Bend Mayor Sally Russell and City Manager Eric King will give a State-of-the-City speech Tuesday, at a local brewery. The event is sponsored by the Bend Chamber of Commerce, and while there are dozens of free tickets for the general public, most of those who attend will have shelled out $25 (chamber members) or $35 (public) to attend.

It’s awkward — at the very least — that there is a charge associated with a State-of-the-City speech. That should not happen with a State-of-the-City or the similar State-of-the-County presentation.

The general public won’t exactly be left in the dark for the State-of-the-City message. The chamber will live-stream the event on Facebook, so you can watch it in real time. Too, the chamber will post the event on YouTube, in case you miss it on Facebook.

Finally, city officials will make very similar presentations to Bend’s 13 neighborhood associations over the next couple of months.

Still, both public agencies would do better by the folks they serve with a different approach. The wrong approach can leave some with the distinct feeling that folks willing to pay get insider access.

Mayor Sally Russell said Wednesday she is committed at looking at ways to improve the way the city does it.

It’s not reasonable to assume that city or county officials sought out exclusive audiences. Next time, though, they should ensure the events don’t give any such impression.