CC Minutes - 12/13/10 Work Session

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Kerns on the implementation of the Downtown Public Safety Zone. Several officers were present to answer questions about the use of the zone as well as about policy issues. Chief Kerns had shared his final version of the taser policy with the commission, which contained only one or two minor revisions of the text he received from the Police Commission. Mr. Poling reported that the Joint Locally Preferred Alternatives Committee met to discuss options for the West Eugene EmX extension. He hoped the council and community kept in mind that no route had been chosen, and the.no -build option was still on the table. Mr. Poling said the Board of Directors of Travel Lane County had met and heard a report that an effort would be made to repeal the law that established how the Transient Room Tax was allocated. New legislative would give authority to the county to make the determination on how those funds would be distributed. That could be devastating to Travel Lane County, which supported tourism in Lane County. Mr. Poling thanked Ms. Solomon for her service as a City Councilor and said he would miss having her at the council meeting table and the passion and compassion she brought to her work as a councilor. He recalled that four years before they ran for office in 2002 they had talked about running for the council together. It had been an honor to serve beside her. Ms. Solomon thanked Mr. Poling for his remarks and also thanked him for escorting her to her car after late night council meetings. Ms. Solomon reported that the Public Safety Coordinating Council (PSCC) met at the Springfield Justice Center and members were conducted on a tour of the facility. She commended the partnership demon- strated by the PSCC and said there were many opportunities for the group to do important things around public safety. She also served on the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MCWC) and termed the commission another model of intergovernmental cooperation. She encouraged other councilors to serve on the MCWC and learn more about that function. Ms. Solomon said she was also a member of the Human Services Commission (HSC), which was working under a new funding model. She hoped the new model was given a chance to work. She concluded by saying it had been a privilege to serve on all three groups, as well as on the Housing Policy Board. Mr. Brown had also attended the most recent Police Commission meeting as well as the International Human Rights Day event at the Baker Center on December 10. He said that it had been a celebration of progress and admonitions to keep working. It had been a well- attended event. Ms. Ortiz said she also attended the International Human Rights Day celebration and noted that the City's former Human Rights Program Director, Greg Rikhoff, had been honored for his work. Ms. Ortiz reported she was on the long -term budget committee for the Bethel School District, which had discussed the potential of a City tax measure as well as its plans for an operating bond for long -term maintenance. Mr. Zelenka reported that the University of Oregon singing group "On the Rocks" was appearing on the television show "Sing Off' and had made it through the first few competitive rounds. He had attended his last MPC meeting as the body's chair and had presented the MPC's annual report to the Lane Council of Governments Board of Directors. He asked that the report be provided to the council as well. Mr. Zelenka thanked the mayor for hosting the forum on school funding. He thought it would be an interesting and important conversation. He noted the Sustainability Commission was meeting the next day. Mr. Zelenka reported that he had met with some of the opponents of the West Eugene EmX extension and received a lot of input that gave him "food for thought." He also met with Eugene Water & MINUTES— Eugene City Council December 13, 2010 Page 2 Work Session