North Bend council approves submission of two Oregon Main Street grant applications after staff explains review process

The North Bend City Council authorized staff to submit two applications to the 2025 Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant, directing priority to projects aligned with city strategic goals for downtown revitalization, business growth and infrastructure improvements.

Councilor Jones moved to approve submission of both applications and Councilor Hamilton seconded. After extended discussion about the application review process and an apparent internal staff confusion over a late acquisition-focused application, the council approved the staff recommendation by voice vote; the record states one councilor recused but does not name that member.

City Administrator (unnamed in the transcript) and the Main Street manager, Miss Wilson, described how applications are vetted: a committee of roughly four to five people (one representative from each Main Street subcommittee) conducts an initial review for larger projects, followed by final approval from the Main Street board before recommendations are presented to the council. Miss Wilson identified committee members for this cycle as Bill Richardson (design committee), Lexi Woodward (economic vitality committee), Macy McCurdy Jones and Derek Tun; board members named were Kristen Collier, Tara Moore, Barb Dunham, Andrew Brainard, Janet McCray and Derek Tun.

Council discussion focused on several issues: an eleventh-hour, standalone application that proposed using grant funds toward acquisition (staff expressed concern because a state grant that subsidizes purchase could leave the city without leverage over subsequent development); inconsistent internal communications while a staff member was on vacation; and the question of ex parte contacts between applicants and individual councilors. The city administrator said staff-level communications led to the confusion and recommended the council decide whether to submit both applications. The administrator also said the state’s available award size for this cycle had increased from about $200,000 to $400,000 because of additional lottery dollars and a larger funding pool.

The council was advised that if the applications are selected by the state, any resulting contracts would be returned to the governing body for approval. The transcript includes an example of a past award in Reedsport that funded multiple roof repairs as a model of the program’s use. No timeline for state selection or contract execution was given on the record.