North Bend council adopts 2.5% fee increase, approves July Jubilee expense and permits night water repairs

The North Bend City Council met Jan. 28 at City Hall and approved several routine administrative items, including a 2.5% increase to the city's master fee schedule, authorization of a small council expense for July Jubilee ambassadors, adoption of the consent calendar and a permit for overnight water‑line repair work on Virginia Avenue.

A city staff member told the council the proposed master fee schedule increase aligns with the Social Security Administration's 2025 cost‑of‑living adjustment and follows chapter 2, section 6 of the city charter. The council moved to adopt Resolution 3361, which updates the master fee schedule to raise fees by 2.5% and carried the motion by voice vote.

The council also approved an expenditure not to exceed $95.70 to cover the July Jubilee ambassadors' attendance at the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce State of the City's luncheon whenever that event is scheduled in 2025; the motion was amended during discussion to allow the city to pay the expense regardless of whether the event date remains Feb. 5 or is moved later in the year. Councilors approved the amended motion by voice vote.

Councilors adopted the consent calendar as presented without comment. During the meeting councilors briefly discussed recent local fires and water infrastructure concerns but took no additional action on those topics.

Separately, the council granted the Coos Bay–North Bend Water Board permission to conduct night work on Virginia Avenue to complete a connection to a main and to repave spots where recent leaks occurred. A representative asked the council to allow back‑of‑road night work with the expectation that the Virginia Avenue connection would be finished by about 2 a.m. The representative said Pointe Soo Road would be closed about two hours beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday to repave a repair and that a closure on Newmark would begin at about 11 a.m. to repave another repair near Highway 101. The council approved the permit by voice vote.

At the meeting no members of the public spoke in favor of or opposed to the master fee schedule change during the public hearing; written testimony was entered into the record and provided to the council. City staff confirmed written testimony had been received and made available to members of the council and staff.

Votes at a glance: the council adopted the consent calendar; approved Resolution 3361 to revise the master fee schedule (2.5% increase); approved the July Jubilee ambassadors' luncheon expense not to exceed $95.70; and authorized the Water Board to perform night work and associated temporary lane closures to complete waterline repairs. All motions passed by voice vote.