City Administrator release - The City of North Bend held a public town hall on Monday night at the North Bend Community Center to provide residents with clear, factual information about several major city topics, including City finances, the proposed Public Safety Fee increase, the pool levy, Public Works, the Urban Renewal Agency workforce housing project, and a proposed charter amendment. City leaders said the purpose of the meeting was to help residents better understand how the City operates, what issues it is facing, and what decisions may lie ahead. For residents who were unable to attend, the City has posted videos, overview materials, a Frequently Asked Questions document, and topic-specific public input polls online. The materials are now available on the City’s Facebook page, YouTube channel, and news page on the City website. In addition to the presentations themselves, each topic includes a short Menti poll with three questions designed to gather public feedback. City officials are encouraging residents to review the materials and share their input, noting that the polls will remain open for two weeks. Residents with additional comments or questions can also contact the City through the online form at northbendoregon.gov/contact. City staff are also compiling the questions submitted during the town hall, and responses to that batch will be posted online once they are completed. The first presentation focused on City finances, which city officials described as the foundation for understanding many of the other issues discussed that evening. Finance Director Jeff Bridgens reviewed the City’s current financial condition, cost pressures, revenue limitations, and long-term budget outlook. For North Bend taxpayers, this matters because City finances affect the level of service residents can expect in areas such as police, fire, parks, and administration, as well as the City’s ability to keep up with infrastructure and future needs. The City’s FAQ explains that the General Fund supports everyday services and that rising costs are outpacing some available revenues, making budget trade-offs an important public issue. Residents can review the finance presentation online and answer three related poll questions about service priorities, budget gap strategies, and which impacts would concern them most if the City cannot keep pace with rising costs. The second topic was the proposed Public Safety Fee increase, presented by Police Chief Cal Mitts. According to the City’s materials, the current Public Safety Fee is $15 per month, and the proposed measure would increase it by $5, to a total of $20 per month. The FAQ says that if approved, the increase would provide an estimated $285,120 in annual police funding and help support core police services, patrol visibility, emergency response capacity, and a detective position focused on narcotics and criminal investigations. This topic is important to taxpayers because it directly involves the cost of local government services and how North Bend chooses to support public safety. Residents can watch the presentation online and respond to three poll questions focused on public safety priorities, information they still want explained, and what should be the highest priority if additional police funding is limited. The third presentation covered the North Bend Municipal Pool levy, led by Parks and Facilities Manager Aaron Bixler. City materials explain that the levy helps support pool operations, including staffing, utilities, and chemicals, while major one-time repair work has been funded separately through grants and private support. The FAQ also notes that the pool serves more than 1,000 users each week, including public swimmers, organized groups, swim teams, and the Coast Guard, and that current operating funding expires in 2026. This issue is important to taxpayers because it involves the future of a heavily used public facility and how the community wishes to support recreation, wellness, and water safety going forward. Residents can now review the pool presentation online and answer three poll questions about what value of the pool matters most, what information they want explained more clearly, and what principles should guide future funding decisions. The fourth topic was Public Works, presented by Public Works Director Ralph Dunham. The City’s materials describe Public Works as a broad service area that includes streets, storm drainage, wastewater, engineering, planning, building functions, and related infrastructure work. For taxpayers and ratepayers, this topic is especially important because it affects both day-to-day quality of life and the long-term cost of maintaining essential systems. The City’s Public Works materials note that North Bend maintains 57 miles of paved roadways, 28 miles of storm drainage piping, and 51 miles of sanitary sewer, while also facing aging infrastructure, expensive repair costs, and major upcoming projects such as the Broadway Avenue sanitary sewer project and completion of a stormwater master plan. Residents can review that presentation online and complete three poll questions on Public Works service priorities, infrastructure topics that need clearer explanation, and which principles should guide future infrastructure decisions. The fifth presentation provided an update on the Urban Renewal Agency workforce housing project at the former Coos County Courthouse Annex site, presented by City Administrator David Milliron. City materials describe the project as a workforce housing concept intended to serve local working households such as teachers, nurses, first responders, and other employees important to the community. The FAQ explains that the site is being considered because it is located in downtown North Bend, near businesses and services, and could support both housing needs and downtown vitality. The City also notes that the project is still in the planning and preparation stage, with more work still required before demolition or construction could move forward. This topic matters to taxpayers because it involves the future use of a public site, long-term community planning, housing availability, and downtown redevelopment. Residents can now review the project materials online and respond to three poll questions about perceived community benefits, information they want clarified, and what planning priorities should come first. The final presentation covered the proposed charter amendment measure, presented by Mayor Jessica Engelke. According to the City’s materials, the proposal would update several governance and administrative provisions, including extending the mayor’s term from two years to four years, changing the title from “City Administrator” to “City Manager,” clarifying council procedural rules, and updating vacancy and removal procedures. The City’s FAQ stresses that the title change would only change the title, would not create a new position or expand the job, and would not add any new cost to the City. This topic is important to taxpayers because it concerns how local government is structured, how city leadership functions administratively, and how the charter reflects current governance practices. Residents can review the charter presentation online and answer three poll questions about which parts of the measure need more explanation, which changes seem most significant, and what should matter most when the City updates its charter. City officials said the town hall was designed to be informational, not advocacy-driven, and to give residents a chance to hear directly from the people who manage these city functions every day. For those who were unable to attend, the posted materials are intended to make the same information broadly available after the event. The City is encouraging residents to review the presentations, read the supporting documents, and complete the three-question polls attached to each topic. Those materials can be found at the City’s Facebook page, YouTube channel, and website news page: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthBendOregon/; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CityofNorthBendOregon; Website: https://northbendoregon.gov/news. Residents with comments or questions may also contact the City at northbendoregon.gov/contact.