With a round of head nods and a statement from Mayor Melanie Kebler, the Bend City Council joined a growing list of local elected officials to endorse an expansion of the Deschutes County Commission to five members through a citizen’s initiative headed to November’s general election ballot.

“I think it’s a good idea to basically upgrade our government to modern times,” Kebler said at a Wednesday meeting. She noted that three people have served on the county’s governing board since Deschutes County was established more than one hundred years ago.

“We now have more than 200K in the county and need a good diverse viewpoint on our county commission and representation across the county.”

In unanimous agreement with the mayor, who had previously endorsed the measure, the Bend City Council became the first city government in the county to endorse Measure 9-179 as a whole.

Three Redmond City Council members — Clifford Evelyn, John Nielson and Kathryn Osborne — and Mayor Ed Fitch have already vouched support for two extra county commission seats.

“I think having more representation at the board level would be helpful,” Fitch said in an interview. “For the commissioners themselves to be able to talk to each other on a candid level would be important to have.”

No two members of a three-member commission can meet outside of a board meeting without violating public meetings law. Five commissioners would mean a meeting of two no longer constitutes a majority or a formal meeting, which some suggest would allow two members to pre-process issues in a more relaxed environment, leading to smoother decision-making.

Fitch’s support for an expanded commission goes back to 2006, when he chaired a committee leading a similar ballot measure. Voters shot down that initiative.

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Initiative to expand Deschutes County Commission headed to November ballot

Opposition has come from Deschutes County Republicans, including sitting Commissioners Patti Adair and Tony DeBone, who have argued a larger board would mean additional expenses and bloated government.

Phil Chang, the commission’s lone Democrat, has also endorsed the measure. He believes more commissioners would lead to better decision-making and ultimately save the county money.

Sisters City Councilor Susan Cobb has also endorsed the measure. So has The League of Women Voters of Deschutes County and the Central Oregon Labor Chapter of the AFL-CIO.

Measure 9-179 hit a big milestone earlier this month when Bend business owner and petition organizer John Heylin turned in the required 6,600 signatures to send it to the November ballot.

He said the endorsement from Bend City Council “feels like a tipping point.”

“This thing has a momentum of its own now.”