City snapshot: workshop, council business, fire concerns

Is the north sector of Sisters Country becoming a greater fire threat concern? At least one citizen thinks so. The August 26 Sisters Council meeting included public comment from Toby Weiss, a resident of Whychus Canyon Estates. Weiss spoke during public comments about the need for more attention to fires threatening Sisters Country from the north. Weiss said that wildfire risk 'isn't really about the hundreds of fires we successfully stop. It's about the handful we don't.' Weiss said that in the last 20 years there were 283 recorded fire ignitions north of Sisters, 80 percent of them burned no more than an acre, but 21 (or eight percent) grew to 100 acres or more. Most fires that threaten Sisters have come from the northwest, west, and southwest. Weiss noted that over the last six fire seasons three huge fires threatened Sisters from the north: Grandview – July 2021, Flat Fire – August 2025, and Akawa Butte — July 2026. Weiss voiced concerns about gaps in fire mitigation efforts between the areas that have had treatments or had previously burned. An in-depth report into Weiss' concerns and ideas and local progress is forthcoming. The bulk of the meeting included a status report from Deschutes County Sheriff Office (DCSO), an intro to Sisters GRO scholarship program, and priority recommendations for the Sisters public art advisory board (PAAB). Council heard public comments on fires north of Sisters, then approved two resolutions, finalized the City's community grant awards, and approved funding of a paving project. DCSO Lieutenant Chad Davis reported that the summer has been quite busy. He noted that folks driving golf carts or the like in town must follow all related local to federal laws. With students going back to school Sisters DCSO is paying increased attention to traffic in the area. DCSO will soon have new body-worn and vehicle cameras. Sisters Graduate Resource Organization (Sisters GRO) is in its 29th year supporting students pursuing continued education at trade schools, colleges, or universities. Several local entities support the program and Council had noticed that the City was not one of them. The City invited Sisters GRO Executive Director Regan Roberts to present the program to Council. Roberts reported that Sisters GRO offers a variety of scholarships for graduating seniors from Sisters High School (SHS). GRO annually offers between 50 to 75 individual scholarships each having unique eligibility criteria. Sisters GRO recently awarded a record $385,250 in scholarships to 68 graduating SHS seniors. Roberts suggested the City could define a scholarship with criteria aligned to City Council goals. Council identified civic leadership and engagement goals and discussed options. City staff will create a draft Sisters GRO scholarship proposal. Council hopes to meet the November deadline to offer a City scholarship in January 2027 Sisters GRO program. The average scholarship amounts are between $3,000 to $5,000 and never below $1,000. Assistant City Manager Kerry Prosser presented the drafted list of a dozen public art related projects for Council to confirm priorities. Council hopes the Sisters PAAB will find the priority list helpful. Council's top two priorities are the public art for the Highway 20 at Locust Street Roundabout and updates and improvements to the City's public art documentation (public art inventory, maintenance plans, and policies). The PAAB met August 25 to learn about the City charter, applicable guidelines, and Oregon statutes as relates to boards. The PAAB's first working session is open to the public at 4 p.m., September 22, in City Hall. Council approved the resolution to extend the Greater Area Redmond Enterprise Zone abatement to 10 years. This is an agreement with the County to which the City of Sisters is a party. The agreement does not directly impact the City of Sisters. Council discussed the possibility of eventually exiting the contract and to instead have a direct agreement with the County for a similar abatement program. Council approved the resolution in which the City of Sisters is recommending the Board of County Commissioners approve text amendments to Title 21 of the Deschutes County Code to reference the Title 18 zoning designations for the Sisters unincorporated urban growth area (UUGA). Although, at this writing the Sisters Urban Growth boundary application is still in hearing status with the County Planning Commission, it is expected that this and a few other related applications from City to the County will soon be approved. Council awarded a competitive bid to complete infrastructure maintenance of street overlays (East Cascade Avenue, North Cottage Lane, North Rope Place, and East Black Butte Avenue) to Tri-County Paving LLC. The bid amount is $94,702.30 with a 5 percent contingency variance. The bid came in significantly under the budget of $140,000. The work should complete the end of 2026. The City annually conducts a Community Grant Awards program for non-profits and entities supporting various community needs in Sister Country. The awards budget is $30,000. For the past 20 years the City has awarded over $400,000 in grants to 80 organizations averaging $1,500 per award. Council reviewed a list of 33 applicants requesting a total just under $80,000. Council approved the grant amounts to be awarded. Applying entities will soon be receiving letters from the City regarding their grant requests.