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Mayor Pro Tem updates HREC on council priorities: traffic (Greenwood), transportation utility fee and tourism tax changes under consideration
Summary
Mayor Pro Tem Perkins briefed the Human Rights & Equity Commission on recent council discussions including traffic-calming on Greenwood, the need to double the transportation utility fee next year to fund street maintenance and a state bill under consideration that could change the allocation and allowable uses of Bend's transient lodging/tourism
Mayor Pro Tem Perkins, the council's liaison to the Human Rights & Equity Commission, told commissioners the City Council has been focusing on mobility, the council-goal framework and funding for streets and services during recent work sessions.
Perkins said council work sessions have spent considerable time on traffic and traffic‑calming options for Greenwood; the council is collecting more data about commute times and impacts on people who drive daily for work or to drop kids at school. "We spent a lot of time talking about traffic, and, particularly everyone's favorite subject, Greenwood," Perkins said, and invited commissioners to share observations about commuters and impacts from specific neighborhoods.
Perkins discussed the transportation utility fee (a fee on water bills used to address a street-maintenance funding gap) and said the residential component is expected to double next year to close a significant shortfall. She said the Bend Economic Development Advisory Board is reviewing the nonresidential component and whether larger businesses should be treated differently so the fee will not disproportionately affect some employers. Perkins noted the city has a utility assistance program for qualifying households.
On tourism tax policy, Perkins described a bill currently in the state legislature that would change how transient lodging tax (TLT) revenue is split and expand allowable uses. She said Bend currently receives about 70% of TLT revenue and Visit Bend receives about 30%; a change in law could flip that split and allow a larger share to be used for infrastructure, road maintenance or public safety. Perkins said staff are engaged with Visit Bend as the city considers potential shifts in allocations and allowable uses.
Perkins also asked the commission whether members would like an overview of the new council-goal framework in a future meeting; commissioners expressed interest in a future discussion. Perkins said the stewardship subcommittee will discuss tourism policy on April 4 and invited commissioners to attend.
Why it matters: Street maintenance, fee structure and transient-lodging tax allocation affect households, businesses and funding for public safety and infrastructure. Changes at the state level could alter local revenue distribution and program eligibility.
What happened next: Commissioners urged staff to gather commuter data (neighborhood and sector-level) and to engage employers and institutions (hospitals, colleges) in reviewing traffic impacts. Perkins asked staff to return with a council‑goal overview at a future HREC meeting.
