Bend staff outline data-driven plan to revamp nonresidential transportation fee

City staff on Jan. 9 told the Visitor Development Advisory Board they plan to pair business-registration NAICS codes with Institute of Transportation Engineers trip-generation data to reclassify nonresidential accounts and set a tiered transportation fee aimed at adoption this summer.

The project team said the goal is administrative predictability and fairness: "what we're trying to do is really move towards, getting this fee adopted in July," Sarah Hudson, senior policy analyst and project manager for the Transportation Fee Project, said at the meeting.

Staff said the current Phase 1 system charged by square footage and produces about 2,300 commercial utility accounts. "We have, you know, close to 2,300, commercial accounts," Hudson said, noting the average current commercial bill is about $80 per month and the median is roughly $45 per month. Most accounts are small by area: about 96% are under 50,000 square feet, roughly one‑third under 5,000 sq. ft., and about two‑thirds under 10,000 sq. ft.

Why it matters: staff and consultants argued that pairing NAICS business-use codes with ITE trip-generation rates creates a…