Bend City Council Meeting – January 28, 2026

The Bend City Council met on January 28, 2026, with the mayor absent at a conference. The meeting featured a presentation by consultant Ben Duncan on the city's equity program structure, followed by a discussion on transportation standards and an update on the Hawthorne Bridge project. No consent calendar or public testimony was heard.

Discussion Items

Equity Program Structure

• Ben Duncan, from Kearns West, presented findings and recommendations from the city-contracted review of its equity-related functions. Key findings included strong existing core functions but a need for more centralized oversight, clear decision-making authority, and consistent implementation across departments. Duncan recommended four high-level areas: embedding equity into decision-making, balancing centralized oversight with decentralized implementation (a “hub and spoke” model), building organizational capacity through tools like the AIM (Assumptions, Impacts, Measures) framework, and embedding community engagement as a core function.
• City Manager Eric outlined an implementation plan: moving the equity and accessibility program into the city manager's office, formalizing equity liaison roles in departments as “spokes,” using the AIM tool across all departments (initial focus on four council-identified areas: water rates, wildfire mitigation, home committee, and growth plan), and adding a community engagement position. Eric also proposed expanding Ben Duncan’s contract to help refine the purpose of the Human Rights and Equity Commission (HREC).
• Council members discussed the need for internal buy-in from departmental leadership, the importance of supporting the new equity director (the fourth person in this role), and the risk of equity work becoming performative. Councilor Francesa suggested having Ben Duncan provide periodic independent progress reports to council. Councilor Perkins proposed adding an equity impact analysis section to council issue summaries, while Councilor Norris cautioned against superficial use of checklists and suggested a phased on-ramp for mandatory equity reviews.
• Councilor Mendez raised the need for a review of identity-based investigation processes within the city. Eric confirmed this would be done in the next 12 months, involving the DEIA task force and HR.
• Council agreed to a joint meeting with the Human Rights and Equity Commission in March to discuss their role and relationship with council, with some members suggesting rotating council representation at HREC meetings.

Transportation Standards Update

• Operations Chief Russ, Assistant City Engineer Janet Ruby, and City Engineer Ryan Oester presented on the process to update transportation standards, focusing on lowering speeds, improving safety, and addressing community concerns. Three key policy areas were discussed: speed reduction, cut-through traffic, and street section design.
• Council expressed strong support for lowering speed targets: 20 mph on local streets, 25 mph on collectors, and 30 mph on arterials (with design speeds set accordingly for new roads). Councilor Perkins emphasized a combination of engineering, education, and enforcement. Councilor Riley supported education over enforcement. Councilor Norris noted that simply lowering posted speed limits does not change driver behavior and that physical changes are needed.
• On cut-through traffic, council supported expanding analysis and tools beyond bike/ped safety to address excessive vehicle traffic, as seen in Wood River Village.
• For street sections, council directed staff to develop a 50-foot local street standard and a car-free (woonerf) standard. On arterial and collector streets, council preferred moving bike facilities off-road (behind the curb) and narrowing lane widths (from 11 feet) to improve safety and aesthetics, informed by research. Councilor Perkins stressed working within existing right-of-way when possible, and Councilor Norris emphasized flexibility in retrofit situations (e.g., Franklin Avenue).
• On intersection forms, council directed staff to explore a preferred standard (e.g., protected roundabouts) with community input, but did not make a final selection due to time constraints. Councilor Mendez requested data on the performance of recently built intersections like Wilson and Third. Councilor Norris highlighted the need to consider pedestrians with visual impairments in design.
• Staff will conduct workshops with engineers, emergency services, transit, school district, freight, advocacy groups, and the public, with a council work session in late summer, public comment in fall/winter, and adoption in spring 2027.

Hawthorne Bridge Update

• Project manager Garrett and city staff presented an update on the Hawthorne Avenue bridge project. The project is largely federally funded ($32 million) with a $1 million General Obligation Bond contribution. The preferred concept for street-level improvements on Hill to Harriman (west side) is a “promenade” (one-way westbound with on-street parking and a shared pedestrian/bicycle space), which received the most public support at a December open house (~200 attendees).
• The bridge alignment has been shifted to a more centered position to create a “people street” concept underneath, but this requires addressing traffic network connectivity in the superblock bounded by Franklin, Greenwood, First, and Third streets. Staff are in conversations with property owners (including the developer of the northeast corner and the bottle drop business) about temporary driveway access until redevelopment, and are exploring improvements to Irving and Greeley streets to maintain east-west connections. Council expressed support for the promenade and noted the potential for the bridge to connect Drake Park to Juniper Park.
• The design schedule is tight due to federal funding deadlines: concept and cost estimates in April, Geobond budget discussion in May-June, council update in July, design completion in August, construction starting late 2027 to early 2028. Council approved the direction and requested continued engagement.

Key Outcomes

• Council directed the city manager to proceed with implementing the equity program structure recommendations, including hiring a new equity director in the city manager's office, formalizing departmental equity liaisons, expanding the AIM tool, and adding a community engagement position. Ben Duncan’s contract will be expanded to assist with HREC purpose and recruitment. Council will receive independent progress updates from Duncan.
• Council agreed to add an equity impact analysis section to council issue summaries, with a phased approach to avoid performative use.
• Council directed a review of identity-based investigation processes within the city, to be completed within 12 months.
• Council scheduled a joint meeting with the Human Rights and Equity Commission for March 2026.
• On transportation standards, council provided direction on speed reduction targets, cut-through traffic mitigation, and street section design (narrower lanes, off-street bike facilities, car-free standards). Staff will proceed with community engagement and return with a final proposal in spring 2027.
• For the Hawthorne Bridge, council endorsed the promenade concept and centered bridge alignment, and directed staff to continue design and community engagement, with budget decisions in May-June 2026. The project remains on schedule.