CC Minutes - 10/19/11 Work Session

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Mr. Brown referred to the commission's work plan matrix and asked when the council would receive the commission's analysis of the West Eugene EmX proposal. Mr. Skov was unsure but thought would happen soon. He noted the commission's work with the Planning Commission through the Coordinated Land Use and Transportation Action Committee (CLUTAC) on that analysis. Responding to a question from Mr. Brown about the commission's proposal to issue a joint statement with the HRC on transportation equity, Ms. O'Sullivan confirmed that she was working to schedule a meeting with the commission to discuss the topic. She said the commission hoped to have a stronger partnership with the HRC and its staff. Mr. Brown termed the work plan both ambitious and important and looked forward to the commission's future reports. Ms. Jaworski hoped the commission and council could have more frequent discussions about how to meet the City's sustainability goals. She also hoped the council perceived the commission as an advocate for urgency on the long -range goals embedded in the Seven Pillars of Envision Eugene. She acknowledged the commission and council might not always agree but she hoped increased communication would provide the City with more opportunities to turn the community wide values reflected in Envision Eugene into specific actions. Mr. Farr commended the commission's good work. He spoke to the issue of food security and hoped the commission did not lose track of the local human condition and the work on food security that had been done by local nonprofits such as Food for Lane County and the City Council. He noted that the Lindholm Company recently did a survey about food security and found that 80 percent of respondents supported food security, particularly as it related to community gardens. Mr. Farr sought clarification about Mr. Zelenka's remarks regarding the Rental Housing Code. He asked if the commission proposed to require weatherization in the Rental Housing Code. Ms. Jaworski said the commission had not discussed the scope of its examination. Mr. Skov agreed that nothing was being proscribed now; the commission was interested in the topic because energy efficiency represented the lowest cost marginal resource for electricity and other energy sources. He acknowledged the scope of the examination was a council decision, but suggested that if there was a high leverage opportunity in this area the commission did not want to miss the opportunity to raise it to the council. Mr. Farr said that weatherization was extremely important to residents, and the City should focus what attention it could on it within the context of the council's goals. Ms. Taylor believed the commission should discuss anything it thought about it and welcomed the commission's input on sustainability issues. Mr. Pryor anticipated the council would continue to discuss the degree to which it encouraged sustainability as opposed to the degree it enforced sustainability. He hoped the commission recognized the balance involved. Speaking to the proposed examination of the Rental Housing Code, Mr. Pryor believed the council first needed to determine its approach toward sustainability. He did not think the council would resist commission recommendations to encourage, incentivize, or assist people with weatherization through the Rental Housing Code. However, the regulatory nature of the code made some councilors hesitate to support the work plan item. Mr. Pryor believed it was appropriate to find. a nexus as long as the commission clearly understood that did not mean the council would turn to a code enforcement mechanism. Ms. Ortiz said the meeting was an opportunity for the commission to offer its recommendations to the council as well as an opportunity for the council to tell the commission "no." She said that happened with all City boards and commissions. Ms. Ortiz said she would like to see more details associated with the MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 19, 2011 Page 3 Work Session