Deschutes County residents press commissioners for urgent action after Rickard Road encampments

Residents and neighbors of several encampments southeast of Bend told the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on May 5 that they are alarmed by recent illegal camping on county parcels and urged faster action to clear sites and prevent reoccupation.

Tom Dimon, a resident who said his property backs the Rickard Road tax lot, told the board he and a community group of roughly 200 neighbors have documented needles, smoldering campfires and piles of garbage since campers moved onto the county parcel. "Fear, anxiety, and anger are universal human emotions," Dimon said, and asked the board to set a firm timeline for closure and post-clearing controls, including signage, perimeter fencing and stepped-up sheriff—s patrols.

The call for immediate action came amid a larger discussion about the results of recent clearings at China Hat Road. County officials and multiple speakers warned that removing camps from one site without established pathways into housing can displace people into other unauthorized locations. Commissioner Adair summarized that approach bluntly: "we've been dealing this for with this for a couple years now," and said the county has been trying to build pathways out of homelessness even as capacity remains insufficient.

Why it matters

Speakers voiced two overlapping concerns: public-safety risks from fires and hazardous debris on or near private property, and a lack of near-term housing or shelter options for people who are encamped. Neighbors described exploding propane canisters and vehicle fires migrating from forested U.S. Forest Service lands onto county easements. Several residents said the recent removal of camps on national forest land has pushed RVs and trailers onto the county easement at China Hat and adjacent parcels at Rickard Road, placing encampments closer to homes.

What the board and staff will do next

Eric Cropp, deputy county administrator, and Christy Bollinger, Deschutes County property manager, told the board they would prepare a staff report and bring options back on Wednesday, May 7, as an add-on agenda item. Bollinger said staff will present options for the county-owned parcels, and Cropp said, "staff can bring back options for the board for board discussion and consideration" including policy choices or actions for county parcels where overnight camping is not allowed.

Discussion and public requests

Speakers asked the county for specific, time-bound commitments. Dimon asked when the parcels would be formally closed and, if closure could not happen within days, whether the county would take alternative steps he and neighbors view as urgent. Other requests included: - clearer and faster enforcement of parking and camping ordinances on county easements; - permanent measures to prevent reoccupation (signage, access control and fencing); - stepped-up sheriff—s patrols; - clearer communications to neighborhood residents about timelines and enforcement plans; - outreach to houses of worship and social-service providers to discourage directing people to property that does not allow camping.

Multiple speakers said they want people helped rather than criminalized. Christina Hall, a resident of Tall Pine Avenue, asked the county to use money now spent repeatedly clearing camps for housing and services: "All of the money that is wasted clearing these camps every single time could be put towards actually housing those people," she said.

County and partner efforts noted

County officials and nonprofit partners described several parallel efforts. Commissioners and staff cited temporary safe-stay areas north of Bend, a managed camp being developed in East Redmond that staff said may open by November, and the City of Bend—s HUD-funded projects such as units at the Old Mill Inn and Suites and other supportive-housing placements (staff reported some people from China Hat moved into those projects). Staff also said there is private land — a nine-acre parcel near the Ward-Hamby roundabout — where owners have offered to host managed outdoor shelter or safe parking if rezoning and permitting are expedited.

Safety and fuels work

County staff described the broader Cabin Butte fuels-reduction project on nearby Forest Service land and said fuels treatment should reduce ignition risk in the long term, but reiterated that moving encampments off of treated forest land has shifted the immediate ignition risk into other locations near private property.

Public comments and participation

County staff said the board will add the topic to Wednesday—s agenda so the public and interested parties can submit written comments ahead of that meeting. Bollinger said staff will prepare a staff report and a poster listing eligible participants and remand topics for the public hearing process as appropriate.

What was decided

The board did not adopt a new policy or order at the May 5 session. The board directed staff to return on Wednesday, May 7 with a staff report laying out options for county-owned parcels, enforcement choices, and any recommended short-term measures. That item will be published as an add-on to the Wednesday agenda and will include a public-notice process for written comments.

Next steps & how to follow up

County staff said they will post the staff report and supplemental materials ahead of the Wednesday meeting and advised residents to submit written comments by email if they cannot attend in person. Staff also asked residents to use the county—s published channels so those comments can be included in the record ahead of deliberations.