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Bend Chamber Weekly
August 22, 2008
By Courtney Linville, Communications Coordinator
This
Week's Highlights....
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UGB
Deadline pushed back again
The due date
for the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) has been pushed
back yet again. The City Council received the word
from the Bend Planning Commission during Wednesday’s
work session.
Despite meeting weekly, Bend Planning Commission Chair
Cliff Walkey told councilors the late August early
September timeline originally set in June by the
council was very
ambitious. The commission has found there is
additional information needed to identify
alternative boundary locations.
The Planning Commission could potentially have the UGB
plan completed by October 6 with a presentation to
the city council by November. Walkey says he hopes
to have three or four maps before both the city and
county planning commissions prior to a presentation
for the city council.
“(We) have a lot better idea now than in July about how
much work is left,” said Walkey. “In early November,
we can make the presentation to you about what the
preferred alternative looks like.”
The councilors were generally supportive of the
recommendation by the planning commission. Though
many expressed they would have like to have seen
the UGB sooner.
“I‘d like to see it, but I’d rather see it done right,”
said Councilor Mark Capell. “At this point in time,
I’d rather have you say to me 'here is an exact time
I’ll have it to you by,' than have you slip another
date.”
Mayor Bruce Abernethy requested an update of where the
process was at the moment so he can answer to
constituents. Community Development Department Long
Range Planning Manager Brian Shetterly reported the
commission has been looking through various items
including transportation analysis, capacity for
public works, and all costs relative to
infrastructure.
With the public clamoring for more information about
the completion of the UGB process, the commission
stands firm it needs the time to make the options
legally defendable to uphold against fierce
scrutiny. Walkey and Shetterly told councilors the
longer amount of time will make this possible.
“In the long run, if we take the time upfront to
(complete the work), it shortens the time of appeal
for any potential lawsuits that happen after the
decision is made,” said Councilor Linda Johnson.
“There are a lot of people at stake, landowners in
the periphery and people in the city who will be
impacted by whatever decision we make.”
In agreement with Johnson, Councilor Peter Gramlich
also requested the commission provide the council
with an update on the progress of the UGB so it has
some tangible information. “I would love to have a
snapshot,” he said.
The public could see draft maps as early as September. |
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City Council Highlights
Final two members appointed to Juniper Ridge
Advisory Board: Mayor Bruce Abernethy appointed
the final two members to the Juniper Ridge Advisory
Board. The latest members are Patricia Moss and Ron
Foerster. The advisory board is now complete with
five total members. Other members include Steve
Petersen, John James, and Oran Teater.
Shepherds House Update: City Manager Eric King
reported to council the Shepherds House will no
longer need $12,000 to help mitigate the impact
of housing additional men. The city had originally
approved the amount to help house the extra men at
Bethlehem Inn. Shepherds House was looking at other
options like an additional site. King said the
nonprofit has decided to stay at 32 beds. The
council agreed with King that it will leave the
$12,000 in a contingency fund to help with any
overflow needs this winter.
Future work session topic: City Councilors asked
staff for a work session about an Intergovernmental
Agreement with the Bend La-Pine School District for
deferral of System Development Charges (SDCs) on
temporary modular classrooms. The council was
originally supposed to vote on the deferral
Wednesday night, but decided it needed more
information about the topic. “We have to watch our
SDC budget,” said Councilor Mark Capell. “I’m not
sure it’s our responsibility to give up the
infrastructure money we so desperately need.”
Council to look at timeline for citizen initiatives:
The City Council directed city staff to work on
an ordinance that will limit the amount of time to
collect signatures for future citizen initiatives.
Though the councilors agreed citizen initiatives are
great for government, they felt a decent timeline
was lacking in the current city code. The council
thought a year could be fair.
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Deschutes County
unemployment rate increases slightly
Though
Central Oregon performed below expectations for
unemployment rates in July, Deschutes County and
Crook County saw slight increases in numbers.
Deschutes County’s rate increased marginally from
6.1 percent in June to 6.2 percent in July.
“Normally we see a slight drop in the July rate, as
employers hire workers for the busy summer season,”
stated a press release from the State of Oregon
Employment Department.
The release also states only ten jobs were lost during
the month of July, which was actually smaller than
expected. The county added 3,780 jobs between
February and June.
“Typically the county’s employment drops by about 310
(jobs) during July,” the release stated. “Overall,
the county’s employment has show mixed trends this
year, with employment flattening out after rapid
growth in the past few years.”
The county saw some of the largest increases in the
leisure and hospitality, retail trade, and
professional and business services.
Nationally, the unemployment rate increased from 5.7
percent to 6.0 percent. The state of Oregon also saw
a marginal increase from 5.4 percent to 5.8 percent.
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Legal Update for
Oregon
With funds
from a multi-state antitrust settlement with
Bristol-Meyers Squibb, several libraries in Oregon
will receive books and CDs about cancer care.
Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers announced this week
that 87 libraries and cancer centers across the
state will be receiving materials.
According to Legal Newsline, $64,000 in funds come
from a 2003 settlement with Bristol-Meyers Squibb
over whether or not the company violated federal and
state antitrust laws with its sale and marketing of Taxol, a cancer fighting drug. Overall, 30 states
were involved with the lawsuit.
"Oregon cancer patients and their families paid
significantly higher prices for the life-saving drug
Taxol because BMS acted illegally to keep the
cheaper, generic version of Taxol off the market,"
Myers said in a statement. "Oregonians diagnosed
with cancer should be able to conserve their energy
for fighting the disease and not have to worry about
being overcharged for their medications." |
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In the News
Oregon
reports first West Nile case of 2008: Malheur
County recently reported three cases of West Nile
fever. Malheur County health officials say the
people become infected during the last week of July.
Health officials say this is a reminder to
Oregonians to take precautions while outside,
especially with Labor Day weekend looming ahead.
Most cases of the infection are mild with fever and
flu-like symptoms. Severe infections may cause
inflammation of the brain. Health officials
encourage those who have West Nile symptoms seek
medical attention for testing and follow-up care.
ODOT selects traffic control software: The
Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has
selected the latest version of Northwest Traffic
Signal Supply, Inc.’s Voyage traffic controller
software for a three year implementation statewide.
ODOT says the system will help to increase safety,
efficiency, and capacity on the roadways. Voyage is
already being used in Portland. ODOT is currently
working on several installations in the Bend area as
well.
Company doctors make a comeback: It’s a
tradition that fell away in the early 1900’s, but
across the country many states are seeing the
emergence of the company doctor. In a recent MSNBC
report, employers who built medical centers say they
are saving millions of dollars. Workers are able to
see the doctor on site instead of going to
a different facility. This allows employees to get
back to work right away. Companies also stated they
are saving money on medicine as well. However, some
critics are worried when big business works too
closely with a health care provider, an employee’s
health information could be accessed. |
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