The City is holding a public hearing on proposed fee changes at 7 p.m. on June 19 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 710 NW Wall Street, Bend. The proposed fee changes will be effective July 1, 2019.
The City is holding a public hearing on proposed fee changes at 7 p.m. on June 19 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 710 NW Wall Street, Bend. At a work session earlier in June, Council heard a presentation about the 2019-20 proposed fees and charges for 2019-20. These fees are part of the proposed 2019-21 budget. The budget will be considered for approval at the June 19 City Council meeting. Increases include System Development Charges, ambulance charges (the phase-in of fee increases approved by Council in 2017), utility revenue increases (stormwater 3 percent, water 1 percent and sewer 6 percent), and building and planning development fees, 3 percent. The proposed fee changes and lots of other information about the June 19 meeting is attached to the agenda. www.bendoregon.gov/councilagenda Fees help support Bend City Council’s goals, which fall into four categories: 1-Economic Vitality: Housing, Jobs, Managing Growth Strategies increase opportunities for additional housing and land for higher wage employment opportunities. Council has advocated for permitting 3,000 housing units over the biennium. 2-Transportation & Infrastructure Perhaps the most significant impact on the proposed budget is additional funding dedicated to transportation projects that reflect community priorities. 3-Public Health & Safety Strategies aim to preserve current, successful service levels and response times, address crime, increase support for mental health issues and homelessness and build a wildfire resiliency plan 4-Effective & Efficient City Operations City-wide Internal Services account for 10 percent of the total budget which is a decrease compared to 11 percent in the current 2017-2019 biennium. To implement the goals and invest in transportation, this two-year, $873 million budget reflects a 5 percent increase in revenues for the first year and a 4 percent increase for the second. Additional revenues are anticipated from increases in city-wide tax assessed property value as well as the rates and fees that are subject to the public hearing on June 19.