A plan to have a managed camp in Redmond open by this winter hit a snag this week. A split vote of the Redmond City Council and a delayed vote at the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners mean the construction schedule will likely get pushed back for the camp planned on Redmond’s east side.
Plans to build the camp have been afoot for years but began to take shape in July 2024. That’s when Deschutes County commissioners moved to swap a county parcel for a piece of land owned by the Department of State Lands. That prompted a push to remove the people who were occupying the county lands off Antler Ave. and to relocate them to a new, managed camping area. The planned camp will have 36 camping pads, water and other infrastructure.
Deschutes County issued requests for proposals to construct the managed camp, with the lowest bid, from Taylor Northwest, coming in nearly $150,000 above the County’s projected budget. Redmond city councilors noted that some of the increase came from the need to add fire safety and suppression infrastructure to the bid.
On Oct. 14, Redmond City Manager Keith Witcosky asked the Council to approve nearly $73,000 in additional funds from the City’s general fund to cover the gap. The City has roughly $9.6 million in reserves, with another $3 million slated to help cover a forthcoming east side arterial road, Witcosky said.
The Redmond City Council voted 3-3 — a split vote — to approve the funds. Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch just underwent heart surgery last week, meaning he was not present to cast a deciding vote. Councilors are expected to discuss the issue again at the Oct. 28 City Council meeting. County staff will attend to discuss the additional costs.
To cover those costs, the County would also need to contribute another nearly $73,000. Deschutes County commissioners delayed their vote on the issue during their Oct. 15 meeting, following the Redmond City Council’s split vote.
“I hope that Redmond will agree to the higher than originally estimated bid amount and that the Board of Commissioners will come through with our half as well,” Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang told the Source via email.
Deschutes County will be responsible for operations of the camp when it’s built. Per the direction of the City Council, the City of Redmond will not be responsible for operational costs.
This article appears in the Source October 23, 2025.
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