City snapshot

• All four current members of the Urban Forestry Board were reappointed by the City Council to fill two- and three-year terms. Dave Moyer, Marcus Peck, Pat Burke and Gerry Bertagna will continue as board members. There is one vacancy still to be filled. The board meets the second Monday of the month at 3 p.m. at City Hall. If interested in filling that vacancy, contact Nicole Abbenhuis at the City, 541-323-5220.

• Council approved a new ordinance (474), which repeals, replaces, and supersedes the previous municipal code concerning taxi and public conveyance regulation and licensing. The new ordinance allows for Uber and any other transportation network companies to operate within the Sisters city limits. That will make it possible for passengers to utilize Uber to travel within and between Sisters, Redmond, and Bend. City Manager Rick Allen is hopeful that Uber service in Sisters will begin in time for Memorial Day weekend, the start of the tourist season.

• The Creekside Campground opened for the summer season on Monday, May 1, with camp hosts on-site and the new restroom building complete and functional.

• The Highway20/Barclay Drive roundabout construction project is progressing well, with the Barclay-side concrete work completed. McKinney Butte Road is now closed from the north side of Arrowleaf Trail to Highway 20, requiring detours for those needing to access businesses along Arrowleaf Trail from Highway 20. McKinney Butte will be closed until Memorial Day weekend when the roundabout will be open to the traveling public. The median work from the roundabout to Railway, that will restrict dangerous turns across traffic, will be completed in the fall with work being done at night. Landscaping and artwork will not be installed by Memorial Day and will go in at a later date.

• City Council will have a May 10 workshop with ODOT personnel to review the FLAP grant for the roundabout art procurement, esthetics and landscaping. The public will have the opportunity to voice their opinions on the artwork once the art selection committee chooses finalists' designs.

• After receiving raw data on the traffic flow at the east end of town, including the Highway 20/Locust intersection, Highway 20/Buckaroo Trail intersection, and the junction of Highway 20/126, ODOT directed the Sisters Transportation Advisory Committee to develop plans for that area, without the truck scales, and gave the go-ahead to secure final conceptual drawings. After the TAC receives the concept drawings in June, there will be a process for the public to weigh in both online and at community meetings on design concepts for vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic plans.

• Council adopted the water system capital facilities plan at their April 26 meeting. The sewer system study was completed in 2015. The water and sewer rates are being reviewed, and the rate study group will meet in mid-May to go over the findings, review project lists, make projections, and strategize on how to proceed.

• The City Budget Committee will be meeting the evenings of Monday, May 8, and Tuesday, May 9, to review and approve the City budget for fiscal year 2017/18, which begins July 1. City staff will present financial overviews and highlight changes in programs and costs. The committee may make changes to the proposed budget, which is then referred to Sisters City Council for adoption.

The budget committee meets each spring to review the budget proposed by the City Manager. The budget committee consists of the five City Councilors and five citizens-at-large, who are appointed by Council and serve three-year terms. The citizen board members are: Bill Hall; Kathryn Lindbloom; Amy Burgstahler; and Dave Moyer. The fifth position is vacant due to a resignation. Budget meetings are open to the public and opportunity for public input is available.

City Manager Rick Allen informed Council that the City has to be fiscally conservative. Even if City revenue from property taxes increases by four to six percent, increases in personnel costs due to raises in cost-of-living, PERS, and insurance could easily reach 10 percent. Allen said that the numbers are going to force a conservative stance.

• At the May 24 City Council meeting, there will be a public hearing on revising the annexation agreement for McKenzie Meadow Village, which was approved by City Council in May 2011.

This revision request is being treated as a quasi-judicial process requiring it to be heard by Council.

The development of MMV has been delayed for a number of years due to numerous appeals to both the City and the State Land Use Board of Appeals regarding the proposed assisted-living facility by Yakima developer Mark Adolf.

The original terms of annexation required that the assisted-living facility be constructed before any other part of the development proceeds.

The appeals have held up development of the entire property and run up legal bills for the developers.

• New planning commission officers have been elected. Tim Clem will serve as chair, taking over duties from previous chairman Dave Gentry. Jeff Seymour has agreed to continue as vice-chair.

• Mark your calendars now for the summer barbecue being planned by the City. Thursday, June 22, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., at City Hall, there will be free food and entertainment for Sisters residents to gather and meet their City Council and City staff, and hopefully, the new City Manager.

• Agreement has been reached between the City and Laird Superfood, for a $51,000 forgivable loan, which will assist Laird Superfood in making Sisters their new headquarters and hiring more employees. The forgivable loan is granted with certain conditions, which, if met, allows the loan to be forgiven, not requiring repayment. If conditions of the loan are not met within a specific timeframe, the full $51,000 plus interest must be repaid to the City. The forgivable loan program is a way the City can encourage new traded-sector businesses to come to Sisters, strengthening our economic climate.