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MINUTES <br />Eugene City Council <br />Harris Hall, 125 East 8�h Avenue <br />Eugene, Oregon 97401 <br />March 13, 2019 <br />12:00 p.m. <br />Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Mike Clark, Chris Pryor, Claire Syrett, Jennifer Yeh, Alan <br />Zelenka <br />Councilors Absent: Betty Taylor, Greg Evans <br />Mayor Vinis opened the March 13, 2019, Work Session of the Eugene City Council. <br />1. WORK SESSION: Renter Protections <br />Grants Manager, Stephanie Jennings gave a council follow-up staff presentation about the <br />experience of Eugene renters and local current rental market issues related to affordability, <br />availability, access, quality, and stability. Ms. Jennings also provided an update on proposed <br />state legislation related to rental protections. <br />Council Discussion <br />• Councilor Clark - requested data to reflect number of single adults vs. multiple adults in <br />single-family housing, remarking that there are more single adults living in single-family <br />housing in Eugene compared to other communities in Oregon; suggested there is a <br />discrepancy between the model for which single-family homes were built and who <br />currently lives in single-family homes; raised concern that council's decisions make more <br />homes more expensive to rent. <br />• Councilor Syrett - appreciated the use of the word "home" rather than "unit" as an example <br />of the disparity in attitudes regarding home ownership and rent; stated the need for <br />accurate vacancy rates to understand rental conditions in Eugene; supported exploring in <br />greater detail application fees and the use of a smart phone app that could house a <br />universal application and fee; remarked that conditional to passing a Construction Excise <br />Tax (CET), the city should look at creating a revolving loan fund to support first and last <br />month payments and security deposits, strengthening protection preventing retaliation, <br />monthly fees for pets rather than blanket security deposits, landlords to provide rights and <br />responsibilities prior to renting, and to look into strategic collaborations with local <br />agencies to support those with disabilities and the unhoused in the community. <br />• Councilor Pryor - remarked that while the study contains a self-selection bias, shading the <br />results being discussed, the feedback is direct, informative, and of value; remarked that <br />this is an indicator that the council should remain engaged with the topic; suggested that <br />while initial council engagement may raise rents, council -supported financial supports will <br />ultimately reduce these costs. <br />Councilor Zelenka - questioned why Eugene's rental population is so much higher (as <br />compared to national rental figures) and suggested that more data in comparison to <br />similarly sized communities in college towns would be helpful; questioned the accuracy of <br />reported rental rates to actual rental stock and lamented the high rates of renter <br />displacement due to increased rental costs; noted the intersection of housing availability, <br />affordability, and displacement as something he'd like to discuss more in the next work <br />MINUTES — Eugene City Council March 13, 2019 Page 1 <br />Work Session <br />