City of North Bend release - I wanted to provide a factual clarification regarding the recent petition for review filed concerning North Bend’s proposed ballot titles for the May 19, 2026 election, including the Public Safety Fee measure.  The current court proceeding concerns the wording of the ballot title. It is not a challenge to whether the City lawfully referred the measure. The City followed the required process in adopting the resolution and submitting the ballot title.  The City has filed its response with the court. In that response, the City explains why it believes the ballot title is legally sufficient. At the same time, the City also provided proposed revised wording for the court to consider if the judge believes any clarification is appropriate. In other words, the City has defended the ballot title as lawful while also taking a practical approach to ensure the language is as clear as possible.  It is also important to distinguish this ballot-title review from the underlying facts about the measure itself. A similar Public Safety Fee proposal was considered by North Bend voters in May 2025. Certified election results show that measure received more yes votes than no votes, with 53.59 percent voting yes among those casting a vote on the measure. It did not take effect at that time because the prior charter language required approval by a majority of all registered voters, not just a majority of those voting. In that same election, voters approved a charter amendment changing that voting standard.  The City’s goal here is straightforward: provide accurate information, follow the legal process, and make sure residents and media have access to the official public record. That includes the City’s code and charter provisions, adopted budget materials, the certified 2025 election results, and the City’s court filing responding to the petition.  For reporting purposes, the key point is that this is a ballot-title wording review, not a determination that the measure itself was improperly referred. The City expects the matter to move through the certification process promptly, and we wanted to ensure you had the procedural context and the City’s response in hand.  The City’s response filing is posted on the North Bend website for your review. There you will find related public documents that explain the fee, the election history, and the supporting budget context.  See: https://www.northbendoregon.gov/news/8268/questions-and-answers-about-the-public-safety-fee-proposal.