04/11/1990 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e e e retired residents will lose their homes because they will not be able to afford their assessments, he urged the elected officials to examine their consciences before allowing that to happen. At this point, a ten-minute recess was called. Bill Sokol, 240 Sunnyside Drive, contended that groundwater pollution in the area does not constitute a health hazard. He said the City of Eugene should be held responsible for increases in the project's cost over the past ten years. Mr. Sokol also claimed that lot size should not determine cost because it is unrelated to sewer use. Jim Hale, 4064 Meredith Court, doubted that health hazards are the primary reason for undertaking the sewer project and suggested that repayment of the grant is a higher priority to the City. Mr. Hale recommended that if the Metro Plan is amended to not rQQuirQ annexation, SQWQrs should also b~ mad~ voluntary. Elaine MUhr, 212 Harvey Avenue, exprQssed doubt regarding the legitimacy of claims that septic tanks are causing groundwater pollution in the River Road area. She voiced concern that elderly residents would suffer from the burden of additional taxation. Don Allen, 2722 Summer Lane, accused the City of Eugene of fabricating evidence that a sewage and disease problem exists in order to obtain money from area residents. He strongly recommended that River Road residents be allowed to vote on the issue of sewers. Norval Shannon, 117 Arbor Drive, commented that he lived in the River Road area because he preferred not having City services. Mr. Shannon said that renters would bear the burden of the cost of sewers and he urged further study of the matter to determine whether a groundwater problem exists. Gary Kutcher, 85560 Svarverud Road, identified himself as a candidate for the Lane County Board of Commissioners. He said that installation of sewers would impose hardship on many residents who cannot afford the assessment and that no fair plan for financing has been proposed. Mr. Kutcher asked that the groundwater study be reviewed and action be taken only if proven necessary. Russ Cottrell, 1495 Golden Avenue, was concerned about the financial impact of sewer assessments and said that in some cases the required payments would exceed the value of the home. He said that local governments should have been saving the money to pay for the project. L. A. Lauderdale, 35 Bushnell Lane, asked why the estimate of his assessment had risen $5,000 in the past five years. He asked about a proposed incentive to encourage payment within ten days. MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 11, 1990 Lane County Board of Commissioners Springfield City Council Page 4