Know the Facts
City Fact Check posts information to help avoid confusion on City issues and help you simply get to the facts. The goal is to increase public knowledge and understanding of important issues facing City government. It's a great place to find out if what your neighbor told you about the City is true, to clarify something you read in the paper, or to do your own research. Be sure to use the links under each subject for more detailed information.
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If you have a question about something you don't see here, email us at communications@ci.bend.or.us.
News Watch
City clarifications to local news stories.
News Watch information
City Budget, Finances and Tax Structure
How can I get involved and have input into the City's budget process?
There are several opportunities in May for you to learn more and comment on the City's budget.
More budget information
Surface Water Improvement Project
Why are we talking about this?
Like many cities across the country, Bend is faced with a range of increasing costs related to the water supply. Under pressure from new federal regulatory requirements and an aging infrastructure, the city must now cover the expense of new surface water treatment and transmission line replacement. The City does not currently treat the surface water (50% of the City's annual water supply). The federal government adopted rules that require surface water to be treated by 2012. Since our transmission pipeline is also more than 80 years old, it is more cost effective to do the construction all at once.
More information
Water Quality
Is Bend's water safe?
The answer is yes. If you're concerned about the chromium study, the sample tested did not come from the City's water system. The City follows EPA rules to test for total chromium on a strict schedule for all of our groundwater wells and Bridge Creek Source Water. Looking back at total chromium data to 1987, the city has always been below EPA's maximum contamination level of 100 parts per billion. In fact, the majority of samples tested for total chromium have been "non-detects." In other words, no contamination was found.
From our source water to the water that comes out of your tap, learn how we monitor and protect our water to meet and exceed all federal and state requirements.
More information
Juniper Ridge
How is the City paying for the project, and how does the City see any return on its investment?
The City of Bend is the lead developer of Juniper Ridge. However, state law does not allow the City's General Fund to be used for development costs, so, like many developers, we're utilizing a combination of tax increment financing and traditional bank financing to pay for the roads and utilities that are needed to serve businesses at Juniper Ridge in the future.
More Juniper Ridge information
Urban Growth Boundary (UGB)
Why does the City need to expand the UGB?
All cities in Oregon are required to have a 20-year supply of land for housing and employment in their Urban Growth Boundary. This is the first major expansion of the UGB for housing and public facilities since Bend's UGB was established in 1981. In that time, Bend's population has grown from 17,425 to 82,000, or 365 percent. During that same period, the UGB only expanded by three percent, or about 600 acres.
More UGB information
State Department of Land Conservation and Development Report on Bend and Deschutes County's Amendment to the Bend Urban Growth Boundary
Accessibility
Why does the City have an accessibility program, and what does it include?
The City works to ensure that people with disabilities have access to City programs, services, activities and facilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act does not require the City to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services or impose an undue financial or administrative burden. Removing barriers to accessibility, however, is not only the law, but also a commitment on the part of the City of Bend.
More Accessibility information
City Forecast Breakfast