presentation is an update about the current state of the Latino community in central Oregon.

1:48

If I lose my breath, excuse me, because I'm recovering from a cold.

1:54

Since January of 2025, we've learned of over 1,000 deportations statewide and 16 deportations locally.

2:02

We know this number has increased since November from dozens to thousands in some communities up to 7,000 percent.

2:11

We know that seven jurisdictions in Oregon have declared a state of emergency.

2:16

We know that communities west of the Cascades like Portland or Woodburn have been hit the hardest.

2:23

Two cases that have hit home include a freshman student at OSU who had to quit school to move back home in Woodburn, and helped his parents who had been terrorized for weeks to go to work in the fields or even go out to get groceries.

2:38

Another one was a woman whose husband was detained in Eugene while attending an immigration check-in appointment.

2:45

This means he was detained while complying with the law.

3:05

This is racial profiling and in violation of sanctuary law.

3:09

And unfortunately, as of tonight, a fatal shooting in Minneapolis.

4:03

And we're grateful for your continued sponsorship and support for the this vital cultural celebrations.

4:33

When families are displaced from outside of the state or from communities west of the Cascades, this influx of newcomers puts additional pressure on our resources.

5:00

Either in providing services at no cost to families, like $3,000, $300,000 in legal fees, or $1 million in tax returns through our tax filing program.

5:13

We also focused on developing developing immigrant rights training aimed to educate and protect Latina families in the event of a family member removal and neighbors and allies alike to learn to be legal observers or an accompaniment volunteer to immigration curt appointments as well as develop local and statewide partnerships because we cannot do this work alone.

5:37

LCA also would like to thank the city council for your support to these two affordable housing projects.

5:44

First for LCA that will bring close to 300 units to working families.

5:49

In fact, we're breaking ground on the first of these developments verde pines next week, as you may already know.

5:56

We know that housing affordability is critical for our community's stability, and we also want to emphasize the direct connection between these projects and the Latina workforce.

6:07

In key traits as such as construction, landscaping and roofing, Latina workers represent the majority of the labor force, making them the backbone of our local development.

6:19

What happens when they can't show up to work?

6:26

At LCA, our priority is clear, protecting our families.

6:30

We're entering this new year, facing deep uncertainty and a growing list of hardships impacting Latina communities throughout Oregon.

6:38

We cannot sustain this critical work alone.

6:41

We're here today to ask for the city's active support in protecting our community's future.

6:46

We propose to continue the collaboration with the City of Bent Community Engagement Team, including dedicated staff at our Bent office, and to help coordinate recurring community conversations.

6:59

This engagement will ensure that city leadership is consistently informed of the immediate needs and realities of the Latin community.

7:07

We urge City of Bend to align with other jurisdictions by preparing a formal state of emergency declaration.

7:13

Increasing financial support for LCA is a critical step in this preparation, as it will allow us to remain responsive and provide essential resources to impacted individuals as we navigate these foreseeable crisis.

7:27

And finally, LCA author.

7:32

Additionally, LCA is prepared to lead immigrants' defense rights, workshops for city personnel and partners, strengthening strengthening our collective ability to maintain a safe and inclusive community.

7:44

And finally, I saw an update of the flock in Bent as the next agenda item.

7:50

So I'd like to add a verbal request that the city takes into serious consideration the equity impacts and risks of the abuse of data by ICE and DHS.

8:02

Thank you for your time and consideration.

8:05

Gracias.

8:06

Thank you so much, Catalina.

8:07

And who and who is with you here?

8:08

My name is Luis Jimenez.

8:10

I'm the president of the board of directors for LCA.

8:12

And I know we have some other board members and staff here as well.

8:15

So thank you for being with us tonight and suggesting that you present it to us on this really important information.

8:20

I think it's good for us to hear and for our community to hear.

8:24

And I think we need to take consider into consideration what Cataline has asked of us tonight.

8:29

We're not going to make any decisions right now, but I think these are really good asks from a community partner organization that we've been working with for quite some time.

8:35

I did want to give just a little, take this opportunity to give a little update on some of the the policy that the city is working on as far as internally.

8:42

And this will include a little bit of information about Sanctuary Act for folks who aren't super familiar with it, but the State of Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act prohibits the use of city resources, including facilities and staff for civil immigration enforcement.

8:54

And the city attorney and city manager's office are working on a policy and training for staff to specify how this applies at the facilities we own, including our buildings, our parking lots, that civil immigration activities, including staging, processing, or using our places as a base for activities are not allowed on city property and judicial warrants, not administrative warrants, which are different, are required for any access into any non-public area for immigration enforcement access actions.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement████████████████16%
Energy Policy███████████11%
Technology and Innovation█████████9%
Public Safety████████8%
Economic Development████████8%
Immigration Policy██████6%
Procedural██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability█████5%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

City Council Meeting Summary - January 07, 2026

The City Council meeting convened at 14:00 to address critical community safety, housing, and infrastructure matters, including the non-renewal of Flock Safety contracts, fiscal auditing, and the establishment of a temporary committee on electrification policy. The session featured significant public testimony regarding immigration enforcement practices, the preservation of neighborhood master plans in Petrosa, and concerns surrounding data privacy and local economic development initiatives.

Consent Calendar

  • Neighborhood Street Safety Program: Approved the design for the 2027 Neighborhood Street Safety Program, which includes five locations citywide. Councilor Franzosa raised concerns regarding the selection of Discovery Park (a newer neighborhood with low traffic), but the item was retained based on its high score in the evaluation matrix and the presence of schoolchildren using the area; Councilor Norris expressed trust in staff. The project includes a raised crossing at High Lakes and Discovery Park Drive.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Latino Community Association (LCA): Catalina Sanchez Frank expressed urgent support for sanctuary protections, citing over 1,000 statewide deportations since January 2025 and the need for a formal state of emergency declaration. She requested increased financial support for LCA and active municipal collaboration to protect families from racial profiling. Luis Jimenez (LCA Board President) expressed support for the City's Sanctuary Promise Act and urged the Council to consider the equity impacts of ICE data abuse.
  • Chris N. (Community Resident): Expressed strong opposition to Flock Safety, citing security risks and the inability of the current US legal environment to protect data from federal acquisition via National Security Letters; advocated for locally managed technology.
  • Kate Bernard: Expressed support for pausing the Flock contract and urged the city to establish a clear community framework regarding data control and transparency before selecting new vendors.
  • Madison Bordeaux: Expressed strong opposition to the Flock contract, arguing it industrializes bias, creates constitutional liability for the city, and contains loopholes allowing Flock to retain perpetually anonymized data without city approval.
  • Rowan Jones (LCA): Expressed full support for the decision to end the Flock contract.
  • Dave Berger: Expressed concern that the city lacks sufficient data, goals, and budget to proceed with electrification policies or form a tri-committee at this time.
  • Brian Kennedy (Old Farm District Neighborhood Board): Stated that 88% of survey respondents support amending Oregon statutes to allow local representatives to restrict affordable housing on property zoned as commercial if master plan requirements are met; urged lobbying for local planning control.
  • Sarah Odin Dahl & Garrett Mosher (Chamber & COBA): Expressed strong concern that electrification fees could increase housing costs by approximately $9,700 per unit; both advocated for a mandatory pilot program to collect localized data on costs, grid capacity, and affordability before implementing fees.
  • Gary Norris: Expressed opposition to fees for electrification without verified net CO2 reduction metrics, arguing that the policy imposes real economic harm for speculative climate benefits and that a pilot is required to confirm outcomes.
  • Duane: Expressed support for the committee to evaluate proven decarbonization strategies (like heat pumps) rather than just fees, noting the lack of data to support the current fee structure.
  • Christine Wilkins, Sean Rayleigh, Carolyn Schott, & Trevor Larson (Petrosa Residents): Expressed deep disappointment and opposition to the approval of the Bella Pines affordable housing project in the Petrosa commercial zone; argued this constitutes a "bait and switch" violating master plan promises, undermines local control, and ignores neighborhood concerns.
  • Karen Sims Bundy: Expressed concern that multiple affordable housing developments in a one-mile radius will increase traffic and endanger safety for elderly and young families in the Petrosa walkable community.
  • Lee Delagarza: Expressed support for the Flock Safety cameras and law enforcement, arguing that the technology aids community safety and opposing the pause on its use.
  • Michael Baker (Boys & Girls Clubs): Shared good news regarding the expansion of Saturday hours for the club starting in February.

Discussion Items

  • Flock Safety Contract Status: City Manager King reported that the contract will not be renewed due to public concerns regarding data privacy and vendor practices. Captain Beekman presented six examples of successful public safety outcomes from the system, including the recovery of stolen vehicles and apprehension of a sex crime suspect. Councilor Platt expressed concern over data release provisions in the contract that lack notice requirements to the city regarding federal requests. The Council directed staff to pause the use of the technology for the remainder of the contract while acknowledging the financial inability to terminate early.
  • Fiscal 2024-2025 Audit Results: Auditor Amanda Moore (Baker Tilly) presented an unmodified (clean) opinion on the City's financial statements and the Urban Renewal Agency. The audit found no compliance findings with state laws. Testing for federal awards is pending the release of the compliance supplement.
  • Bend Central District Economic Improvement District (EID): The Bend Central District Business Association proposed establishing an EID with an initial assessment rate of 10 cents (proportional to commercial square footage). Councilors expressed strong support for the initiative's momentum but raised concerns that the 10-cent rate might be too low to cover staffing and operational costs. The Council voted to move forward with the establishment process, instructing staff to return with feedback on the scope and rate.
  • Temporary Committee on Electrification Policy (TCEP): Councilors debated the scope and membership of the new committee. Concerns were raised by BDAB and the Human Rights and Equity Commission (HREC) regarding the lack of specific data, the need for a pilot program to test costs and impacts, and the necessity of equity analysis. Councilor Platt suggested postponing the committee's formal creation until the February 11th work session to allow for clearer definition of the fee structure and data requirements. No vote was taken to establish the committee tonight; discussions were deferred to the next work session.
  • Stormwater Master Plan: Council adopted the 2025 Stormwater Master Plan, which identifies a nearly $80 million, 20-year investment strategy. The plan incorporates climate change projections, level-of-service targets, and drainage improvements. Staff noted that a financial plan for rate impacts will be presented in the spring.
  • Bend Bikeways Eminent Domain: Council authorized the potential use of eminent domain for the Butler Market and Boyd Acres intersection project to ensure schedule certainty if agreements with landowners cannot be reached.

Key Outcomes

  • Contract Decision: The Flock Safety contract for fixed ALPR systems will not be renewed; staff is directed to pause all use of the technology immediately.
  • EID Authorization: Unanimous approval granted to begin the formal process for establishing an Economic Improvement District in the Bend Central District based on the presented boundary, scope, and initial 10-cent rate proposal.
  • Stormwater Plan Adoption: The 2025 Stormwater Master Plan and the associated Public Facility Plan were officially adopted via roll-call vote.
  • Eminent Domain Resolution: Resolution adopted to authorize eminent domain for the Bend Bikeways intersection if necessary.
  • Administrative Actions: Reappointments approved for Tom Schmidt (Landmarks Commission) and Katie Brooks (Redmond Municipal Airport Committee). Council liaison assignments were updated regarding neighborhood and advisory committee representation.
  • Legislative Strategy: The City Manager proposed using non-settlement local revenue for the Stabilization Center to ensure continuous funding, pending council direction at the TSSA joint meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Our meeting started. Thank you, Ashley. Um, let's do roll call down at your end, Counselor Black. Megan Norris, she her. Megan Perkins, she her. Melanie Keyboard, she her. Mike Riley, he and Ariel Mendes. Gina Franzosa, she her. Great, we are all here. Um, so we're gonna start with a presentation from Latino Community Association, and um Catalina Sanchez Frank is gonna come on up. Good evening, Mayor Tibler, City Council members, Mr. King. Thanks for the opportunity to present tonight. My presentation is an update about the current state of the Latino community in central Oregon. If I lose my breath, excuse me, because I'm recovering from a cold. Since January of 2025, we've learned of over 1,000 deportations statewide and 16 deportations locally. We know this number has increased since November from dozens to thousands in some communities up to 7,000 percent. We know that seven jurisdictions in Oregon have declared a state of emergency. We know that communities west of the Cascades like Portland or Woodburn have been hit the hardest. Two cases that have hit home include a freshman student at OSU who had to quit school to move back home in Woodburn, and helped his parents who had been terrorized for weeks to go to work in the fields or even go out to get groceries. Another one was a woman whose husband was detained in Eugene while attending an immigration check-in appointment. This means he was detained while complying with the law. This is racial profiling and in violation of sanctuary law. And unfortunately, as of tonight, a fatal shooting in Minneapolis. And we're grateful for your continued sponsorship and support for the this vital cultural celebrations. When families are displaced from outside of the state or from communities west of the Cascades, this influx of newcomers puts additional pressure on our resources. Either in providing services at no cost to families, like $3,000, $300,000 in legal fees, or $1 million in tax returns through our tax filing program. We also focused on developing developing immigrant rights training aimed to educate and protect Latina families in the event of a family member removal and neighbors and allies alike to learn to be legal observers or an accompaniment volunteer to immigration curt appointments as well as develop local and statewide partnerships because we cannot do this work alone. LCA also would like to thank the city council for your support to these two affordable housing projects. First for LCA that will bring close to 300 units to working families. In fact, we're breaking ground on the first of these developments verde pines next week, as you may already know. We know that housing affordability is critical for our community's stability, and we also want to emphasize the direct connection between these projects and the Latina workforce. In key traits as such as construction, landscaping and roofing, Latina workers represent the majority of the labor force, making them the backbone of our local development. What happens when they can't show up to work? At LCA, our priority is clear, protecting our families. We're entering this new year, facing deep uncertainty and a growing list of hardships impacting Latina communities throughout Oregon. We cannot sustain this critical work alone. We're here today to ask for the city's active support in protecting our community's future. We propose to continue the collaboration with the City of Bent Community Engagement Team, including dedicated staff at our Bent office, and to help coordinate recurring community conversations. This engagement will ensure that city leadership is consistently informed of the immediate needs and realities of the Latin community. We urge City of Bend to align with other jurisdictions by preparing a formal state of emergency declaration. Increasing financial support for LCA is a critical step in this preparation, as it will allow us to remain responsive and provide essential resources to impacted individuals as we navigate these foreseeable crisis. And finally, LCA author. Additionally, LCA is prepared to lead immigrants' defense rights, workshops for city personnel and partners, strengthening strengthening our collective ability to maintain a safe and inclusive community. And finally, I saw an update of the flock in Bent as the next agenda item. So I'd like to add a verbal request that the city takes into serious consideration the equity impacts and risks of the abuse of data by ICE and DHS. Thank you for your time and consideration. Gracias. Thank you so much, Catalina. And who and who is with you here?

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