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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2022)
Wednesday, January 26, 2022 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 17 CITY COUNCIL GOALS Livability and Growth Projects under this goal take a proactive approach to ensure our cherished livability stays at the center of what we do while planning thoughtfully to accommodate residential, industrial, and commercial growth. The City completed its Comprehensive Plan update in the Fall of 2021, setting a high-level roadmap for the next 20 years regarding housing, local economy, natural resources, and community character. Continuing from that work, the City will be starting updates to the Housing Plan, Parks Master Plan, and numerous development code amendments. Wildfire Mitigation and Resiliency s, d s - t. s o y t n, d. d d it k y ly e w e it These initiatives focus on expanding our partnerships with County, State, and Federal governments regarding natural disaster preparedness and wildfire resiliency within the City and throughout Sisters Country. The City is developing a wildfire resiliency plan to examine our critical infrastructure and identify, assess, and guide investments to reduce risk. In addition, the City and Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District are working together to expand public awareness, defensible space requirements, and other safety measures. Economic Development This work builds on past successes to further Sisters as a destination of choice and support traded-sector businesses for a strong, diverse local economy. The City, along with key public partners, started a Destination Management Initiative in the Spring of 2021 to learn more about visitors’ experiences, investment of transient lodging tax, livability for our residents, and potential areas of improvement. Essential Infrastructure These efforts focus on critical projects for our water, wastewater, and transportation systems as the underlying foundation of our community. The Locust Bridge Sewer Line project, completed in Fall of 2021, relocated the formerly suspended pressure sewer line under Whychus Creek to eliminate potential damage or catastrophic failure potentially caused by high water flows. The Well #4 project was completed late in 2021, providing a fourth municipal groundwater supply source. The City is currently updating the Water Master Plan and Wastewater Master Plan to analyze, plan, and fund improved redundancy and future infrastructure needs. Good Governance This work supports fiscal responsibility, transparency, and responsiveness as a local government for the community both now and into the future. Projects include the continued support of the Sisters Country Vision, reviewing and updating inconsistencies in the 2003 City Charter, expanding the budget document for clarity and readability, and continuing to prioritize community engagement. Environmental Sustainability Projects include energy efficiency measures of City operations, taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint, and investing in renewable energy upgrades. In partnership with the Deschutes County Library District, the City will be constructing public electric car charging stations near City Hall and the Library. An evaluation and subsequent upgrades are underway for energy management and conservation for City-owned facilities. Spring 2022 will bring the installation of a 48 KW solar project to the Public Works Headquarters’ metal roof, which was strategically built in 2010 for this type of system.