STAFF REPORT I. Administration II. Community and Economic Development III. Employment and Training IV. Transportation I. Administration COIC would like to welcome Janel Ruehl, Program Coordinator, to the CED Team. Janel brings to COIC a background in rural community development, natural resources, grant writing, project management, and facilitation. Janel grew up outside Portland, has a B.A. from the University of Oregon, and has worked in California and various locations in Asia before returning to Oregon. II. Community and Economic Development Central Oregon Area Commission on Transportation (COACT) The next meeting of the COACT will be March 8, 2018. The agenda and materials will be posted at the COACT webpage by Thursday, March 1: https://coic2.org/community- development/central-oregon-area-commission-on-transportation/ Ochoco Trails Strategy Group (OTSG) The purpose OTSG is a group of Ochoco National Forest trails users with the Vision to “collaborate to create and maintain a sustainable range of opportunities for non-motorized trail experiences that help protect and enhance the forest resources we all value for future generations.” The group is currently working on developing a “Comprehensive Trail Network Proposal” for consideration by the Ochoco National Forest. The group meets every first Tuesday of the month, and is hosted and convened by the Prineville-Crook County Chamber of Commerce. COIC provides facilitation services for this effort. At their upcoming March 6 meeting, the OTSG will be moving from identifying needs to proposing new trail developments and changes/upgrades to existing trails. Housing for All (H4A) COIC selected Mosaic Community Planning to perform the technical analysis components of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The RHNA aims to identify housing gaps by cohort (e.g. income, occupation, and age groups) across the region and community-by-community, in rental as well as home ownership markets. Further, the RHNA will identify key reasons as to why these gaps exist (by community), and offer potential policy solutions to address the gaps, by community. Staff Report
Transcript
STAFF REPORT
I. Administration II. Community and Economic Development III. Employment and Training IV. Transportation
I. Administration
COIC would like to welcome Janel Ruehl, Program Coordinator, to the CED Team. Janel brings to COIC a background in rural community development, natural resources, grant writing, project management, and facilitation. Janel grew up outside Portland, has a B.A. from the University of Oregon, and has worked in California and various locations in Asia before returning to Oregon.
II. Community and Economic Development
Central Oregon Area Commission on Transportation (COACT) The next meeting of the COACT will be March 8, 2018. The agenda and materials will be posted at the COACT webpage by Thursday, March 1: https://coic2.org/community-development/central-oregon-area-commission-on-transportation/ Ochoco Trails Strategy Group (OTSG) The purpose OTSG is a group of Ochoco National Forest trails users with the Vision to “collaborate to create and maintain a sustainable range of opportunities for non-motorized trail experiences that help protect and enhance the forest resources we all value for future generations.” The group is currently working on developing a “Comprehensive Trail Network Proposal” for consideration by the Ochoco National Forest. The group meets every first Tuesday of the month, and is hosted and convened by the Prineville-Crook County Chamber of Commerce. COIC provides facilitation services for this effort. At their upcoming March 6 meeting, the OTSG will be moving from identifying needs to proposing new trail developments and changes/upgrades to existing trails. Housing for All (H4A) COIC selected Mosaic Community Planning to perform the technical analysis components of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The RHNA aims to identify housing gaps by cohort (e.g. income, occupation, and age groups) across the region and community-by-community, in rental as well as home ownership markets. Further, the RHNA will identify key reasons as to why these gaps exist (by community), and offer potential policy solutions to address the gaps, by community.
H4A membership has grown – we now have representatives from the following sectors: Sector # of Seats Current Member Notes Coordinating Organization 1 Central Oregon
Intergovernmental Council Also represents regional ED
Homelessness 1 Homeless Leadership Coalition Regional State Agencies 1 Regional Solutions Regional Regional Housing Authority 1 HousingWorks Regional – also
represents ED Public Health 2 COHC Housing Workgroup
Crook County Public Health
Regional Prineville/Crook County
Public Safety 1 Local Public Safety Coordinating Council
Crook/Jefferson
Local Government 3 Redmond Housing & Community Development Committee Bend Affordable Housing Advisory Committee City of Madras
Redmond Bend Rural community
Non-profit 2 Sisters Habitat for Humanity Bend 2030
Sisters Bend
Large Employer 1 St. Charles Health System Regional Developers/Builders 2 Central OR Builders’ Assoc.
Hayden Homes
Realtors 1 Central OR Realtors’ Assoc. Federal Agencies 1 Vacant – Political representative
– in progress
Tribal 1 CTWS Housing Authority CTWS Land Use Advocate 1 Central Oregon LandWatch
Staff Report
Local Food & Agriculture: Farm to School Outcomes of 2-year USDA grant COIC completed the Farm to School two year project with the Crook, Redmond and Sisters School Districts. Major outcomes from our work included:
• Monthly meetings with school district administrators to discuss increasing procurement of Oregon grown/raised foods
• $30,000 in supplies were provided to the district’s to help schools be able to feed kids meals from scratch.
• 2016-17 budget for food for Sisters, Redmond and Crook county school districts: o Total costs of food $1,237,547 o Total cost spent on Oregon products: $59,713 (5%) o From the following sources
Direct from farmer/rancher (2) Direct from food processors/manufacturers (5)
o Local food goes into these meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Supper and Summer meals
o The following local foods are purchased • Daily: Milk and baked goods • Weekly: Other dairy • Monthly: Grains and flour • Occasionally: fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts, herbs
• The following were outcomes from our FoodCorps person in Sisters SD o 2323 students participated in taste tests and demos of locally produced foods o 296 students conducted edible school gardening activities as part of a school
curriculum or after school program o 97 students participating in field trips to farms
• Biggest barrier to procurement: o School districts have limited funding and sometimes only one Nutrition Wellness
staff person. These people are overwhelmed as it is and feel they can only make small incremental changes, which impedes progress.
o local food is not necessarily a priority for the Operations Manager who oversee Nutrition staff
Natural Resource Activities Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project The Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project (DCFP) launched a new collaborative effort with stakeholders in the public health sector to explore opportunities to work together to increase public support for the use of prescribed fire as a forest restoration and management tool. Practitioners from within the public health sector convened with forest management and wildland fire fighters in January to begin exploring strategies to address the needs of vulnerable populations who suffer from asthma, heart conditions and other health challenges that make smoke from prescribed fires challenging and even dangerous. While DCFP has long engaged in public outreach, this new effort expands our audience and is specifically designed to assist in creating new strategies to support vulnerable populations through situations of increased smoke intrusions while also increasing broad public support for the use of prescribed fire in forest management.
Staff Report
Wild Horse Sounding Board The first Wednesday of February, COIC convened the Wild Horse Sounding Board with the goal of soliciting diverse feedback to inform the Ochoco National Forest’s Wild Horse Herd Management Plan update. At the February 7th meeting, Sounding Board participants shared their feedback on how to manage “excess” wild horses that have been removed from the herd in order to keep the herd numbers within the Appropriate Management Level (AML) established by the Herd Management Plan. Participants shared ideas about creating new local partnerships to increase local capacity to train and out-adopt wild horses, reducing associated costs and potentially engaging local youth. The Sounding Board does not function as a consensus-based collaborative group; rather participants provide individual feedback to the FS. Members include a wide array of diverse stakeholders, including adjacent land owners, ranchers, wild horse photographers and advocates, and state and federal agencies, such as the BLM and ODFW Deschutes Trails Collaborative Members of the Deschutes Trails Collaborative (DTC) are excited about the group’s potential to support the Deschutes National Forest in sustainably managing trails and recreation on the forest in an era where visitation to the forest has more than doubled in the last 3 years. While still in its early formative stages, the DTC has established three standing committees that are meeting monthly: Leadership Committee, Outreach Committee and Governance Committee. The Leadership Committee is in the early stages of developing a strategic plan to clarify the group’s focus and strategies. The Governance Committee is developing a set of criteria, linked to a sustainability framework that will support the group in prioritizing small-scale projects to support. The Outreach Subcommittee has begun crafting focused messages that clarify the group’s purpose and is also currently discussing an official name for the group that may better reflect its purpose and mission. Recent and Upcoming Project and Program Development Activities Meyer Memorial Trust: Meyer Memorial Trust will be issuing their annual grant solicitation on March 15. COIC is contemplating applications to extend the Equitable Economic Development project and to support Housing For All. Loans
SBA has approved the SBA 504 loan application for Host Industries in Bend. The $1.75 million project will be financed in cooperation with Mid-Oregon Credit Union. Funding is expected in May.
Construction is progressing rapidly on the El Caporal restaurant building in Bend. This $2.5 million SBA 504 project is being financed in cooperation with Summit Bank. COIC conducted a site visit in February.
Staff Report
SBA has approved the SBA 504 loan application for WebCyclery in Bend for the purchase of a building. The $1.2 million project will be financed in cooperation with Summit Bank. Funding is expected in May.
COIC is moving forward on an SBA 504 loan application for a roofing contractor in Bend for the purchase of a building. The $1.1 million project will be financed in cooperation with a loan from First Interstate Bank.
COIC is reviewing a COIC Intermediary Relending Program loan application for Sunrise Pools in Prineville for the purchase of a building. The project will be financed in cooperation with financing from Mid-Oregon Credit Union.
COIC is the preliminary review stage for an SBA 504 project in Redmond for a Central Oregon HVAC contractor.
COIC is the preliminary review stage for an SBA 504 project in Prineville for a Central Oregon aviation products manufacturer.
The COIC EDA expansion loan for Big Ed's Bread in Bend closed on February 16.
The SBA 504 application for BMS Technologies in Bend is moving forward and is in the cost estimating phase. The $4.5 million (estimate) project will be financed in cooperation with Columbia Bank.
COIC is moving forward with the SBA Intermediary Lending Pilot loan application for the purchase of land in White City. The $220,000 project will be financed in cooperation with People's Bank of Commerce. The land is being purchased for the construction of a new building in the near future.
The $4.4 million Transaction Tax Resources project in McMinnville is complete and the SBA 504 loan and bank loan funded in February. The project is being financed in cooperation with Citizens Bank.
The 10.4 million Happy Valley Senior Village project in Portland is complete and staff has begun the closing process for permanent financing. The project is being financed in cooperation with Northwest Bank. Funding is expected in June.
Construction is continuing on the Atticus Hotel project in McMinnville, with permanent financing to be provided by an SBA 504 loan and a loan from Citizens Bank.
Staff Report
III. Employment and Training Central Sub-region Adult Programs New Funding: Work-based Learning The ECWIB has allocated out the Work-based Learning (WBL) funding, and COIC will be managing these funds to create 6 new OJTs and 24 additional training plans (either OJTs or Occupational Skills Training) by June, 2018. The WBL-sponsored OJTs must be matched 2:1 with our regular “formula” WIOA funding, giving us a goal to meet of 18 total new OJTs. The WBL plans require specific attention to eligibility and outcomes, and we’ve enlisted our Employment Department coworkers to help identify businesses that might benefit from and be interested in an OJT. Customers apply for classroom training (Occupational Skills Training) via a scholarship process that begins with WorkSource registration and an appointment with a WIOA Employment Counselor. Layoff Activity: Microsemi has been working with us over the past 9 months in preparation for a layoff in their production area; they will convert the Bend operation to an engineering/design facility. They are offering a generous severance package and are internally transferring as many affected employees as possible. The first layoff group consisted of only 1 person, which speaks to the company’s efforts at retaining staff whenever possible. There will be a second cohort of just 2 or 3 employees laid off in March, and Microsemi’s management has been in touch with us and has developed a good process to work down to the layoff date(s). The Trade Act Unit out of Salem has filed a petition on behalf of the Microsemi employees, and we will all work together to make sure all employees receive information on “next steps” both for a layoff notice and for the likely Trade Act petition approval. WorkSource staff will visit with Microsemi’s targeted layoff group in February, just to prepare them for the layoff process and to share resources with them ahead of time. Apprenti IT Apprenticeship Program: The Department of Labor forecasts a surge of over 1.3 million new computer programming and computer support specialist jobs by 2022. As their needs grow, companies are also struggling to increase diversity among their workforce. Less than 20% of the tech workforce is female; less than 3% is Hispanic or African American, and there are an even smaller number of veterans.
Apprenti, a nonprofit organization, operating on a combination of DOL grants and an Apprenticeship USA grant, taps into this overlooked talent pool by assisting those under- represented in the tech sector. Once accepted, the program provides the training cohort with two to five months of certified technical training followed by one year of full-time, paid (60 – 70% of the typical starting wage for their position), on-the-job training with one of Apprenti’s hiring partners. (Current employers include Microsoft and Amazon.)
In conjunction with the ECWIB and the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO), Apprenti is expanding its unique program to Central Oregon. Employer information sessions were held at OSU Cascades Campus in late September. WorkSource will be the entry point for the program,
which is employer driven to fill anticipated tech positions in the area. The ECWIB issued an RFP to procure a local training provider to work with employers to develop curriculum and to conduct the classroom portion of the training. A provider has been tentatively selected, and the ECWIB is working with them to iron out details from their proposal. Participating employers have mutually identified Software Developer as the first position targeted for training in Central Oregon. Phone screenings of interested candidates will take place in March.
Employment Outlook: The December unemployment rate for Oregon was 4.1, equaling the national rate of 4.1%. Crook County’s unemployment rate, however, continued to be among the highest in the state, at 6.2%. Jefferson County was at 5.3%, and Deschutes County’s rate was 4.1%. Oregon’s economy added 14,700 jobs in December, with the largest gains in Leisure & Hospitality, as well as in Professional & Business Services. Manufacturing was also a leading sector in job growth. (January data was unavailable at the time this report was created.)
As of February 20th, the Employment Department lists 930 open positions in Central Oregon. Youth Education Programs: COIC Work/Education: COIC Youth Work crews are hard at work every week due to a very mild winter at this point. With such low snow totals and mid elevations void of heavy snowpack all 3 crews are firing on all cylinders on various work projects. The majority of the projects on the radar are for the Ochoco USFS Ranger District as COIC has a fairly large agreement for maintenance work there. Crews are busy daily tearing out old structures, repairing and removing fencing around compounds, indoor painting and whatever they can do to help the USFS with facility work. During the winter months the youth also spend a great deal of time building new fences, both wire and wooden; great team building projects. The Redmond crew is now working for the newly acquired Cole Ranch just outside of Sisters; a great opportunity for those youth to learn the value of hard work. COIC will continue to work with the Cole Ranch and have our youth assist in projects as we feel it’s a great partnership. COIC has currently secured summer OYCC funding through the USFS and we’ll once again have Bend, Redmond and Prineville crews out there during the summer for the 8 week partnership with Heart of Oregon Corps and the USFS. COIC is also currently working diligently with USFS staff on securing a new agreement that will fund Bend Fort Rock Ranger District Facilities work for school year crews.
Staff Report
Education and Training COIC’s Youth program is again hard at work at assisting program youth to prepare for work and become more employable. Youth Employment Counselor’s work both one on one and in small group settings assisting with; job search, financial literacy, resumes and interview preparation. Many of these youth are also interested in attending post-secondary and need a mentor to help them get familiarized with the financial aid process such as Pell Grants and Student loans. Another huge component of COIC’s Youth program is setting up appropriate youth in paid work experiences around Central Oregon. COIC has now started working with the Internship Coordinators in Redmond, Bend and Madras to continue to support the good work that Better Together is doing locally. By working with the new Internship Coordinators youth are exposed to more paid internship opportunities aligned with their career interests. COIC has now set up 3 new Work Experiences in Jefferson County alone and another going in Bend. Two of the Jefferson County interns are working with a new I.T. company in Madras called Howling Boy Tech. Both youth are highly career driven in this field and gaining valuable hands on experience that they wouldn’t be exposed to in an entry level position due to lack of experience. COIC will continue to work with Better Together to enhance youth work experience opportunities in Redmond, Prineville, La Pine and Bend. Culver High School Update: Culver High School began sending students to COIC at the end of January. Enrollment will include transportation from Culver to the Redmond COIC classroom. February 20, 2018 Compared with Feb 20, 2017 Table 1 shows enrollment and GED outcomes compared with those of last year on February 20, 2017—the numbers in parentheses are the outcomes and enrollments from last year. The overall pace of enrollment is about the same as last year for La Pine, Redmond, and Prineville; Bend enrollments are higher. GED enrollment and outcomes, however, are higher and reflect the school districts’ earlier identification of appropriate GED candidates. Table 1 Students Referred to COIC from September-February with outcomes compared to same period last year Classroom # Students
Cascades East Ride Center (CERC) Expanding Providers Pool: By March 1st, public agency ambulance providers will be under a blanket purchase agreement to provide non-emergent ambulance rides. As part of this coordination, CERC met with the public agencies and St. Charles Medical Center to organize this service enhancement for clients, which is a component of the new contract with Pacific Source. FEMA Training: CERC attended a recent FEMA training and networked with other community representatives about future disaster development plans for the region.
Cascades East Transit (CET) Meyer Memorial Trust Grant: A final report was submitted to the Meyer Memorial Trust regarding a three-year grant that CET received to improve services and outreach to rural Central Oregon communities. The grant funded the purchase of outreach materials and promotional items, a website update, and outreach staff time. The successful utilization of the grant funding is evident in the ridership numbers over the three-year life of the grant—Community Connector ridership increased by more than 30% since 2015. Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP): Consultants from LSC Transportation Consultants Inc. visited Bend in January to update stakeholders on their progress creating a transit feasibility study for serving high-use destinations on the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests. This study was funded by a successful grant application to the Federal Lands Access Program in 2015 and the results of the study are anticipated to form the backbone of a new grant application to be submitted in April of 2018. .
Staff Report
OSU Cascades Winter Term Rider Appreciation day: CET set up a booth at OSU Cascades on the first day of winter term to distribute group pass stickers and encourage students to ride transit more frequently. CET continues to partner with OSU-Cascade’s Transportation Department to promote transit to students, faculty, and staff.
Ride Bend Stakeholder Meeting: COIC convened a meeting with Ride Bend stakeholders to discuss the CET 2018 service. Staff received feedback on operational improvements, stop locations, and scheduling. A marketing and communications working group was formed to promote the summer shuttle service to hotels, businesses, tourists, and local residents. A technology and innovation working group was also convened to advise the feasibility of integrating new technologies into future services.
508 Compliance Website Update: The CET website was revamped in order to ensure that it continues to maintain Section 508 compliance. Section 508 is the part of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that requires agencies like COIC to ensure electronic communications and IT infrastructure platforms are accessible to people with disabilities. The new revisions allow people with impaired vision to better navigate the CET website.
ODOT Grant Applications: COIC submitted two grant applications to ODOT in January to request funding for the CET for a two-way radio system and for preventative vehicle maintenance. COIC is submitting two grant applications in February to request funding for replacement vehicles and a system that will provide both ADA compliant auto stop announcements and passenger counting.
Staff Report
January 2018 CET statistics Ridership Total Rides: 63,608 (+14.8% change over last January).
Bend Fixed Route: 31,017 rides (+21.2% change over last January)
35,000
40,000
45,000
50,000
55,000
60,000
65,000
70,000
75,000
80,000
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Total CET Ridership
2016
2017
2018
24,000
26,000
28,000
30,000
32,000
34,000
36,000
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Bend Fixed Route Ridership
2016
2017
2018
Staff Report
Community Connector: 10,253 rides (+23.6% change over last January)
Recreation Service: 13,059 rides (+6.3% change over last January)
Net Working Capital 2,949,813 3,825,775 875,962 129.70% *7 Job Training Reserves $274,645 Transportation $2,832,843 Ec. Dev. Planning $57,943 Ec. Dev. Loans $396,962 Building Reserve $258,381 Capital Reserve $5,000
Charges for Services EDA RLF 100,000 58,333 62,223 3,890 106.67% Local Job Creation Fund 2,818 1,644 1,816 173 110.50% Or. Business Development Corp. 169,815 99,059 106,142 7,083 107.15% USDA/Intermediary Relending RLF 60,000 35,000 37,763 2,763 107.89%
Grants/Contracts With Other Agencies State Government
Department of Human Services 1,993,542 1,162,900 929,463 (233,436) 79.93% *1 Oregon Business Development Department 738,000 430,500 380,000 (50,500) 88.27% OR Department of Transportation 1,927,547 1,124,402 1,017,278 (107,124) 90.47% *1 Dept. of Community Colleges & Workforce Dev. 34,080 19,880 0 (19,880) 0.00% Oregon AGORA 6,500 3,792 0 (3,792) 0.00% Oregon Youth Conservation Corp 24,000 14,000 17,705 3,705 126.47% *2
Local Government Deschutes County 433,839 253,073 231,636 (21,437) 91.53% Jefferson County 86,182 50,273 65,183 14,910 129.66% Crook County 87,500 51,042 70,661 19,619 138.44% City of Bend 1,804,488 1,052,618 1,020,478 (32,140) 96.95% Other Local Government 786,041 458,524 365,216 (93,308) 79.65% *1 COCC 30,000 17,500 0 (17,500) 0.00% School District Income 1,211,728 706,841 591,022 (115,819) 83.61% *3
Federal Government Economic Development Administration 75,000 43,750 37,974 (5,776) 86.80% US Dept. of Agriculture 242,452 141,430 123,984 (17,446) 87.66% US Dept. of Transportation 2,033,188 1,186,026 823,258 (362,768) 69.41% *1 Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act 1,402,008 817,838 783,895 (33,943) 95.85%
Cost of Goods Sold Hawthorne Market 51,746 30,185 19,213 (10,972) 63.65% ***SUB-TOTAL*** 7,728,843 4,508,492 4,568,945 60,453 101.34%
Job Training/Services Client
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 249,312 145,432 162,081 16,649 111.45% *8 Back to Work Oregon 19,250 11,229 0 (11,229) 0.00% Department of Human Services 19,793 11,546 450 (11,096) 3.90%
TOTAL MATERIALS AND SERVICES 8,017,198 4,676,699 4,731,476 54,778 101.17% *10
GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES
Financial Statement - Board
PAGE 4CENTRAL OREGON
INTERGOVERNMENTAL COUNCILFISCAL YEAR2017-2018
BOARD APPROVED
BUDGET PRORATED
BUDGET YEAR TO DATE EXPENDITURES
$ VARIANCE
OF PRORATED
BUDGET
% VARIANCE
OF PRORATED
BUDGET FY 17-18 58.33% 1/31/2018 YTD YTD
Capital Outlay
Equipment Furnishings & Equipment 52,000 30,333 55,000 24,667 181.32% Vehicles 1,650,530 962,809 1,226,388 263,579 127.38% Property Improvements 1,077,051 628,280 0 (628,280) 0.00% Real Property 0 0 391,312 No Budget No Budget *13 Proceeds from Sale of Capital 0 -1,825 No Budget No Budget
TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 2,779,581 1,621,422 1,670,875 49,453 103.05%
TOTAL TRANSFERS & CONTINGENCY 3,100,335 1,808,529 0 (1,808,529) 0.00%
Unappropriated Ending Balance
TOTAL GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES 22,335,326 13,028,940 10,990,963 (2,037,977) 84.36%
GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES
Financial Statement - Board
PAGE 5
For the Fiscal Period Ending 1/31/2018
GENERAL FUND RESOURCES LINE ITEM Notation
Department of Human Services, Oregon Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, Other Local Governments
*1
Oregon Youth Conservation Corp. *2
School District Income *3
Employment & Training Managers & Program Coordinator - E&T
*4
Accounting Coordinator *5
School Instructors *6
Beginning Fund Balance *7
Summer Crew Leaders, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Client Training expenditures
*8
Total Personal Services *9
Total Materials and Services *10
Fees and Dues *11
Legal
*12
Real Property *13
Actual to Budget Variance Notations / Explanations
Explanation
Billings occur on either a monthly or quarterly basis. Most funding sources are expense reimbursement grants or contracts.
Billing occurred at the end of the project, which is the end of summer.
The majority of this funding source is applicable to the school year, and is not received in equal monthly payments over the fiscal year.
Program Coordinator - E&T was reclassified to Employment & Training Manager after Kevin Bradley (Youth E&T Manager) retired.
The employee in this position retired at the end of July 2017, this position has been renamed.
The majority of this expense occurs during the school year.
Fiscal Year 2016/2017 has been audited and issued. Beginning Fund Balance has been updated to reflect actual ending Fund Balance for fiscal year 6/30/2017.
The majority of COIC's youth program client training expenditures occur during the summer months.
Overall total materials and services is over budget compared to the prorated budget, however compared to the total budget, materials and services are under budget, and have been trending that way all fiscal year except for December and January. We will watch this category of expenditure and project the trend to revert back to under prorated budget for February through June.
About half of this expenditure to date is due to the Redmond Hub currently under construction. These expenditures are a one time expenditure and are not broken up evenly throughout the fiscal year.
For fiscal year 17/18, COIC is currently working through union negotiations, policy reviews and updates. These current situations have required additional use of legal services.
COIC is currently undergoing construction on the Redmond Hub Transit station.
Overall total personal services is under budget for the fiscal year to date.
Financial Statement - Board
CENTRAL OREGON PAGE 6INTERGOVERNMENTAL COUNCILGENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES
Transferred to Other Funds Operating Contingency 3,100,335 1,808,529 0 0 0 0
TOTAL TRANSFERS & CONTINGENCY 3,100,335 1,808,529 0 0 0 0
Unappropriated Ending Balance
TOTAL SUMMARY 22,335,326 13,028,940 10,990,963 1,980,452 613,440 8,342,809
1/31/2018FOR THE PERIOD ENDING
Financial Statement - Board
CENTRAL OREGON PAGE 7INTERGOVERNMENTAL COUNCIL SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT
FISCAL YEAR2017-2018
BOARD APPROVED
BUDGET
PRORATED
BUDGET
YEAR TO DATE
ACUTAL
$ VARIANCE OF
PRORATED BUDGET
% VARIANCE
OF PRORATED
BUDGET ***RESOURCES*** FY 17-18 58.33% 1/31/2018 YTD YTDBeginning Fund Balance 452,626 454,905 454,905 100.50%Charges for Services Revolving Loan Funds
Program Income EDA RLF 100,000 58,333 62,223 3,890 106.67% Local Job Creation Fund 2,818 1,644 1,816 173 110.50% OR Business Development Corp. 169,815 99,059 98,444 (615) 99.38% USDA/Intermediary Relending RLF 60,000 35,000 37,763 2,763 107.89%
Contracts with Other Agencies Local Government
Deschutes County 0 13,908 No Budget No Budget Jefferson County 21,182 12,356 32,683 20,327 264.51% Crook County 10,500 6,125 32,161 26,036 525.08% City of Bend 35,000 20,417 34,289 13,872 167.94% Other Local Government 30,534 17,812 10,710 (7,102) 60.13%
Grants from Other Agencies
Federal Government Economic Development Administration 75,000 43,750 37,974 (5,776) 86.80% US Dept. of Agriculture 242,452 141,430 81,925 (59,505) 57.93%
State of Oregon Department of Transportation 32,538 18,981 0 (18,981) 0.00% Oregon AGORA 6,500 3,792 0 (3,792) 0.00% Oregon Department of Forestry 0 0 No Budget No BudgetMeyer Memorial Trust 184,000 107,333 154,534 47,201 143.98%Ford Family Foundation 11,203 6,535 11,135 4,600 170.39%COFSF Foundation 66,965 39,063 0 (39,063) 0.00%High Desert Food & Farm Alliance 16,900 9,858 0 (9,858) 0.00%LLI 1,226 715 0 (715) 0.00%Interest on Investments 3,300 1,925 3,384 1,459 175.77%Misc. Non-Profits 101,522 59,221 211,400 152,179 356.97%
TOTAL CURRENT FISCAL YEAR 1,171,455 683,349 824,348 141,000 120.63%
TOTAL RESOURCES 1,624,081 947,381 1,279,253 331,873 135.03%
State of Oregon Department of Human Services 1,290,036 752,521 563,453 (189,068) 74.88% Oregon Business Development Department 738,000 430,500 380,000 (50,500) 88.27% Department of Transportation 1,895,009 1,105,422 1,017,278 (88,144) 92.03%
County and Local Government
Deschutes County 433,839 253,073 217,728 (35,345) 86.03% Jefferson County 65,000 37,917 32,500 (5,417) 85.71% Crook County 77,000 44,917 38,500 (6,417) 85.71% City of Bend 1,769,488 1,032,201 986,190 (46,011) 95.54% Other Local Government 755,507 440,712 354,506 (86,206) 80.44%
Federal Government
US Dept. of Transportation 2,033,188 1,186,026 823,258 (362,768) 69.41%
Central Oregon Council on Aging 60,000 35,000 30,000 (5,000) 85.71%Pacific Source CCO 3,845,125 2,242,990 2,804,555 561,566 125.04%Foundations/Non-Profits 0 57,564 No Budget No Budget
Other Funding SourcesInterest on Investments 8,576 5,003 10,305 5,302 205.99%Misc. Transportation 212,146 123,752 1,014 (122,738) 0.82%Bus Fares 654,766 381,947 688,048 306,101 180.14%Charges for Services 638,531 372,476 22,954 (349,522) 6.16%
TOTAL CURRENT FISCAL YEAR 14,476,211 8,444,456 8,027,853 (416,603) 95.07%
TOTAL RESOURCES 16,762,562 9,778,161 10,860,696 1,082,535 111.07%
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 3,758,698 2,192,574 1,980,452 (212,122) 90.33%
JOB TRAINING ACTIVITIES
Financial Statement - Board
Appendix B
PAGE 10
SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS
BOARD APPROVED
BUDGET PRORATED
BUDGET YEAR TO DATE
$ VARIANCE OF
PRORATED BUDGET
% VARIANCE
OF PRORATED
BUDGET FY 17-18 58.33% 1/31/2018 YTD YTD
Beginning Fund Balance 1,026,064.00 598,537.33 3,938,063.00 2,911,999 383.80%
Resources Revolving loan collections 195,794.00 114,213.17 197,579.35 83,366 172.99% Principal write-off 0.00 0.00 0.00 No Budget No Budget Loan Packaging/Servicing 8,372.00 4,883.67 1,068.99 (3,815) 21.89% Interest on revolving loans 220,168.00 128,431.33 98,595.99 (29,835) 76.77% Interest on investments 8,097.00 4,723.25 4,430.45 (293) 93.80%
Total Resources 1,458,495.00 850,788.75 4,239,737.78 3,388,949 498.3%
Requirements Contract Services 162,818.00 94,977.17 101,802.11 6,825 107.19% Project Advances 0.00 0.00 0.00 No Budget No Budget Business loans 450,000.00 262,500.00 0.00 (262,500) 0.00% Interest on COIC Loans 10,976.00 6,402.67 6,465.17 63 100.98% Principal Repayment 98,206.00 57,286.83 0.00 (57,287) 0.00% Operating contingency 736,495.00 429,622.08 0.00 (429,622) 0.00%
Total Requirements 1,458,495.00 850,788.75 108,267.28 (742,521) 12.73%
Ending Fund Balance $0.00 $0.00 $4,131,470.50 No Budget No Budget
CENTRAL OREGON INTERGOVERNMENTAL COUNCILFISCAL YEAR2017-2018
Financial Statement - Board
Page 11
Capacity Fund Balance as of January 31, 2018
PRIOR YEAR CARRY FORWARD 18,787.61
CURRENT YEAR CONTRIBUTIONSDeschutes County 13,908.00 Jefferson County 3,250.00 Crook County 2,700.00 City of Culver 319.00 City of Prineville 2,182.00 City of La Pine 379.00 City of Metolius 167.00 City of Sisters 541.00 City of Madras 1,420.00 City of Redmond 6,243.00 City of Bend 18,891.00 Dues not used during current year, transferred back to dues account 3,081.92
TOTAL FY17-18 CONTRIBUTIONS 53,081.92
TOTAL FUNDS AVAILABLE FY17-18 71,869.53
BOARD MTGFY 17-18 EXPENDITURES NOTES DATE APPRVD
City/County Needs $7,500.00 08/03/2017Visible Organization - Rebranding $18,000.00 08/03/2017Equitable Economic Development Project $3,750.00 10/05/2017Housing 4 All Regional Housing Needs $2,500.00 11/02/2017Wild Horse Project $2,899.00 02/01/2018Deschutes Water Alliance Development $6,000.00 02/01/2018
TOTAL FY17-18 EXPENDITURES $40,649.00
PROJECTED FUND BALANCE AT 31,220.53 YEAR END
CAPACITY FUND CONSIDERATIONS OTHER CRITERIA
The proposed project is appropriate for COICCreates economies of scale
The project falls within the scope of the COIC purpose statements
Leverages additional resources
The project is of regional significanceSupports regional coordination
CENTRAL OREGON INTERGOVERNMENTAL COUNCILECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JURISDICTIONAL DUES ACTIVITY
Financial Statement - Board
PAGE 12
BUILDING FUNDS
BOARD APPROVED
BUDGET PRORATED
BUDGET YEAR TO
DATE
$ VARIANCE
OF PRORATED
BUDGET
% VARIANCE
OF PRORATED
BUDGET FY 17-18 58.33% 1/31/2018 YTD YTD
Beginning Fund Balance $442,426.00 $258,081.83 $258,381.00 (184,045) 58.40%
ResourcesRental Income 189,985.00 110,824.58 110,688.13 (136) 99.88%Interest Income - 208.16 No Budget No Budget
Total Resources 632,411.00 368,906.42 369,069.13 163 100.04%
TOTAL 1,650,184.16$ -$ 66,703.01$ 1,583,481.15$ 64,937.57$ 788.51$
7/1/2017 1/31/2018
RECEIVABLES Beginning Ending
Balance Increases Decreases Write-Off Balance
Interest 4,921.39 0.00 4,921.39 0.00
Late Fees 0.00 0.00 0.00
TOTAL 4,921.39$ -$ 4,921.39$ -$ -$
PORTFOLIO BALANCE 1,984,249.17$ 1,986,114.45$
7/1 to 1/31/18
7/1 to 1/31/18
CENTRAL OREGON INTERGOVERNMENTAL COUNCIL
FISCAL YEAR: JULY 1, 2017 - JUNE 30, 2018
REPORT DATE: JULY 1, 2017 - JANUARY 31, 2018
Financial Statement - Board
PORTFOLIO STATEMENT INTERMEDIARY RELENDING PROGRAM
BEGINNING SOURCES USES ENDINGBALANCE OF FUNDS: OF FUNDS: BALANCE7/1/2017 7/1 to 1/31/18 7/1 to 1/31/18 1/31/2018
CASH AVAILABLE 662,677.29
Prior Year Interest Receivable 4,401.37Prior Year Fees Receivable 0.00Principal Repayment 124,069.57Repayment Interest 37,306.41Penalty/Loan Fees Income 280.48Invested Interest Income 603.90Charges for Services 37,762.75Receivable - Suttle Lake 7,444.88Rural Development 0.00Notes Transferred To Other Funds 0.00Interest Expense 0.00Loans Advanced 0.00
TOTAL CASH 662,677.29 166,661.73 45,207.63 784,131.39
7/1/2017 1/31/2018
NOTES RECEIVABLE Beginning Principal Principal Ending Interest Fees/
Bend Fixed Route 31,017 Bend 3,450 Rt 1 South 3rd St 5,546 Redmond/Bend 3,360 Mountain Service 13,059Community Connector 10,253 Redmond 2,587 Rt 2 Brookswood 3,055 Prnvll/Redmond 1,419 Lava Butte 0
Recreation Service 13,059 La Pine 498 Rt 3 Newport 3,777 La Pine/Bend 551 Ride the River 0Deviated Service 1,495 Madras 598 Rt 4 N. 3rd St 5,727 Madras/Redmond 2,739 Total Rides 13,059
Service Days Safety & Security Customer Service Weekdays 22 Incidents 0 CET Calls Received 5,415 Total Complaints 39Saturdays (Bend only) 4 Non-Prev Accdnts. 1 CET ADA Denials 0 Total Compliments 4Sundays (Bend DAR only) 4 Prev. Accidents 0Maj. Holidays w/Serv Sat. 0 Injuries 1Maj. Holidays w/Serv Full 0 Maj. Holidays no Service 1
Cumulative Operations Financial Data (January '18 Fiscal YTD ) (not including capital outlay)Bend DAR Rural DAR Fixed Route Comm. Conctr Mtn. Service Ride the River Lava Butte Warm Springs Ride Bend Total
TOTAL of all Service Concern 1 0 0 27 0 1 1 0 1 2 0 6 39
O:\transportation\CET\Reports\CET Program Monthly Management Reports\January 2018 CET Complaint Report.xls
CET Performance Report
Total Calls Received 8,686 Ride Policy Denials-Total 66Number Calls Abandoned 626Percent Abandoned 7.2% 186Total Outgoing Calls 5,339 Not Eligible** 125Average Incoming Calls Per Day 394.8 Unable to Verify Appt 5Average Outgoing Calls Per Day 242.7 Untimely Reimbursement Request 56Average Wait Time (minutes) :58 Other 5
Total Medicaid Rides Provided 10,548 Capacity Denials -Total by Area 37,436 Deschutes Co 01,311 Crook Co 08,747 Jefferson Co 31,457 North Klamath 0
Shared Rides 770 Deschutes County 7,955After Hours Rides 586 Jefferson County 1,037Cancellations 3,209 North Klamath 166No-Shows 282 Out of Area 5Total Trips Scheduled 14,510 Total 10,548Substantiated Provider Complaints 7Substantiated CERC Staff Complaints 2 Other Programs
FlexFund Rides 010 Veterans Program Rides n/a
DHS Special Pay Rides 1Compliments 5Eligible Clients *Unduplicated Clients Served - Ride Req't 1,730% of All Eligible Using NEMT Services *
* Data is not available from the State at this time.
% of Ambulatory Rides Provided by Vols
Unsubstantiated/Inconclusive/Incomplete
**Includes Non-covered service, not medicaid elig, not elig reimb, not closest provider. *** Includes same day and under 48 hour requests
Total Ambulatory Rides Wheelchair Stretcher Secured
Fixed Route Bus Other (all other reasons)
Volunteer Ambulatory-Cent OR
Cascades East Ride Center “Your Transportation Specialist”
JANUARY 2018 Monthly Management Report
TR Policy Denials - Total
Other Ambulatory
CERC Performance Report
CERC CommentsComplaints
Program RuleUnsubstantiated/Incomplete/Inconclusive 0
TOTAL SUBSTANTIATED COMPLAINTS 9TOTAL UNSUBSTANTIATED COMPLAINTS 10TOTAL COMPLAINTS 19 Total Provider Complaints 17 Total Brokerage Complaints 2 Total Program Rule Complaints 0 Total TR Complaints 0Compliments
Provider Complimented 4CERC Staff Complimented 1
TOTAL COMPLIMENTS 5
CERC Performance Report
New Redmond Bus Station Takes Shape Posted: Yesterday At 7:46am by Heather Roberts
REDMOND, OR -- Cascades East Transit is making progress on its new Redmond Transit Hub. Senior Transit Planner Jackson Lester says there were delays that pushed some of the work into winter, but mild weather has allowed construction to continue, a few months behind schedule. "Initially we were intending to complete the project in 2017. Thankfully, we were able to get extensions on our timeline with our grants to be able to bring it into the spring of 2018. We anticipate there will be a 'soft opening' of the site sometime in March."
The new facility is being built near the Redmond Grange and Lowe's, just off Highway 97, which Lester says is more convenient than the current station. Right now, transfers are made at the Redmond Library, downtown, "That means that if you’re going from Madras to Bend, or Prineville to Bend, or Prineville to Madras, you’re connecting buses through Redmond and so, on both ends of that trip you’re having to do that inefficient little detour." Lester tells KBND News the new hub will be more convenient for everyone, "That will give us more flexibility on both ends of all of our community connector routes." There is no fixed-route bus system in Redmond. CET designed the new transit center with amenities said to be more user-friendly, especially for those with disabilities. Lester says even how the buses park will change, thanks to a "saw-tooth" feature, "There are jogs in and out of the curbs so the buses can come and go independently. Whereas, if you have a flat curb, like at the library, the
buses have to stage in the order that they arrive." He says that will make it easier for visually impaired riders to find their bus, because it will park in the same spot every time.
The entire project is expected to cost nearly $1.6 million, the majority of which is covered by grants. Lester expects buses will shift to the new hub in late March, with all amenities installed in time for an April Grand Opening celebration.
Who's Driving 2018: Bend's year of transportation woes...and fixes? BY CHRISTIAN TREJBAL
Head north on Highway 97 in the morning and you can't help but notice
the line of commuters driving into Bend from Redmond. It wasn't like that 15 years ago.
Take to pretty much any street during the height of the summer tourist season and you'll find cars backed up at intersections and roundabouts that used to easily handle the traffic.
Bend's roads are overwhelmed. Some of the busiest local intersections and streets see 20,000 vehicles per day or more. They weren't designed for that.
The year 2018 will be Bend's year of transportation.
City, regional and state planners are figuring out how to ease congestion, make roads safer, serve multiple modes and accommodate future growth. What they decide will shape the community in obvious and subtle ways, and the community has a seat at the table.
"Transportation is like the weather: It's something everyone talks about. Unlike the weather, we can do something about how we manage it," says Joette Storm, vice chair of the Boyd Acres Neighborhood Association.
As one of the city's largest neighborhoods, Boyd Acres has some of Bend's most challenging traffic problems. With apartments going up, businesses expanding, a new sports complex on NE 18th Street and Bend-La Pine Schools program changes, things stand to get worse.
"All those people who drive trucks and deliver goods and services, they know where the snarls are and where the shortcuts are," Storm said.
The city's growth fuels traffic congestion. Since 2000, the city's population has grown from 52,800 people to 86,765 last year. It's forecast to hit 115,000 in the next decade.
"We're kind of in the gangly teenager stage of whom we're becoming as a city," said Katy Brooks, president of the Bend Chamber of Commerce.
Despite a brief dip during the recession, vehicle miles traveled in Bend increased 13 percent from 2010 to 2016, compared to only 8 percent statewide, according to figures collected by the City of Bend.
It's not just growth, though. History and past city councils also are partly to blame for the current state of the transportation network, too.
City Growth Management Director Nick Arnis points to southeast Bend as an example of past decisions creating problems today.
"In southeast, there's a road system that isn't very well connected because of the land use patterns that developed over the years," he said. Subdivisions went in over time, without a lot of thought about how they should interconnect to ensure traffic flows well, he says. Creating better connections between them would improve traffic flow.
Bend Mayor Casey Roats continually points out the city has limited resources and many core services to pay for. Every dollar going to police or fire is a dollar not available for pavement or capital improvements. "We've had to make tradeoffs, and it's fair to say that the transportation system has been shortchanged over the years," he said.
"We're a city that wasn't laid out with a grid system to start," Roats said. "Beyond that you have a river, a railroad and buttes that disrupt potential traffic routes."
The recent expansion of the city's Urban Growth Boundary further increased pressure to take a fresh look at transportation plans.
"Transportation is like the weather: It's something everyone talks about. Unlike the weather, we can do something about how we manage it," —Joette Stormclick to tweet
"Transportation and land use planning go hand in hand," Arnis said. As development occurs in annexed areas, the city must provide infrastructure.
That's an important element for City Councilor Bill Moseley, who says planning and building new roads facilitates construction of new residential units to meet demand. "If we want to keep housing prices in check, we have to make it possible to build homes," he said.
Still, the city's transportation system must match its character. "When we build roads, it impacts livability. I don't think we need giant five-lane roads all over the place," he said.
Transportation planning
This year, pretty much every entity that deals with transportation issues in Bend will update its transportation plan. The city, Metropolitan Planning Organization, Cascades East Transit and the Oregon Department of Transportation all are taking a fresh look at roads.
For the city, it comes down to the Transportation System Plan. The city has tweaked the plan over the years, but the last substantial overhaul was adopted in 2001.
"It's been well over 10 years since we've had a serious discussion with the community about transportation. Given the growth we've had, it's time for another," Arnis said.
Since 2001, the population has grown and the urban growth boundary, which dictates where development can occur, has been expanded. A public transit system has opened. The city fell in love with roundabouts. And large capital projects such as the Bend Parkway and the Healy Bridge were completed.
The city will coordinate with the MPO, also updating its own plan. The MPO is a federally designated transportation planning organization created in 2002 after the city surpassed 50,000 residents. Its borders differ only slightly from the city limits.
"We'll take a lead on looking at what the needs are on the highway system and the major roadway system over the next 10 to 20 years," said MPO Manager Tyler Deke.
Higher up the government ladder, ODOT is looking at highway plans, especially north Bend. Improvements to both U.S. 97 and U.S. 20 are in the works.
U.S. 97 and Highway 20
The U.S. 97 North Bend Corridor plan, now in the planning phase, received a big boost from the Oregon Legislature last year, with $50 million dedicated for improvements at Hwy. 97 and Cooley Road. ODOT hopes to leverage those funds and some from the city to secure federal grants for bigger projects.
"It needs to function for local traffic as well as interstate traffic," ODOT Community Liaison Abbey Driscoll said. "There's a lot happening in our community. Depending on what funding becomes available, it could be a lot more."
On U.S. 20, ODOT is in the design phase for significant improvements between Empire and Greenwood avenues. Changes will include better bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, upgraded signals and an upgraded Empire-Parkway interchange area. ODOT also has funding from the city and a private developer to build a roundabout at U.S. 20 and Cooley Road, where a Fred Meyer is planned. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2019.
Cascades East Transit is also revamping its transit plan in light of funding approved by state lawmakers.
"The [State Transportation Infrastructure Fund] funding will be used for enhanced transit service throughout Central Oregon," said Derek Hofbauer, outreach and engagement administrator for Cascades East Transit. "A robust planning process will begin this spring that will seek input from communities across our region to identify areas that have high potential for new and increased transit services. A main focus of the bill is serving low-income populations."
There's even a private-sector transportation plan in the works. Four westside developers who will build homes on land brought in during the UGB expansion are figuring out how they will handle the traffic, according to Dale Van Valkenburg, director of planning and land use for Brooks Resources.
One risk of so many transportation plans updating at once is that they will wind up contradictory.
What ODOT wants to do with the Parkway might not mesh with the city's vision for moving traffic on and off the highway. MPO's Deke said conversations are underway to ensure everyone's aligned.
"If we have places where there is overlap, we're asking who should do what in terms of the difficult technical work. We're trying not to duplicate efforts," he said. "The intention is that through these planning efforts, we will work with elected officials, with city, county and ODOT staff to have consensus about the issues and not adopt plans in conflict with each other."
The Public's Input
Transportation plans are complicated. Engineers pore over data to figure out not just what changes need to happen today, but what will work in the future.
City officials could just assign staff to develop a plan and run with it, but people today demand more of a voice.
"Everyone's an expert when it comes to transportation," said Brooks Resources' Van Valkenburg.
Environmentalists and mobility advocates would have the city invest heavily in transit, bike lanes, trails and sidewalks—even at the expense of car traffic.
Others view anything but the most modest expenditure on alternative modes as an insult to taxpayers. Just shutting down a few streets to cars for a few hours as part of the popular Open Streets event was dubbed a "war on cars."
The Bend City Council wants to hear from both extremes and everyone in the middle. It's created a 25-member Citizen Transportation Advisory Committee to help shape its—and the MPO's—plans.
Van Valkenburg is one of the 25, bringing not just development expertise but also experience in how the city works. He was a city planning manager during the early 2000s.
Other members of CTAC represent a broad cross-section of the community. Neighborhoods, businesses, advocacy groups and more are represented. The Bend Chamber's Brooks is on the committee, too.
"We really want to make sure that we have our finger on the pulse of what people in Bend are willing to pay for," Mayor Roats said.
Both Roats and Van Valkenburg likened CTAC to the Sewer Infrastructure Advisory Group, on which both served. The city formed that committee a few years ago to tackle an equally challenging and technical issue.
It worked so well, that the city used the model a second time, with the urban growth boundary expansion.
"It's a unique Bend kind of thing," Van Valkenburg said. "The committees create opportunity for conversation and compromise. The UGB expansion would never have happened the way it did without this approach."
Roats said that the committee will be able to review all of the ideas the public has—with the help of experts—and figure out which ones are feasible for Bend.
Not everyone is a fan of the CTAC, though. Moseley voted against it based in large part on the cost. The city will spend more than $1 million on a facilitator and related services for the committee to complete its work over the coming months.
"If you want to list the top 20 intersections in town that need to be fixed, you don't need a committee for that. People drive them daily and complain about them," he said. "I hope we don't spend our time on a lot of dialogue for things that are obvious."
CTAC won't be the only group looking for transportation solutions. Move Bend, an arm of the community engagement coalition, Bend 2030, is aiming to "educate, engage and empower residents," as the group's treasurer, Lou Capozzi, put it. It will hold listening sessions and other events to hear from as many people as possible. The group counts about 30 organizations as coalition members including Bend Park and Recreation District, Deschutes Brewery, Mt. Bachelor, St. Charles Medical Center and Oregon State University–Cascades. Capozzi also serves on CTAC.
Move Bend is seeking government financial support for its work in the form of a $20,000 grant from the MPO. The MPO Policy Board has asked the group to revise its application and will make a determination in the coming months.
"We come at this from a completely dispassionate and independent point of view. We also represent a broader range of community input than anyone else in town," Capozzi
said. "The first step in building confidence and a positive attitude in the community is to ask their opinion."
Paying for roads
Building public confidence will be key, if the city hopes to pay for roads. Voters in 2016 overwhelmingly rejected a gas tax for transportation.
Councilor Moseley suggests residents lack trust in the city's ability to manage expensive projects. He points to the Reed Market Road project, which didn't deliver everything the public thought it would get, and street maintenance funds, which after years of the city's "crying poor" suddenly materialized, as contributing to the mistrust.
He added that transportation capital needs are much greater than a few million dollars for repairs. "We have a backlog of $250 million of new construction that needs to be done," Moseley said. "Voters have to decide if they want to pay more property taxes. Otherwise, we aren't going to have these roads."
Mayor Roats agreed that the city must rebuild trust with voters. "There is not enough political capital on city council—on any city council in a long time—to make the heavy lift. If there were, we would have already made the investment," he said.
The city charges developers about $5,200 per home they build to help pay for new roads, bridges and other improvements. Those transportation system development charges generate only $6-7 million per year, far short of what's needed.
"SDCs are not very stable. In good times, we bring in a lot of revenue. In the downturn, we weren't bringing in much money, and we were barely covering our debt," Arnis said.
Other options for funding include a bond measure, fees and another try at the gas tax. How much money the city might seek will depend on what projects and plans come out of the CTAC and other community outreach efforts.
Storm at the Boyd Acres Neighborhood Association hopes the funding strategy that emerges is spread around.
"How do tourists contribute to the maintenance and updates? We want the City Council to figure that out," she said.
Nearly 20 years ago, the city went in big on roundabouts, and they've become a special element of the city's character. What happens this year will determine the next big innovations.
"It's going to be an amalgamation of a lot of different needs and not a lot of money, so there will be a certain element of creativity to this, of figuring out solutions that are sustainable to keep Bend moving," Brooks of the Bend Chamber said. "It will be silver buckshot rather than a silver bullet."
