Fee changes and City budget adoption
​Councilors approved new fees for the coming year as part of the biennial budget adoption. The fee schedule covers utility rates, development fees, System Development Charges (SDCs), airport fees, parking fees, solid waste rates and more.
 
Utility rates will increase 3% for water, 2.5% for sewer and 7% for stormwater. System development charges – fees on development to pay for infrastructure needed are increasing 5% each for transportation, water and sewer SDCs. Development fee increases include: building 3%, planning 6% and private development engineering 3%.
Here is the full list of fee changes. The fee increases are part of the 2021-23 budget which Councilors adopted unanimously.
 
The biennial budget of $927.7 million is a 4 percent increase over the last biennium. The $927.7 million number represents all operating revenues for the biennium (which are $395 million), as well as debt proceeds, interfund transfers, one-time grant funding, and reserves from the prior fiscal year. The $395 million in projected operating revenues for the biennium is a 5 percent increase for the first year of the biennium and a 6 percent increase for the second year.
 
Of the $395 million of City-wide operating revenues, $124 million are in the City’s General Fund. The primary source of revenue in the General Fund is from property taxes, and about 80 percent of the General Fund pays for public safety. The General Fund is also where the Council and the Budget Committee have the most discretion for funding priorities.
 
Councilors approved allocating about $3 million of General Fund discretionary revenue to support implementation of their Council Goals. Addressing homelessness is a priority, with approximately 40 percent of the allocated revenues dedicated to Council’s housing goals.
 
The proposed 2021-23 budget is here. Past and present budget documents are found at: www.bendoregon.gov/budget.
 
This short, animated video explains more generally how the City's budget works.
 

Wildflower Property update:

There have been pre-application discussions between the developer and the City Planning staff regarding the property on 15th street east of Wilson, known as the Wildflower Master Plan area. Based on those discussions, the developer is putting together some revised plans and is expecting to have at least one neighborhood public meeting (virtual format) before the application is submitted to the City. That meeting is likely at least a month away, and perhaps more. There is a requirement that notification be submitted to neighbors a certain number of days before the public meeting. We will be keeping people informed as we know more about this schedule and have more detail on what the developer is proposing. 

You can review the pre-application documents and the City’s response on the City website by following this link: 

https://cityview.ci.bend.or.us/Portal/Planning/Status?planningId=696

Information from our Land Use Chair:
In 2020, a bond measure was passed to address funding for transportation system improvements in Bend. What does that mean for the Larkspur Neighborhood?

The entire plan runs to 156 pages, but the City website has a good interactive map that can help you understand what is happening locally. (You can find it here: https://www.bendoregon.gov/city-projects/transportation-system-plan/-folder-2767)
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Click this link for a summary of what we can expect for improvements in or near the Larkspur Neighborhood - and when.

There is a pre-application filed with the City for development of the property east of 15th Street near Wilson Ave; you can see what they are proposing here:

https://cityview.ci.bend.or.us/Portal/Planning/Status?planningId=696


Please note that this is not an official application yet; the developer is still developing a proposal and just seeking clarity from the City on some questions that they have. To date the City has not reviewed a formal proposal from the developer, and they won’t be able to answer questions about the developer’s plans until they have an actual application. 

Before they will be able to submit an application to the City, the developer will need to conduct a neighborhood public meeting. They will also need to complete a traffic impact study and a water/sewer analysis. 

There may be some preliminary work done on the property but the developer won't be able to cut any trees  until they get a permit for grading and tree removal. The master plan requires them to develop a tree preservation plan. 

The Larkspur Neighborhood is looking for someone to serve as a representative to the Bend Neighborhood Leadership Alliance (NLA). The NLA consists of thirteen members, appointed by the Mayor, who serve to advise the City Council on issues related to neighborhood safety and livability. The NLA meets for two hours once per month (currently meeting virtually). There are working groups set up to handle specific issues and members may choose to serve on one of these working groups as well. In recent months, the NLA has helped to prioritize street safety projects around Bend, made recommendations to City Council regarding land use code changes, and advised the City on ways to make city processes easier to understand for the public. 

The appointed term is four years. Persons interested should be residents of the Larkspur neighborhood, and be willing to also attend board meetings of the Larkspur Neighborhood Association in order to be familiar with issues in our neighborhood. These meetings are generally once per month (except in the summer when we take a break) and we are currently meeting virtually. 

If you are interested, or would like more information, please contact Sue Sullivan at NLA.LarkspurNA@gmail.com

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Wow! Summer has flown by. Hope you are surviving this wild year of 2020!
Your board has been keeping in touch primarily via email however will resume in person meetings as we are able.
For September, we will be meeting, on the 21st, in a small, outdoor, and  distanced venue in order to get a bit of business done that is easier in person.
Watch for meeting minutes here after the meeting.

9/23/2020 POST UPDATE:
The board met for a working meeting on the 21st to begin review of the association bylaws. Members will have the opportunity to read the new proposed bylaws and vote on their adoption at our next General Meeting.
No additional minutes were taken at this meeting.

While Covid-19 is still curtailing in person events and so much of the activity that we might usually discuss, the board opted to report in by email this month rather than meeting either in person or online.
Board member reports are posted under the Meeting Minutes link and an e-news letter was sent to neighbors on April 20th. You can check out the newsletter in your inbox for lots of updates and resources on coronavirus, around Larkspur and from the City of Bend as well.