LOC News
Transportation Committee Tour Stopping in Bend and The Dalles
The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) is moving its statewide roadshow to Bend and The Dalles next week. Here are the details:
Bend Public Hearing - September 12, 5-7 p.m.
OSU Cascades Campus, Ray Hall
1500 SW Chandler Avenue
Bend, OR 97702
The Dalles Public Hearing - September 13, 5-7 p.m.
The Dalles Middle School Commons
1100 East 12th Street
The Dalles, OR 97058
Before these public hearings, committee members will take guided trips to local transportation facilities and hold a roundtable discussion to better understand transportation needs. The afternoon roundtable discussion with local leaders will focus on the local members from each regions’ Area Commissions on Transportation (ACT), and the evening session will start with a 5-7 p.m. hearing for the public and interested parties.
If you are not part of the local tour or afternoon roundtable, the LOC recommends signing up for the 5-7 p.m. public comment portion. Committee members need to hear from you and learn more about your local interests and what the transportation package needs to look like. You can sign up in person 30 minutes before the 5 p.m. start. The hearings will be available via live stream on olis.oregonlegislature.gov. If you can't attend, email your comments to the committee at JCT.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov.
The LOC has prepared core messages based on input and recommendations from its Transportation Policy Committee. These messages can be found here.
These messages should be built into your public comments.
For the 2025 legislative session, city leaders can influence the scope and scale of the next transportation package with a strong showing at these roadshow events. The LOC is asking those communities within the Central Oregon ACT to participate in the Bend event and Lower John Day River Area ACT cities to participate in The Dalles meeting. Local governments need to show up to support a robust transportation investment. There are two remaining stops in Oregon for other regions to participate.
The 2025 transportation package will require considerable effort and advocacy from all local governments. The 2017 package created a historic level of investment, with more than $5.3 billion towards transportation infrastructure, transit expansion funding, and community critical safety programs. For example, the Small City Allotment program emerged during the 2017 session, along with a historic commitment to funding the expansion of local public transit.
Remember, you have proven that local government grassroots works! It’s now time to push for a robust transportation package in 2025.
Contact: Jim McCauley, Legislative Director - jmccauley@orcities.org
Last Updated 9/6/24