The Redmond City Council voted to approve an intergovernmental agreement with Deschutes County to build a managed camp on county-owned land north of Oasis Village, adjacent to Highway 126 and the Redmond Air Center. The agreement calls for the county to contribute $281,000 in capital and the City of Redmond to contribute $250,000 for infrastructure; the county also agreed to seek up to $250,000 per year for operations for the first two years, funded from ARPA dollars.

The agreement covers a 45-acre site where the county owns roughly six acres. Keith, a city staff member who summarized the proposal to the council, said the initial camp buildout would create 36 spots with four quadrants planned to support up to 72 when fully built out. He said planned services include shared water and power, trash pickup, porta-potties, case management and a baseline of security, with the county managing contracting and insurance since it will be county land.

The council discussion focused on funding certainty and scope. Councilor Jay said the proposal was “far from a long term fix” and warned it could place “a long term financial burden on the Redmond taxpayer” if operational funding lapses. City staff and other council members said the city’s capital contribution is a one-time expenditure and that the county’s operational commitment is an intent to allocate funds in “good faith” for two years.

Council members also cited local interests beyond county priorities: city staff noted an ongoing conflict on Seventeenth Street between people living in public rights-of-way and adjacent industrial businesses, and said the camp would offer an option to relocate some of those individuals away from business access corridors.

The council moved and passed the motion to approve the IGA. During the vote there were two recorded opposing votes; one councilor who spoke earlier against the plan was identified in the transcript as Jay. Staff noted the county will run a formal RFP to select a camp services provider and that a code of conduct and intake process will be completed ahead of opening, aimed at a December target for initial operation.

The council’s action authorizes the city’s one-time capital contribution and affirms participation in planning and coordination with the county, but operational funding beyond the county’s two-year ARPA commitment remains subject to future budget decisions by Deschutes County.