Eric King named City Manager of Bend

     Eric King has officially been named the city manager of Bend. Mayor Bruce Abernethy made the announcement during Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
     Since November, King has served as the interim city manager. The city conducted a nationwide search and received 70 applications. The final interviews for city manager took place earlier this week.
     “We had a remarkably talented group of candidates and the selection process was incredibly thorough with outstanding citizen participation,” said Mayor Bruce Abernethy.  “Eric clearly rose to the top, and given the very positive changes to the city in the last six months, that should be of no surprise.”
      Abernethy says King is a positive role model and he looks forward to seeing what King can do in the future.
     During the council meeting, King stated he is honored to be selected as city manager. “I look forward to creating a solid management team that can continue the important work on our five goals of financial stability, the Urban Growth Boundary, the Juniper Ridge project and community relations,” he said.
     A contract has not yet been finalized.

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No sign of cuts for Bend bus service

     Council Chambers were packed Wednesday night as the Bend City Council deliberated for over 90 minutes to forego any cuts to Bend Area Transit or Dial-A-Ride until after the November election. The 4-3 “gamble” vote was met with many cheers of Dial-A-Ride and BAT riders.
     The city council had looked at eliminating the Sunday Dial-A-Ride service and suspending one hour of all bus services during the noon hour. As part of the Budget Reduction Plan, these cuts were designed to save the city $140,000.
     Area riders testified about the need for the service and often questioned what councilors would do if they couldn’t drive to work.
     Councilor Jim Clinton made the motion to delay any cuts until after the November vote saying, “It’s a risk worth taking.”
     Councilors Mark Capell and Linda Johnson said they favor public transportation and would happily vote yes to the motion; however, they needed to know where the money is coming from to keep the transit system at current levels.
     “We have to be responsible with public money, and we have to show where the money is going to come from,” Capell said.
     Johnson echoed those sentiments calling the move very risky. “I can’t move forward with the gamble of, ‘Let’s wait and figure it out later.’ I just can’t go there,” she said.
     Mayor Bruce Abernethy reminded the council of the unbelievable heat it has taken from the media and public since the transit system started in 2006 without voter approval. “If we make no cuts (in transit), we’re saying transit is the number one priority in the city budget,” Abernethy said. “I’m not prepared to go there.”
     After much more heated debate between the councilors and information from city staff, the vote was finally taken. Abernethy was one of the four who voted in favor of keeping the transit service at current levels. The others included Jim Clinton, Peter Gramlich, and Bill Friedman. Councilors Mark Capell, Linda Johnson, and Chris Telfer voted against the restored service.
     Friedman reminded the audience that the ball is now in their court for the passage of the transit tax.
     The proposed tax is $0.39 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The tax would allow for longer service hours, possibly new routes, and the formation of a separate transit district.

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Central Oregon Unemployment Rates Decrease

     Central Oregon saw decreases in the unemployment rate ranging from a full point in Deschutes County to a 1.2 percent drop in Jefferson County.
     Deschutes County’s rate moved downward from 7.8 percent in March to 6.8 percent in April. According to an Oregon Employment Department release, this was a slightly smaller decline than previously expected. The April rate is 2.2 points higher than last year and almost on par with the rate four years ago (6.6 percent).
     The month of April saw the gain of 690 jobs, which was slightly lower than expectations. “In April, the county would have expected to add 100 more jobs than it did,” said the Oregon Employment Department. “The county’s employment was fairly stable in the first three months of this year, and only time will tell if April’s performance was a blip as more than one month’s data is needed to form a trend.”
     The largest job gains occurred in professional and business services, retail trade, and leisure and hospitality.
     The national unemployment rate also saw a decrease from 5.2 percent in March in 4.8 percent in April. The state of Oregon also saw a decrease from 6.3 percent in March to 5.6 percent in April.

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