Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Bend public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
3 issues in water utilities with high priority
Outback Well Improvements
The city is close to buying 48 acres of Forest Service land next to its key water treatment facility, needed for a pretreatment facility and possibly in-conduit hydropower. Two related items come to council May 20.
Small business water billing
A Wall Street shop owner says duplicated water meters force him to pay $1,885 a year extra; council sent him to staff for help.
Electric grid capacity and HB 2021 compliance
Pacific Power told council Bend is one of its fastest-growing service areas (7.75 megawatts/year) and that all-electric new homes could add up to 6.7 megawatts of demand annually. The utility's shift to clean energy under HB 2021 is behind pace, and federal tax-credit changes raise cost questions — which is why the fee design has built-in flexibility and check-ins.