City of Roseburg State of the City Speech 2020 By Mayor Larry Rich

As we recap the accomplishments of 2020, it is important to acknowledge the impact that the pandemic has had on City operations and life in general. For nine long months and counting, we have done our best to adapt and carry on. The City’s dedicated staff has gotten creative in balancing the need to maintain operations and provide public service with the need to keep staff and customers safe. And while things have been complicated, Council and the staff have never lost sight of our core mission to serve the citizens of Roseburg. In January, Council adopted a total of six goals with related action items for each one. Then the Council rolled up their sleeves and went to work on Goal #6 – Explore strategies to address issues related to unhoused individuals within the community. In order to gain knowledge and gather information on this topic, a series of work sessions were held from June through August. These included presentations from local agencies selected by the Council to provide information on the services they provide to the unhoused population, and to share ideas of how the City could assist. Council then held a listening session to hear from constituents. There is still a lot of work to do, but so far Council has: Sent a small contingent to tour the Rogue Retreat facilities in Medford Adopted a resolution authorizing a vehicle camping pilot program Adopted an ordinance and policy allowing severe event shelters Adopted an ordinance establishing a Homeless Commission to continue work on this issue. Things have looked different this year. Following state guidance to not move homeless campers has frustrated citizens and law enforcement alike. COVID related limitations at the jail have led to many more cite and release situations for a variety of crimes. Circumstances have taught us that no person or organization is immune from this disease. Many positive things have happened this year. We have forged new partnerships and strengthened relationships with other community agencies. Here are a few of the highlights: The City delivered a successful grant program that put more than $500,000 in CARES Act funding into the hands of community members and businesses. The Library received 15 separate grants totaling almost $200,000. We embraced new technology o Moved Council and Commission meetings to Zoom and began broadcasting them on Facebook Live. o Began using online auctions for surplus vehicles and office equipment which significantly increased revenues from these auctions o Rolled out a new city website and added a COVID‐19 page that has had over 12,000 monthly visits o Launched a monthly electronic newsletter to replace the semi‐annual City Connection. o Updated online Utility Billing service to include pay by phone, e‐billing, and bill reminders. o Established online payment services for the Municipal Court And much, much more. The following is just a snapshot of the many things the various departments that make up the City of Roseburg have been working on this year. A more complete report can be found on the City’s website beginning tomorrow, including a section called 2020 by the numbers. Take a look. I guarantee you will be impressed. Administration Administration works with all departments to support direct services to citizens and accomplish the tasks outlined in the City Council’s Goals. City Manager Nikki Messenger, City Recorder Amy Sowa, Human Resources Director John VanWinkle, Finance Director Ron Harker and Management Assistants Koree Tate and Autumn David work closely together to accomplish these tasks. Eric Johnson, Communications Specialist, joined the team in December of 2019 to provide support to all departments and increase communication with the citizens. City Recorder 2020 was another busy year in the City Recorder’s Office processing numerous business registrations, permits and licenses, and public records requests. The City Recorder continued to act as coordinator for the 2020 Community Census Committee by sharing resources and information to committee representatives from local agencies. The results of the census determine where federal dollars are allocated and also determine Oregon’s legislative districts, school districts, and voting precincts. Human Resources 2020 was an active year in Human Resources and Risk Management, with a number of employee transitions. The City received its 19th annual Safety Award from the League of Oregon Cities. This year, the City earned the Silver Award, with one lost time incident. Safety training for employees during 2020 has focused largely on risks and hazard control related to COVID‐19. The HR Department spent significant time concentrating on the COVID‐19 pandemic, interpreting rapidly changing state and federal laws and guidance, and creating policy to ensure compliance. Communications The Communications Specialist assumed management of the City’s social media channels in December 2019. Since that time, the City has gained over 1,200 new followers and launched the City’s new Nextdoor account. By working with local media to get the word out on City‐related projects, events, and news, he has generated 210 earned media articles about the City, which further promotes a positive image of the City within the community. Finance The Finance Department, led by Ron Harker, continued their tradition of “Excellence in Financial Reporting” by receiving recognition for the 27th consecutive year for the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and for the 5th year for the Popular Annual Financial Report. Other highlights included maintaining an excellent credit rating, completing the annual budget, and updating the 6‐year financial forecast model. The IT Division was instrumental in facilitating all of the City’s updated technology, a portion of which was unexpected and driven by the pandemic and the need to work and meet remotely. Community Development The Community Development Department, led by Director Stuart Cowie, saw substantial commercial development with an overall value of $27 million. For the first time in many years, there are two large multi‐family housing projects under construction – one geared toward serving the veteran population, and one at market rate. Both facilities are located within the boundaries of the Urban Renewal District and qualified for the SDC buydown program in which their SDC fees were deferred and will be paid by the Urban Renewal Agency. The department’s long range planning efforts included adoption of the Transportation System Plan Update, the adoption of a Complete Streets Policy, and code revisions to encourage development. Additional long range planning efforts are in the works for the coming year. Code Enforcement is tasked with handling nuisance calls and coordinating camp cleanups. This past year, they were able to handle and resolve over 200 nuisance complaints, identify a number of properties as derelict, and coordinated approximately 20 camp clean‐ups at 12 different camp locations with the assistance of the Police Department. As a result of COVID‐19, clean‐up efforts have been limited to garbage pickup around existing camps and removal of abandoned camps. The cost for the camp clean‐ups was over $20,000 in this year. Library Flexibility was the keyword for Director Kris Wiley and her staff at the Roseburg Public Library in 2020 as they adjusted quickly to a number of challenges and developed creative ways to serve the community. Patrons continued to receive physical materials through a weekly drive‐up service, and digital checkouts doubled. With much of the focus on the youth in our community, the Library provided online programs, reading programs, and distributed craft kits and reusable book bags to youth at the Lunchbox Express meal sites. One of the highlights for everyone in the community was the StoryWalk® project featuring an oversized picture book affixed to signs and set up in different parks throughout the City, creating a walking story experience. The interactive program was a huge success and will surely be back next year. The Library is now completing its first 5‐Year Strategic Plan which will include goals, objectives, and activities to guide the Library over the next five years. Public Works The Public Works Department is led by Director Brice Perkins who was hired in January of 2020. The department consists of multiple divisions encompassing Parks & Recreation, Streets & Storm Drainage, Facilities, Engineering, Administration, Airport, and Water. Brice has established the mission statement, “The mission of the Public Works Department is to provide quality public infrastructure at the lowest life‐cycle cost” to guide the department’s decisions whether they be related to design of new projects or maintenance of existing facilities. Approximately 80% of all Public Works staff are involved in maintaining existing public infrastructure in some capacity. Significant maintenance activities include landscape and turf maintenance, maintaining park facilities such as restrooms, playground equipment and structures; pavement maintenance, pavement striping, sign maintenance, and graffiti removal; storm drain cleaning, leaf removal, and street sweeping; installation and repair of water mains and service connections, pump station and reservoir maintenance; maintenance of city owned buildings; water treatment plant operation and maintenance; and maintenance at the airport. In addition to the maintaining daily operations during the pandemic, several large projects were completed including: replacement of the disinfection system at the Water Treatment Plant; obstruction removal on Mt. Nebo and the construction of new runway lighting at the airport; and renovation of Stewart Park Pavilion utilizing grant funds which included removal of the fireplaces, reconstruction of portions of the roof structure, new roofing and lighting upgrades. In addition, overlay projects and ADA ramp improvements were completed throughout the community to prolong the life of City streets and to comply with ADA requirements. Fire Department The Fire Department is led by Chief Gary Garrisi. 2020 was a year of challenges and opportunities for the fire department, local community, and across the State of Oregon. With the COVID pandemic affecting day‐to‐day operations, administrative staff have worked tirelessly to implement, manage, and administer additional policies to assist in responding efficiently to incidents during this unprecedented time. Call volume this past year included approximately 5,800 incidents. Firefighters responded to not only fires but to emergency medical incidents, hazardous conditions, public service assistance, and more. In addition, the department collaborated with fire departments throughout Oregon in providing assistance at both the Archie Creek fire in Glide and the White River fire in Wasco County. The department worked collaboratively with Douglas County Fire District #2 and the Douglas Forest Protective Association this year to conduct a wildland training exercise that included a prescribed burn of Reservoir Hill. This enhanced training and development is vitally important when mobilizing as a team throughout the year and had the added benefit of preparing the area for 2020’s modified Hometown 4th of July fireworks show. While the pandemic limited in person events and educational opportunities, staff was still able to deliver educational materials to five local schools and several other day care or learning centers. Over 500 local children received fire prevention educational materials. And the department helped kick off the holiday season by providing Santa a lift to the County’s Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony! Police Department The Police Department, led by Chief Gary Klopfenstein, continued its tradition of outstanding police work this year, including two notable cases which involved juveniles in high risk situations. The department has handled over 30,000 calls for service, and taken over 5,200 police reports. It has been a busy year! Their highly successful K9 program continues to be fully operational. The City has three K9 teams. Officer Bonebrake and K9 Axel and Master Officer Cordell and his partner Nike have aided in the capture of over 40 suspects, resulting in numerous felony and misdemeanor charges. Detective Bird and his K9 partner Trapper work with the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team (DINT). Together, they have located approximately 74.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 2 pounds of Heroin, and 54 grams of cocaine in the last year. They also located approximately $4,000 cash, and 7 guns. The Police Department continues to partner with Adapt/Compass on the three‐year mobile crisis program grant. Under the grant, Compass Behavioral Health employs Qualified Mental Health Professionals to co‐respond with police 12 hours a day, 7 days a week in and around the City of Roseburg to police calls involving individuals with mental illness. This program has been extremely successful in diverting many of those individuals from being incarcerated and/or from being taken to the Emergency Room. In July 2020, a Federal Court ruling in Blake vs Grants Pass again changed how we are able to enforce Prohibited Camping. Steps are being taken to ensure the City’s policy and procedures are updated so that active enforcement can begin again once the pandemic has subsided. Officers take every opportunity to help unhoused get connected to resources and whenever possible help them connect with family members who can help them further. The Police Department has also created the Roseburg Transitional Court which provides alternative sentencing options to unhoused offenders. Again, this is just a snap shot of the great work happening every day here in the City of Roseburg. And while this year has been many things, challenging, frustrating, and downright scary at times, there is much to be proud of. And, there is a lot to look forward to in 2021. City staff will continue work on Council’s goals in a variety of ways. The following are a few of the highlights that we expect to move forward. 1. Implementation of the Homeless Commission and continuing work on ways to help the most vulnerable while reducing the impacts to our citizens and open spaces. 2. Housing initiatives – including an Urban Growth Boundary swap that will remove steep, difficult to develop parcels and replace it with flatter land that can be developed at a lower cost and higher density. 3. Emergency Preparedness – including additional staff training and exercises and the addition of back‐ up power at the Water Treatment Plant. 4. Downtown – completion of the downtown parking study and implementation of suggested changes 5. Urban Renewal – 2021 will bring the completion of at least two multi‐family housing complexes within the new district, with more expected to start construction in 2021 thanks to the Urban Renewal incentives. 6. Maybe what we are looking forward to most is the return to post‐COVID “normal”, a time when we can get back to delivering the services our citizens expect and deserve in person and more efficiently. And last, but not least, continuing our tradition of making Roseburg the best small town in Oregon! Take care of each other and stay safe! Here is a video of the speech: https://www.cityofroseburg.org/your-government/mayor-council/state-city-message Here is a link to all of the slides during this presentation: https://www.cityofroseburg.org/storage/app/media/Council/2021%20State%20of%20City%20Mayor%20Larry%20Rich%20Message.pdf Here is the 2020 by the Numbers document: https://www.cityofroseburg.org/storage/app/media/ADM/city-manager-links/2020%20By%20the%20Numbers.pdf 2020 Year End Report https://www.cityofroseburg.org/storage/app/media/ADM/city-manager-links/2020%20Year%20End_Report%20Long%20Version.pdf