Bend MPO budget committee recommends FY 2026 budget, sends package to policy board

The Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) budget committee on Wednesday reviewed its proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget, recommended it for adoption by the MPO policy board and set an April 18 policy-board review date.

The committee’s discussion centered on funding sources and timing, use of reserves, distribution of COVID-relief awards and several planning priorities for FY 2026, including an update to the Transportation Safety Action Plan, maintenance of the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP) and a transition to an activity-based travel model intended to better capture transit, bike and pedestrian trips.

Why it matters: The MPO coordinates transportation planning and distributes roughly $1.4 million in federal and state transportation funds to member jurisdictions and projects in the Bend area. Decisions about how to reserve and spend those funds affect street preservation, pedestrian and bicycle safety projects, transit stops and other locally delivered work.

Most of the meeting was devoted to budget detail and timing. MPO staff explained that the MPO receives federal funds from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, state match funding from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and occasional grant awards. A recent change in the statewide distribution formula has boosted the MPO’s anticipated federal receipts for FY 2026, staff said. Staff also noted the current federal surface transportation…