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Published By Your City Hall

April 28, 2023

As I shared in an article published in last week’s Friday Update, addressing housing and homelessness are among the City Council’s top goals. The two issues are undoubtedly linked. The housing crisis has a direct impact on the number of people experiencing homelessness in our country. Inflation has also impacted the crisis! Inflation has caused rent to increase, putting homes and apartments out of reach for more citizens. Coos Bay is considered a severely rent-burdened community as more than a quarter of our citizens who rent spend over 50% of their monthly income on rent. In my opinion, there are other contributing factors to homelessness, which include a failed state mental health system and the rise in substance abuse.    

The City Council has been taking steps to address homelessness in Coos Bay for several years. In 2018, the Council established a Homeless Work Group with a diverse membership of community, county, state, and federal representatives. The group was led by Councilors Stephanie Kilmer and Drew Farmer. Between 2018 and 2022, the Homeless Work Group fostered several recommendations to the Council which included the following to be implemented:

• Creation of a Community Resource Officer position in the Coos Bay Police Department. The Community Resource Officer position was created with the intent to work primarily with our homeless population to assist them in finding resources to help them locate permanent housing and gain stability. More information about the position the officer’s duties can be found at the following links: Community Resource Officer Program Begins Work with Homeless Population and Community Resource Officer Program Update.
• The creation and adoption of a Camping Ordinance (CBMC 8.45). The newly created ordinance follows the Martin v. Boise decision, as well as Oregon HB 3115, meeting the required establishment of objectively reasonable time, manner, and place regulations. More information about the ordinance can be found at the following link: City Council Approves New Camping Regulation Ordinance.
• Amending of the Towing of Illegal Vehicles Ordinance (CBMC 10.40). The ordinance was updated to best practices and falls in line with the recently passed Camping Ordinance (Ordinance 545, codified as CBMC 8.45). More information about the amended ordinance can be found at the following link: Ordinance Update on Towing of Illegal Vehicles.
• The creation and adoption of an Exclusionary Ordinance (CBMC 12.48). The ordinance empowered law enforcement officers to temporarily trespass law violators off specific public properties. More information about the ordinance can be found at the following link: Coos Bay adopts Ordinance to Trespass Individuals on Public Property.
• The establishment of a commercial Property Watch Program which allows the person responsible for commercial property to partner with the police and authorizes officers to act on their behalf when they are not there. More information about the program can be found at the following link: Property Watch Program Offered in Coos Bay.
• The creation of a public / private partnership to establish and fund transportation assistance to help unsheltered individuals and families to travel to other areas where they have a place to live and a support system of family and friends. The program is called Homeward Bound. More information about the program can be found at the following link: Senior Officer Reunites Man with Family.

Last year, the cities of Coos Bay and North Bend, along with Coos County, were successful in securing funding from the state (House Bill 4123) to enhance collaboration and cooperation throughout Coos County, and to create a five-year strategic plan for addressing homelessness. Together, the three entities were awarded $1 million in state funding over a two-year period to operationalize a coordinated office to strengthen the community's homeless response. Each of the three governmental entities approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA), establishing the interest to coordinate efforts within the region, followed by appointing two representatives from each entity to reside on the Advisory Board. For Coos Bay, Councilor Drew Farmer and Assistant City Manager Nichole Rutherford were appointed as representatives, along with Councilor Stephanie Kilmer as an alternate. The Advisory Board has hired Andrew Brainard as its director for Coos County Coordinated Office on Houselessness and engaged the services of Rural Development Initiatives (RDI) to facilitate a community-wide conversation to help inform the strategic plan development. Over the last several months, RDI has had one-on-one conversations with stakeholders, those who provide services in support of the many facets of homelessness, as well as community meetings held with stakeholders to brainstorm elements for inclusion in the strategic plan. At last week’s Council meeting, the City Council approved the five (5) year strategic plan for the Coordinated Homeless Pilot Project.

With the strategic plan in place, as well as the recently adopted 2023 Coos Bay Housing Production Strategy, we will roll up our collective sleeves to undertake the necessary work to implement the plan and strategies.

-Joe Benetti, Mayor of Coos Bay

Notice is hereby given that the Coos Bay City Council will be accepting applications and letters of interest for consideration of appointment to fill an upcoming vacancy on the City Council. To qualify, applicants must be a registered voter and have resided within the Coos Bay City limits for at least one year. The letter of interest should include a summary of the work and community experience, education, and the reason(s) for the motivation to serve on City Council. An attached resume is acceptable.

Letters of interest and applications will be accepted in the City Manager’s Office until 5 p.m. on Thursday June 8, 2023. Applicants will be contacted to schedule an interview with the City Council. For more information, contact City Manager Rodger Craddock or Assistant City Manager Nichole Rutherford at 541-269-8912

Interviews will be held Tuesday, June 20, 2023, prior to the City Council meeting.

Coos Bay Fire Department (CBFD) is saying goodbye to one of its resident volunteers. Christopher Giraudo was offered a full-time paid position with Ashland Fire and Rescue in Ashland, Oregon and will start on May 15, 2023.

A graduate from Roseburg High School in 2021, Giraudo joined CBFD in August 2021 as a member of the resident volunteer program. This program is for students enrolled at Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC) in the Fire Science and or the Paramedicine degree programs. Resident volunteers live at one of two staffed fire stations in Coos Bay and are assigned to one of the three shifts where they are mentored by career firefighters in all aspects of firefighting and emergency response and community service.

As a career firefighter for Ashland Fire and Rescue, Giraudo will have an orientation period for a short time learning specific skills and procedures for Ashland Fire. After that, he will be assigned to one of three shifts working as a firefighter EMT.

The CBFD is extremely proud of Giraudo’s accomplishment and excited for him as he starts this next chapter in his life. 

New Solutions to an Old Problem

Looking around town, you may see some new trashcans popping up. The City of Coos Bay has purchased four new Big Belly “Smart” trash cans. Three have been deployed in both the Downtown and Empire areas. One can was damaged in shipment and will be repaired for deployment at a later date. The Big Belly trash cans are self-compacting cans that will communicate with staff when they need to be emptied. The trash cans are solar powered and will feature both a foot pedal and handle to open the receptacle door. The units are fully enclosed and are lockable making them weather and vandal proof. This will also eliminate the removal of trash by unauthorized persons.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Operations Administrator Greg Hamblet at 541-269-1181, ext. 3541.

  Empire Boat Launch Float Repairs

In December 2022, the City of Coos Bay was impacted by a severe winter storm that caused damage to the docks located at the Empire Boat Launch facility. City staff, with guidance from the Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB), removed the docks to prevent further damage. OSMB Structural Engineers recently inspected the docks and determined that some of the docks can be temporarily repaired with minor modifications and placed back into the water for use. These docks are currently with the fabricator and will be placed back into the water once the repairs are completed. The temporary repairs should be finished by the middle of May. Additionally, a more robust plan for repairing all the docks is being developed by the OSMB Structural Engineers. These repairs will be scheduled for completion prior to April of 2024.

Should you have questions, please feel free to contact Public Works and Community Development at 541-269-8918.

Last week, the Coos Bay Police Department (CBPD) hosted the Oregon Police Canine Association's (OPCA) 2023 Spring Seminar. Approximately 140 patrol (tracking) and detection (narcotic) canine teams attended from around the state of Oregon. Participants received training on new techniques and laws from 20 state trainers and guest instructors. CBPD Officer Smith attended with patrol K9 Mika, Officer Scoville attended with detection K9 Ben, and Officer Martin attended as a training decoy. 

Training and scenarios for the OPCA Spring Seminar were held over several windy and rainy days at different locations in Coos Bay and North Bend. Patrol K9 teams focused on scenarios based on a previous Washington County Sheriff’s Office case involving a K9 track and high-risk arrest. During training scenarios, patrol K9 teams trained on a variety of skills including K9 handler responsibilities during a track, suspect de-escalation, and building searches. Detection K9 teams practiced locating different narcotics and detecting odors in a variety of training environments through 16 different scenarios. K9 handlers also learned about specific aspects of working with their detection K9, attended a four-hour session on case law and K9 deployment taught by a leading expert with the Oregon State Police K9 detection team.

Hosting this seminar would not have been possible without the support and generous donations from our community. 

April Showers bring May Flowers and the beloved Coos Bay Downtown Association (CBDA) Coos Bay Farmers Market too!! The Market begins Wednesday, May 3, 2023, with a two-hour live radio broadcast with sponsors K-Shore/Bicoastal Media. What a fantastic way to kick off the 22nd season! The music continues to play throughout the season from our favorite neighbor and sponsor, So It Goes Coffeehouse with the return of Music at the Market.

Thanks to Ziply Fiber's sponsorship, “Farm Fresh to Every Fork” will continue to be a focus of the CBDA Food Accessibility program. The CBDA Food Accessibility program is to ensure our food poor community has access to farm fresh fruits, vegetables, and basic food items needed for a healthy well-balanced diet at no cost to them while educating them on the importance of healthy eating and stretching their food budget. The SNAP/EBT program with a $20 Double Up Food Buck (DUFB) match for fruits and veggies will be available the entire season. That means you put $20 on your SNAP/EBT card at the Market Informational booth, and you will receive $40 worth of tokens and vouchers to use at the Market. WIC and Senior Nutritional vouchers will be happily accepted at the CBDA Farmers Market.

Enjoy the music, entertainment, demonstrations, samples, yummy hot food, artistic treasures, Children’s programs, Food Accessibility programs, and fresh locally grown produce every Wednesday at the Farmers Market.

In response to requests for more time for review and comment, the staff of Coos County, the City of North Bend, and the City of Coos Bay have delayed submitting applications to adopt Coos Bay Estuary Management Plan (CBEMP) revisions. The delay will give community members several more months to review and comment upon the draft products.

The CB Estuary Management Plan (CBEMP) Phase 1 revision represents Coos County’s first step towards improving the plan’s ability to meet the needs of the communities and local governments encompassed by the plan. CBEMP Phase 1 revisions are intended to:

1) improve plan usability

2) update some maps and inventory data

3) improve coordination between jurisdictions

4) update the 40-year-old plan with current agency names, laws and regulations

CBEMP Phase 1 revisions do not include any changes to zoning or management unit designations—those will be addressed in subsequent phases.

To review the current draft CBEMP Phase 1 updates, click here.

Comments can be sent to Jill Rolfe, Coos County Community Development Director, at planning@co.coos.or.us. Comments are due by May 26, 2023.

A link to revised maps and near-final Plan documents will be on the Coos County website by late April. This will include a link to a user-friendly online map, where map layers can be used to align management units on top of current and revised resource inventories.

A Public Open House will be held on Wednesday, May 10 at the Coos Bay City Hall (500 Central Avenue, Coos Bay) from 3:30 p.m.-7 p.m. Representatives from Coos County, the City of North Bend, the City of Coos Bay, the Partnership for Coastal Watersheds, and the University of Oregon Institute for Policy Research and Education will be on hand to answer questions about the background of the plan update, explain current recommendations, and outline next steps. Presentations on background information and plan update content will be held at 3:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. during this Open House. Recordings of presentations will be made available for remote viewing following the event.

If you have questions, please contact Coos County Community Development at 541-396-7770 or email planning@co.coos.or.us.

Bring in a plant or plant cutting and pick up a new plant for your collection! Houseplants of all kinds are welcome as well as vegetable and flower seedlings during the Coos Bay Library's Plant Swap on Friday, May 12. 

GUIDELINES

• Please only bring pots that you are willing to part with
• Avoid bringing invasive species
• Please make sure your plants are pest and disease free
• Label your plants with the names and include some care tips if you can
• If you have a box, please bring it. We'll have a few but not enough for everyone
• Please bring just a few plants (whatever you can carry)

We work on the honor system. For example, if you bring two plants, take two plants. We want there to be enough for everyone. Please wait until the end of the event to take extra items

** COURTESY POSTING. POSITION IS WITH THE COOS BAY-NORTH BEND WATER BOARD, NOT THE CITY OF COOS BAY. **

City of Coos Bay 500 Central Ave. Coos Bay, OR 97420

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