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<br />e <br /> <br />Currently the fee is $35 annually. This fee reflects the cost of <br />administering the license as well as the cost of the initial inspection. <br /> <br />Dick Briggs, Eugene Chamber of Commerce, said the basic problem with <br />hazardous materials in the past has been the conflicting directives from <br />various organizations about how to deal with them. He said work began on the <br />issue 18 months ago to try to simplify the process and make it more <br />efficient. <br /> <br />Mr. Briggs felt the City's Article 80 is better than the national model. He <br />felt the major problem with the ordinance is that the State Fire Marshal is <br />trying to implement it statewide without giving local jurisdictions the <br />authority to do the work and keep the user fees. He felt this was a serious <br />problem as it would result in a duplication of fees to the user. He felt <br />strongly that the local jurisdictions doing the inspection and enforcement <br />work should be able to collect the fees for their work. Mr. Briggs <br />encouraged the council to direct staff to lobby for this position. <br /> <br />Mr. Briggs also encouraged the council to consider fee levels in other areas <br />when setting City fees. He felt if hazardous materials fees were high in <br />Eugene, businesses would choose to operate in a city with lower fees. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Andy Poynter, Spectra Physics, said the Hazardous Materials Ordinance will <br />have a large impact on local businesses. As a result, approximately 60 <br />industry representatives have been involved in the review of much of the <br />material included in Article 80. Mr. Poynter credited the Fire Marshal's <br />Office for the fact that they actually go out to the industries and conduct <br />annual inspections. He felt it would be very valuable when that inspection <br />is expanded to include hazardous materials. Mr. Poynter suggested that when <br />the ordinance is presented to the industry and community, staff should <br />emphasize the capabilities of the Haz Mat Team and the benefits of the <br />services it will provide. He felt this would persuade most industries that <br />the increase in fees is worthwhile. <br /> <br />Mr. Boles asked whether the licensing fees cover the costs of establishing <br />and operating the Haz Mat Team. Mr. Cleland said these costs are born by the <br />General Fund; licensing fees cover the costs of data acquisition and response <br />planning. Mr. Gleason added that special teams (such as the Haz Mat Team) <br />are composed of existing staff, specially trained to meet certification <br />requirements. <br /> <br />Mr. Holmer said he did not think the council has the knowledge to evaluate <br />the administrative details that have been included in the ordinance. He did <br />not think council should be adopting the Uniform Code and felt staff should <br />be authorized to adopt this type of detail. Mr. Gleason agreed that the <br />uniform codes tend to merge administrative and policy details. He said the <br />problem is that this ordinance will apply to a large number of jurisdictions, <br />so it must reflect the requirements of the various statutory relationships. <br />Mr. Gleason said staff would discuss this issue with the City Attorney's <br />Office to see if there is a way to separate the administrative details from <br />the code design more thoughtfully. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council <br />Work Session <br /> <br />January 23, 1989 <br /> <br />Page 3 <br />