Annual Conference Agenda

Agenda subject to change

Thursday, October 21

7:00 am – 11:30 am Trade Show open (continental breakfast included)

8:30 am – 12:00 pm OMA Annual Membership Meeting and Workshop - Productive Conversations: Leading Cities & the OMA Forward ($75 - lunch included, pre-registration required)

This workshop will be presented in two parts, with each focused on having productive conversations. Part One: Over the last few years, communities across Oregon have experienced high levels of conflict. The divided political climate that for so long dominated federal and state politics, is now seemingly impacting local governments. As leaders of their communities, mayors must build bridges and heal wounds. This part will teach mayors tools and techniques for leading their cities through times of conflict and discord. Part Two: The OMA Board of Directors will ask the general membership: What they need to be successful in their communities; What they wish the OMA Board would focus on in 2022; and how Oregon’s mayors and the OMA can be more relevant and successful in the future.

8:30 am – 12:00 pm OCCMA Workshop and Annual Membership Meeting ($85 - lunch included, pre-registration required)

8:30 am – 12:00 pm Councilors Workshop ($75 - lunch included, pre-registration required)

9:00 am – 3:00 pm Seminar – Managing a Police Department: Evolving Policy, Procedures & Practices ($75 - lunch included, pre-registration required)

11:30 am – 1:00 pm Lunch with Trade Show (boxed lunch included)

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm Local City Tours ($50 each)

Tourism in Bend

The Bend City Council created, empowered, and funded Visit Bend to serve as the Destination Marketing Organization for the community. Visit Bend is dedicated to enhancing Bend’s economy by attracting visitors and encouraging them to connect with the area's rich culture and diverse local businesses. Visit Bend’s strategic, creative, and thoughtful initiatives promote the area with a focus on community, sustainability, and respect for Bend’s natural resources and way of life.

Bend's Capital Improvement Projects

As one of the fastest growing communities in the country, Bend is delivering on an intensive capital improvement program that includes more than $250 million in work over the next five years and another $190 million over the next 10 years from the recently passed Transportation General Obligation Bond. To highlight some of these accomplishments, we will be touring three projects that each utilized a different delivery method and has allowed the city to follow through on its promises to the public. The projects include the Murphy Road Corridor Project, the Columbia Roundabouts Project, and the Newport Corridor Project.

Bend - Missing Middle Housing

Bend began easing requirements to build middle housing in earnest in 2014 and hasn’t slowed down since. Tour participants will visit middle housing developments and hear how the city has approached legalizing middle housing.

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Cybersecurity Vulnerability
COVID Update
Proposed Changes to LOC Constitution Informational Session
Housing Development: New Policies and Trends

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Networking Snack Break

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Affinity Group - Women

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Welcome and Keynote

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm Welcome Reception with Trade Show

4:45 pm – 8:45 pm LOC Nominating Committee Meeting

6:30 pm - 9:30 pm Downtown Dine Around

Friday, October 22

7:00 am – 9:00 am Breakfast with Trade Show

8:00 am – 8:45 am Small Cities Networking

8:00 am – 8:45 am Medium Cities Networking

8:00 am – 8:45 am Large Cities Networking

9:00 am – 12:00 pm Local City Tours ($50 each)

Redmond’s Downtown Urban Renewal Area and the Renovated Historic Redmond Hotel

Redmond’s Downtown Urban Renewal District has seen numerous successes since its creation in 1998, including new concert halls, eateries, parks and parking resources, and the transformation of an old historic hotel into the groovy Soul Community Planet Redmond Hotel featuring an amazing rooftop restaurant. If you are wondering what Bend looked like 30 years ago, and what it lost in terms of its heritage, take this tour of Redmond’s downtown.

Bend - Alternative Shelter

Bend received two shelter super-siting applications under HB 4212. We’ll visit both sites as well as other shelter facilities currently in development, including Bend’s Project Turnkey location, a new low-barrier shelter.

9:00 am – 10:00 am BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Small Cities
Innovative SDCs and Fees
Doing More with Less - Strategies to Cost Effectively Plan, Construct and Operate Your Facilities

9:00 am – 10:30 am BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Home Rule: What Does it Mean? How is it Applied? What are the Threats?
Legislative Roundtables

10:30 am – 11:00 am Networking Break

10:00 am – 11:00 am Affinity Group - LGBTQ

11:00 am – 12:00 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Recent Developments in Telecom Litigation
Infrastructure and Development in Oregon
Police Legislation: What Elected Officials Need to Know
Engaging Your Community

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch with Trade Show

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Affinity Group - People of Color

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Local City Tours ($50 each)

Sister’s 75th Anniversary

The city of Sisters (established in 1946) is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year. Talk with staff about how they leveraged their relationships with numerous non-profits and to celebrate this milestone during a challenging year. Spend the afternoon exploring Sisters through the Historic Landmark Walking Tour (guided or self-guided) and visiting the newly installed historic mural. This tour will take place primarily on foot.

Redmond’s New Airport Operations Building and Roberts Field

More than 1 million travelers visit the Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) each year. With daily direct flights to nearly 10 different cities, the RDM connects Central Oregonians to the nation and is the economic engine for the region. In 2021, a new $14 million state of the art operations building opened, serving as the hub for the needs of the airfield. Come see the technology, tools and vehicles that keep this prestigious airport up and running though wind, rain, and fire (and sometimes smoke).

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Homeless Inclusion: How to Address this Challenge
Shared Leadership: Responding to Complex Challenges
How to Work with Your Council
Building a Future Through Local Collaboration - Community Forest Project

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm Networking Snack Break

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Making Equity & Inclusion a Way of Life
How to Work with Your Chamber
How to Prepare for Extreme Weather

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Property Tax 101

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Awards Dinner (City Awards and Exceptional Service Awards)

Saturday, October 23

7:30 am – 8:30 am Networking Breakfast

8:45 am – 10:15 am Closing Keynote: FACTUALITY – a Crash Course on Structural Inequality in America

FACTUALITY is a facilitated dialogue, crash course, and interactive experience that simulates structural inequality. Participants assume the identities of the identified characters, encountering a series of fact-based advantages & limitations based on the intersection of race, class, gender, faith, sexual orientation, age, and ability. FACTUALITY evokes empathy, increases cultural competence, & enhances self-awareness.

10:15 am - 10:45 am Networking Break

10:45 am - 12:00 pm Annual Membership Meeting