City of Madras

06/23/2026

The Madras Redevelopment Commission and Madras City Council will meet tonight beginning at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Community members are welcome to attend in person or watch the meeting live online.

Agendas and meeting information are available at:
https://www.madras.gov/agendacenter

We encourage residents to stay informed and engaged with local government.

06/23/2026

PROJECT CLARIFICATION: WATERLINE DESIGN GRANT

We've seen questions or comments in the below article from Central Oregon Daily News regarding a grant agreement on the June 23, 2026 City Council agenda and wanted to provide some additional context.

The item before Council is a grant agreement for engineering and design work only. No construction is being approved, and no housing development is being approved as part of this action.

In September 2025, City Council authorized staff to apply for a state Infrastructure Support Fund grant to design a waterline identified in the City's adopted Water Master Plan. The City was recently awarded a $59,000 grant to complete that design work. The grant requires no local match.

The project would design a 12-inch waterline between 7th Street and B Street and 12th Street and A Street. The larger waterline has already been identified as a future infrastructure need in the City's Water Master Plan, including improving water capacity and fire flow in the area. The grant program is intended to support infrastructure that can accommodate future housing opportunities. The area served by this waterline is already zoned under existing City regulations and currently allows a variety of residential development types. No zoning changes are being proposed or considered as part of this project.

Because future development in the area could benefit from the planned waterline improvements, the project qualified for this state grant opportunity. This allows the City to complete the engineering design using state grant funds rather than local dollars.

To be clear, this action does not approve a housing project, apartment complex, subdivision, or construction project. It authorizes acceptance of grant funding to prepare engineering plans for infrastructure already identified in the City's adopted planning documents.

The Madras City Council is set to vote on a $59,000 grant to design a new waterline near downtown — an infrastructure move city leaders hope will open the door to high-density housing development.

06/22/2026

Madras residents: Recent outages have impacted your community — and we know you have questions. Join us to hear what’s being done now to improve reliability and safety during wildfire season.

Hear from Pacific Power leaders and the local operations team, ask questions during a Q&A, and speak directly with our customer service team.

Join us:
Thursday, June 25, 2026
6–7:30 p.m.
Jefferson County Public Health Conference Room
500 NE A Street, Suite 102, Madras, OR

06/18/2026

PRESS RELEASE:
The City of Madras is pleased to announce that the City Council has identified Brenda Fahey as its preferred candidate for City Administrator.

Fahey brings more than two decades of public sector leadership experience and, if an employment agreement is approved, would help lead the City's next chapter as Madras continues its work to strengthen services, support employees, and build strong community partnerships.

The City Council is expected to consider an employment agreement at its June 23, 2026 meeting.

Read the full press release here: https://www.madras.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/27

06/12/2026

The City of Madras 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report is now available.

Every year, the City provides a detailed look at the quality of your drinking water, where it comes from, and the work being done to maintain a safe and dependable water system.

A few highlights from this year's report:
-The City received the Outstanding Performance Award during its water system survey for the second consecutive time.
-Madras drinking water continues to meet all Federal and State drinking water standards.
-The City's lead service line inventory identified no lead service lines within the municipal water distribution system.

Providing safe, reliable drinking water is one of the City's most important responsibilities, and we're proud of the work our Public Works team does every day to serve our community.

Read the full 2025 Water Quality Report here:
https://www.madras.gov/1337/Water-Quality-Backflow-Assembly-Testing

06/11/2026

The Madras Redevelopment Commission (MRC) Budget Committee will meet tonight beginning at 5:30 p.m at City Hall.

This meeting is for the city's Urban Renewal Agency's budget which covers the MURD and HURD districts.

Agenda and meeting information:
https://or-madras.civicplus.com/Calendar.aspx?EID=1130&month=6&year=2026&day=11&calType=0

06/11/2026

Thank you, Madras!

Tonight’s City Administrator Candidate Meet & Greet was a great reminder of what community engagement can look like. Thank you to the community members, staff, candidates, local media, and everyone who took the time to attend and participate, also thank you to Initiative Brewing for allowing us use of your space.

Throughout the evening, there were engaging conversations happening across the room. Community members visited with candidates, connected with City staff, asked questions, shared perspectives, and learned more about the work happening in our community.

Community engagement is an important part of local government, and we appreciate everyone who chooses to participate through the opportunities available to them. Your questions, feedback, and involvement help make our city stronger and provide valuable perspective for the City Council as they continue the recruitment process.

A special thank you to the candidates for spending the evening getting to know Madras and the people who call it home.

Tomorrow, the process continues with candidate interviews as the City Council works through the next steps in selecting Madras’ next City Administrator.

Thank you for showing up, being engaged, and caring about the future of our community.f

06/10/2026

A message from your Interim City Administrator:

For those of you that I haven't had an opportunity to meet yet, my name is David Clyne and I've had the honor and pleasure of serving as your interim City Administrator for the past several months. I want to say that I have served in 14 different cities over the course of my 40 plus year career and Madras ranks high on my list as one of the most attractive places with a very welcoming community, and an amazing team of elected officials and staff!

This week is a big week. We welcome to town the top three candidates for the opening of City Administrator. I hope people will find their way to Initiative Brewing this evening for the Meet and Greet, 6:00-7:30pm. Your reactions and particularly your written comments will form an essential part of the Council's ultimate decision for the best candidate to move forward for contract discussions.

As in every community I am aware of, social media has become one of the dominant means of communication and messaging. For that reason, I am sharing this recruiting information and also responding to some misinformation that is circulating.

There has been a lot of discussion about data centers in the news in general and in the local social media. The Council and City staff are aware that these types of developments have become a politically sensitive topic in many communities, including here locally. We are listening to the perspectives and concerns being shared by residents. To be clear, the City is not currently entertaining a proposal for locating a data center in Madras, and there are no related public actions pending before the City Council.

We also recognize that large-scale developments can raise important questions regarding water resources, wastewater infrastructure, power supply, land use, economic benefit, and overall community impact. These are complex issues being discussed by communities, policymakers, utility providers, and industry experts across the region and beyond.

As local governments, residents, and the world continue to learn more about these evolving industries and their potential impacts, it is important that decisions be informed by reliable data, sound planning, and a thorough understanding of both the opportunities and challenges they may present to a community. If any future project requiring City action were to come forward, it would be reviewed through the appropriate public process. Our request to you is to listen in, participate constructively, and help your leadership understand changing concerns in our community.

While I am in the business of sharing news… The City has just finished wrapping up the annual budget with the Budget Committee and we are very happy to announce that it is balanced and in pretty solid shape. We made no significant cuts and are happy to engage in business as usual for the coming year. The staff is pretty amazing in the dedication they have to the Madras community, even in the face of some unfortunate criticism that just isn't deserved. I know most of you probably do so already, but I hope you all come to cherish and value them the way I do for all they do and the professional manner in which they do it.

Thank you again for the wonderful opportunity to serve you for this short time in my life. Madras has created lasting and enjoyable memories for me.
Regards,

David Clyne, Interim City Administrator

06/09/2026

The Madras Redevelopment Commission and Madras City Council will meet tonight beginning at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Community members are welcome to attend in person or watch the meeting live online.

Agendas and meeting information are available at:
https://or-madras.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter

We encourage residents to stay informed and engaged with local government.

06/08/2026

Mayor Lepin Represents Madras at the Portland Rose Festival

Mayor Mike Lepin recently joined more than 50 mayors from communities across Oregon and Southwest Washington in the Portland Rose Festival's Mayors Marching Unit.

The annual tradition celebrates Oregon's communities while providing an opportunity for local leaders to connect, share ideas, and represent their hometowns during one of the state's longest-running civic celebrations.

The event included a reception at the Oregon Historical Society highlighting the history of the Rose Festival and the role local communities have played in its tradition for more than a century.

Thank you to Mayor Lepin for representing the City of Madras and our community.