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Drew Farmer resigns from Coos Bay City Council BY BRANDON SUMMERS The World

Coos Bay City Council Member Drew Farmer is resigning from his elected position effective Sept. 16. Farmer announced at the council’s Sept. 3 meeting that he is resigning before his terms ends in November because is running for a seat on the Coos County Board of Commissioners and wants to focus on his campaign. Farmer was ﬁrst elected to the City Council in 2016. His current term would have ended in November. The council seat will likely remain vacated through the November general election. Serving on the council these

last eight years has been an honor, Farmer told The World. “It’s gone well,” he said. “We’ve been able to bring more development to Coos Bay than I saw in my lifetime prior. We have the restoration of the Tioga Building. All of the development on Front Street has occurred over the last few years. We’ve been able to really start to deal with roads in a way that wasn’t done before.” A Coos Bay native and U.S. Navy veteran, Farmer has worked for the nonproﬁt Working Wonders and Bay Area Enterprises, and is an independent consultant through his practice Farmers Field LLC, which helps Please see FARMER Page 2

North Bend Town Hall to discuss upcoming ballot initiative BY BECKY GIGER For The World

North Bend, OR - Tuesday, September 10, North Bend will be holding a town hall for residents to discuss the upcoming ballot initiative slated for the November election. “Moving forward with the November ballot is a necessary step to ensure we can meet these regulatory requirements and maintain control at the local level,” Mayor Jessica Engelke emphasized the importance of the ballot initiative in the August board meeting. The council approved the wastewater ballot initiative during the meeting to raise rates to help cover costs of a slowly declining infrastructure and the ongoing costs of maintaining the aged structures and pipeline throughout the city. The North Bend City Charter provides that a fee increase requires approval by city elections. This measure seeks voter approval to increase sewer fees within the City of North Bend. The current sewer system, including a treatment plant, ten pump stations, and 51 miles of sewer lines, is aging, with 39% of the system exceeding its 70-year ex-

pected lifespan. The current monthly residential fee of $36.66 must be increased for ongoing operations and necessary repairs with a future deﬁcit most likely if the increase is not done soon. The proposed increases would raise the fee to $43.99 in 2025, $52.79 in 2026, and $63.35 in 2027, with a 5% increase each year after that. Commercial rates would increase by the same percentage. The town hall will give residents a chance to ask questions and get

information about what the ballot measure will include, what changes will take place to their monthly bills and share their own thoughts about the decision of the increase. If residents want to attend the meeting it will take place at the city hall council chambers from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, Tuesday night. All are welcome to join and give a voice to the ballot initiative. To review the ballot initiative or ﬁnd more information go to northbendoregon.us/ballot.

Offshore wind energy Coos County Commissioners question offshore wind farms projects lease set for October BY DEAN BRICKEY For The World

COQUILLE — Coos County commissioners have a number of questions and concerns about a proposed offshore wind farm. In a letter dated Sept. 3 to Gov. Tina Kotek, Commissioners Rod Taylor, John Sweet and Robert “Bob” Main have posed several questions they would like the state to ask the U.S. Bureau of Ocean

Energy Management (BOEM). On Aug. 29, the U.S. Department of Interior, which encompasses BOEM, announced the final sale notice for offshore wind leasing for one site offshore 10-15 miles between Reedsport and Florence and another 6-10 miles offshore between Brookings and Gold Beach. The auction date is Oct. 15 and includes five companies qualified to Please see ENERGY IMPACT Page 8

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BY JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.

The Department of Interior has announced the Final Sale Notice (FSN) for offshore wind leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Oregon. The FSN, issued Aug. 29, sets the auction date for October 15, and includes two lease areas offshore Oregon and the ﬁve companies qualiﬁed to participate in the sale. The two lease areas have the potential to power approximately one million homes with clean energy, according to a release from the Department of Interior. The newly proposed

federally designated award, appeals and lease Wind Energy Areas execution. (WEAs) have been This Proposed Sale established off the Notice (PSN) reﬂects coast of Coos Bay and a multi-year planning Brookings. The Coos process that has included Bay WEA is 32 miles robust engagement offshore and amounts with Tribes, local to 95 square miles of communities, federal potentially leasable land and state agencies, ocean for turbine construction. users, and stakeholders The Brookings WEA to balance the complex is larger, at 209 square social, ecological, and miles, yet closer to economic factors in shore, at only 18 miles Oregon. from the beach. The Bureau of Ocean The FSN also contains Energy Management information about the (BOEM) released the lease areas, certain following statement Aug. lease provisions and 13 about the Oregon conditions, auction offshore projects. details, the lease form, “BOEM relies on the criteria for evaluating best available science competing bids and procedures for lease See WIND PROJECT Page 8

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