CC Minutes - 02/13/12 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilor Farr observed that the bill had bipartisan support and passed unanimously out of the House Judiciary Committee. Councilor Brown did not perceive the bill was a continuation of the punishment already meted out. He suggested that instead, it would provide for post - supervision of such individuals. Such individuals could continue to drive but the interlock device would assure they were sober when they did so. He supported the staff recommendation for Priority 3, Support. Roll call vote: The motion failed, 6:1; Councilor Taylor voting yes. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Jean Stacey, Ward 1, believed that the Occupy movement was a reaction to changes that people were overwhelmed by and was creating awareness for needed changes. She opposed the Downtown Public Safety Zone (DPSZ), which she found confusing and discriminatory. She asked the council to end the DPSZ and suggested there were better approaches to solving the problems downtown. Larry Leverone, Ward 1, did not support the DPSZ. Patricia Diehl, Ward 1, expressed support for a proposed council resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to repeal the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United versus Federal Communication Commission. She asked that the question be placed before the voters as well. Tony Hernandez, Ward 2, expressed concern about the continued deterioration of publicly owned tennis courts. He asked that City -owned public courts at the three high school competition sites be cleaned and repainted during the upcoming summer. The surfaces were unsafe for the high school athletes and general public who used them. He called for a better communication between City staff, the high school administrators, and the students who used the courts about the maintenance of the courts. John Davidson, Ward 2, supported the proposed council resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to repeal the Citizens United v. Federal Communications Commission. He asked that the resolution be revised to call for a complete prohibition on corporate spending on political campaigns. Mark Callahan, Ward 4, expressed opposition to the extension of West Eugene EmX. He said that Lane Transit District (LTD) employee pensions were not fully funded but it was using federal funds paid by others to build a system that was used by only six percent of the population. LTD had no plans for how to pay for the increased operational expenses from EmX. He asked the council to be fiscally responsible stewards of the taxpayers' dollars and questioned spending tax money on a membership in the International Council on Local Environmental Issues. He suggested that the council begin acting in a financially sustainable manner rather than merely thinking it was being sustainable by supporting green and environmental initiatives. He also suggested the council stop talking about resolutions that would have no impact. Lela Trope, Lane County, thanked Mr. Callahan for his comments. She questioned if corporations were really all that evil and asked how many people present worked for a corporation and wanted to end it. Ms. Trope objected to spending taxpayer money on services that could be delivered privately. She believed the West Eugene EmX extension would hurt businesses, who were reluctant to take on the MINUTES— Eugene City Council February 13, 2012 Page 2 Work Session