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Bill Currier Newsletter — September 21, 2026
Mayor Bill Currier • Adair Village Weekly Update • September 21, 2026
Hello, Adair Village,
Thursday was Constitution Day, and here in our city it was also public hearing day: the Planning Commission took public testimony on the street, sidewalk, and connectivity standards that will guide how we grow. I appreciate that timing. The Constitution built the framework for self-government, and showing up at a local hearing is one of the most direct ways any of us actually use it. If you weighed in last week, in person or in writing, thank you. If you missed it, you get another turn on October 6, and the details are below. Also this week: a Corvallis food cart standoff with real lessons for how growth pays its way, a record wildfire bill at the state level, and a chance to help decide how our school district spends its money.
🚨 Public Safety
🔹 Oregon's wildfire season is headed for a record bill: State lawmakers on the Legislature's Emergency Board approved nearly $123 million this month to cover firefighting costs: $108 million for the Oregon Department of Forestry and $15 million for the State Fire Marshal. With roughly 2.5 million acres burned so far, total costs are expected to reach $350 million by season's end, which would top the record set in 2024.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Every one of those dollars is a dollar not going to schools, roads, or housing. It is a reminder that prevention and readiness are far cheaper than response, and that the training our regional fire crews do, like the prescribed burn near Bald Hill I wrote about last week, is money well spent before the emergency ever starts.
👉 Read the wildfire funding story
🔹 A 30-second readiness check: September is National Preparedness Month, and it closes out this week. Take a moment to confirm your household has a plan, a meeting spot, and a few days of water on hand. The City's public safety page collects our emergency plan and preparedness resources in one place, and it is worth a bookmark.
👉 Visit the city's public safety page
💼 Economic Development
🔹 A $15,000 lesson from a Corvallis food cart pod: Common Fields, the popular food truck pod in Corvallis, wants to add two trucks, but a transportation system development charge of roughly $15,000 per truck has stalled the plan. Owner Jacob Oliver takes his case to the Corvallis City Council on Tuesday, September 22, asking for a pause or reversal while the fee structure gets a second look. Corvallis, for its part, is arranging a 2.5 percent loan from a small-business revolving fund so the expansion can proceed either way.
→ 💡 What this means: Development charges are how cities make growth help pay for the streets, sidewalks, and pipes that growth requires. The principle is sound. If new activity adds traffic and demand, it should carry its share, or existing residents pick up the tab.
→ 🗣️ My take: I have co-owned small technology companies for years, and I can tell you a surprise five-figure fee is not a rounding error for a small operation. It can be the difference between growing and giving up. The answer is not to abandon these charges; it is to make them predictable, proportionate, and published in plain English before anyone signs a lease. As we build toward our own town square and a stronger local business base, I am watching closely how Corvallis threads this needle.
👉 Read the Common Fields story
🏘️ Community Development
🔹 The transportation code update moves to City Council on October 6: Thursday evening, our Planning Commission held its legislative public hearing on DCA-26-01, the amendments that write our adopted Transportation System Plan into enforceable standards for street design, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and neighborhood connectivity. The next stop is the City Council's own public hearing on Tuesday, October 6, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 6030 NE William R Carr Avenue.
→ ➡️ What happens next: You can testify at the Council hearing or submit written comments before or at the meeting. The housing variety and utility capacity we want for this city depend on getting these connections planned before construction starts, so your input now carries real weight.
🔹 Three citizen seats at the school budget table: The Corvallis School District, which serves Adair Village families, is recruiting three volunteers for its Budget Committee. The committee pairs seven citizens with the seven elected board members to review the proposed budget, hear public comment, and approve the budget total and tax rates. You must live and be registered to vote in the district, and applications get their first review on October 29. If you have ever wanted a real say in how school dollars are spent, this is the seat where it happens.
🏗️ Infrastructure & Utilities
🔹 Data centers, utility bills, and your two cents: The state's Data Center Advisory Committee has published its preliminary findings after nine months of fact-finding, and it is asking Oregonians to weigh in before final recommendations are drafted. The committee has received more than 700 written comments so far, and utility affordability was the single most frequent concern raised. Comments are open through October 24.
→ 💡 What this means: Data centers draw enormous amounts of power and water, and how that demand gets managed statewide affects rates and grid reliability for everyone on the system, including small cities like ours. Reliable, affordable utilities are the quiet foundation of everything else we do as a community, so when the state asks for input on something that shapes both, I encourage you to take them up on it.
👉 Read the committee's report (PDF)
👉 Submit a comment to the state
📅 Dates & Community Moments
🔹 New at The Arts Center: The exhibit 66 Birds/3 Degrees and Return to Life opened Thursday, September 17 during the monthly Corvallis Arts Walk and runs through November 7 at 700 SW Madison Avenue in Corvallis. If you missed the Arts Walk itself, it returns every third Thursday, next on October 15, from 4 to 8 p.m.
🔹 Plan your week: The Corvallis Advocate's Friday to Friday calendar is out, covering September 18 through 25 with museum exhibits, live music, and plenty of free options close to home.
👉 Browse the Friday to Friday calendar
🤝 In Closing
Two dates worth writing down: Tuesday, October 6 for the Council's public hearing on our transportation standards, and October 24 if you want the state to hear from you on data centers and utility costs. Public processes only work when the public is in them, and this city has a good track record of showing up. Questions on anything above? Call City Hall at 541-745-5507, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or reply to this email and it will reach me.
Grateful, as always, to serve this community.
Bill Currier
Mayor, City of Adair Village
