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Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing. <br />Ms. Ortiz determined the location of the properties in question from Bill Almquist of the Planning <br />Division. Mr. Almquist also provided brief background on the annexation requests that had impelled the <br />withdrawal applications and noted the special districts involved in each request. <br />Responding to a question from Ms. Ortiz, Mr. Almquist confirmed that the annexations in question were <br />voluntary annexations. <br />Responding to a question from Mr. Clark, City Manager Ruiz indicated lead staff for discussions with the <br />districts would be identified that week and a meeting would be scheduled soon. Mr. Clark asked to be <br />notified of meetings. <br />3. PUBLIC HEARING: <br />An Ordinance Adopting Hazardous Substance User Fees for the Fiscal Year Commencing <br />July 1, 2011 <br />City Manager Ruiz introduced the topic, noting that the City's Toxics Right -to -Know Program was <br />funded through fees assessed to the businesses who reported. The purpose of the hearing was to hear <br />testimony about those fees. <br />Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. <br />Joann Ernst, 1295 Buck Street, spoke of the merits of the City's Toxics Right -to -Know Program. She <br />provided a report based on the data developed by the Oregon Toxics Alliance to the council and said it <br />indicated the majority of toxic air emissions in the community occurred in the west Eugene area. She <br />emphasized the negative impact of toxics on residents, particularly the young, the elderly, and those <br />afflicted by asthma. She asked the council to continue its support for the program, and expressed support <br />for the recommended fee structure. <br />Lisa Arkin, 1192 Lawrence Street, representing the Oregon Toxics Alliance, emphasized the impact of <br />toxic air emissions on west Eugene in comparison to the remainder of the community. She noted the <br />many students with asthma in the Bethel School District in west Eugene. A door -to -door survey <br />conducted by her organization suggested that 30 percent of households had someone with asthma <br />symptoms. She said it was important to know conditions as the City planned for the future, and the <br />program provided information about those conditions. Ms. Arkin recommended that emitting businesses <br />be required to have an emergency preparedness plan, and that all industries within the urban growth <br />boundary be required to report. <br />Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing. <br />Councilor Ortiz believed the Oregon Toxics Alliance and Lane Regional Air Protection Agency <br />complemented one another. She noted that many of the businesses that reported to the program were in <br />the area she represented. <br />Councilor Clark emphasized his support for residents' right to know and noted that Section 2.2 of the <br />charter language establishing the program exempted all public agencies, including educational <br />MINUTES— Eugene City Council February 22, 2011 Page 2 <br />Public Hearing <br />