Mayor urges coordinated approach with Deschutes County as managed camp readied

Mayor (speaker) opened discussion of a potential capacity‑building partnership with Deschutes County, saying Phil offered three options: expanding the managed camp, establishing a safe space north of the camp, or transferring county land to the city. “But, basically, Phil came up with 3 potential solutions,” the mayor said, adding that the city should not “just dump it on the county without any discussion of how this is gonna work.”

Council members pressed for firm commitments from the county rather than recurring, nonbinding conversations. A council member who had attended regular county meetings said those gatherings “don't ever make a firm decision… and they pass the buck,” and urged the city to seek a true, implementable agreement before adopting county proposals.

Public‑safety concerns framed much of the exchange. The mayor cited recent weekend fires near county property slated for transfer and said unmanaged sites are increasing criminal and quasi‑criminal conduct that threatens nearby neighborhoods. The city’s fire representative warned of operational strain, saying, “we have 16 firefighters on duty every day. And for 5 hours, we had all of them on the any any East Antler,” which temporarily left portions of the district uncovered.

The liability question was central. City staff and councilors said three proposals to run the managed camp had previously been rejected because of liability concerns; the county has signaled it will accept liability for the managed camp so a manager can be selected. The mayor said that, as a result, “we should have a managed camp up and running by June.” Councilors urged coordination so the opening of the managed camp aligns with any closures or clearing of other sites.

Councilors also described existing shelter capacity and constraints. Dan (speaker) reported outreach to local providers and said Shepherd’s House, Bethlehem Inn and Oasis Village currently have some openings, while Safe Parking has a small number of spaces; he and others noted that limited case management and funding constrain how many people can be served. “There are resources currently available for anybody who's East of Redmond that wants to get help,” Dan said, while cautioning that demand and daily calls for service in the area have risen.

Speakers repeatedly raised enforcement and jurisdictional clarity: who would enforce rules on county land — the county sheriff or the city police — matters for whether rules will be effective and equitable across borders. Several councilors said the county should mirror the city’s camping rules so enforcement does not simply push problems to neighboring areas.

The council agreed to monitor how the situation plays out over the summer, coordinate closely with county leadership and avoid immediate commitments to take on county parcels until the managed camp is staffed and operational. The mayor noted the city has invested more than $1 million in the East Side campus and emphasized that staff will continue to coordinate with the county and report back.

The council did not take a formal vote on county property or transfer at this meeting; members asked staff to continue coordination and provide updates as the county moves toward manager selection and site readiness.