North Bend City Council • Work Session • April 7, 2025

Link to posted agenda

The North Bend City Council held a strategic planning work session, discussing financial sustainability, public safety, infrastructure improvements, and economic development as priority areas. The council also decided to make reviewing and updating the city charter, council rules, and municipal codes a top priority. Overall, the discussion centered on aligning the strategic plan with the city's financial realities and community needs.

There was significant focus on the financial constraints and limitations the city is facing, particularly around infrastructure funding, public safety staffing, and maintaining core services. This led to a lot of pragmatic discussion about prioritizing and being realistic about what can be achieved.

There was also some debate around whether certain priority areas like housing affordability and homelessness response were truly within the city's control or more the responsibility of the county. There was an acknowledgement that the city needs to be involved, but shouldn't take the lead on issues it can't directly impact.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Financial Sustainability

  • Potential success measures: Achieving and maintaining a structurally balanced general fund, implementing and sustaining a long-term sewer system financial plan.

  • Potential strategic actions: Developing a multi-year financial stabilization plan, implementing a phased approach to sewer funding, prioritizing voter-supported funding mechanisms, and establishing a budget reduction framework.

• Public Safety

  • Potential success measures: Achieving sustainable funding for public safety, reducing crime and fire incidents, and maintaining high public satisfaction with police and emergency services.

  • Potential strategic actions: Defining "fully funded" public safety, exploring grant-funded programs, and leveraging equipment and vehicle fleet management.

• Infrastructure Improvement

  • Potential success measures: Increased walkability score, reduced road repair cycle, and fewer road closures/outages/service disruptions.

  • Potential strategic actions: Creating a tiered infrastructure priority system, establishing a dedicated infrastructure funding strategy, educating and engaging residents, and maximizing external funding opportunities.

• Economic Development

  • Potential success measures: Decreasing commercial vacancy rates, increasing overall business spending.

  • Potential strategic actions: Focusing on revenue generation, leveraging existing assets and resources, fostering public-private partnerships, and implementing a phased approach to property vacancies.

• Charter Review and Code/Statute Revision

  • Potential success measures: Voter-approved, streamlined charter, and adopted updated council rules and decorum, as well as updated city statutes and codes.

Next Steps:

1. The council will review the updated vision, mission, and values statements and provide feedback at the next council meeting on April 21st.

2. The council will work to finalize the strategic plan content, including success measures and strategic actions, at the April 21st meeting.

3. The final strategic plan will be presented to the council by the end of April.

4. The implementation phase of the strategic plan will be discussed at the regional strategic planning meeting on April 28th.