Council approves $46,400 contract for North Bend Downtown Foundation to run 2026 events

The City Council on June 2 authorized a one-year contract, not to exceed $46,400, with the North Bend Downtown Foundation to manage a slate of downtown events in 2026, including an inaugural Fourth of July parade, a downtown block party, Trick-or-Treat Street, and holiday lighting.

Mr. Henderson, presenting the item, said the foundation secures sponsorships, in-kind support, and volunteers to run events and that the proposed 2026 contract is generally the same level of support the city provided in 2023 except for funding specific to the parade. "The proposed contract will provide City of North Bend support for the following events ..." Henderson said, noting that the downtown foundation leverages city contributions to attract additional sponsorship revenue.

Earlier public commenters, including Buana Mastrianes (owner of Masana's Distillery & Winery) and Deborah Landers (North Bend Art and Industry), spoke during audience participation in support of the downtown foundation’s role promoting new businesses and coordinating community events. Mastrianes said the foundation’s outreach and event promotion were instrumental in her business opening and early success.

Council asked for a clearer scope of services for the Fourth of July parade after Reviewing Appendix A; a councilmember asked that the parade description be expanded to describe services, estimated duration, and deliverables to avoid gift-of-funds questions. Staff and a foundation representative (Jessica Self, executive director) agreed to update the contract language to add specifics for the parade scope.

Councilmember Susan Torus moved approval of AB26-057 and the motion passed unanimously.