CC Minutes - 04/23/12 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES Eugene City Council Council Chamber —City Hall 777 Pearl Street — Eugene, Oregon April 23, 2012 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Brown, Pat Farr, Betty Taylor, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Mike Clark, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the April 23, 2012, regular meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. She reviewed the order of the agenda, noting that item 5 had been moved up in the order. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. She limited speakers to two minutes. Robert Bolman, Ward 1, reviewed and submitted written testimony advocating for sustainability efforts at the local level. Dennis Ramsey, Ward 7, distributed materials from a Sister City delegation to Kathmandu as the last opportunity to present them before the May 14 arrival of the Kathmandu delegation. He also shared a recent newspaper from Kathmandu. Michael Steffen, Ward 2, Vice President of the Rental Housing Association of Lane County, asked the council to include a sunset clause in the Rental Housing Code. David Gerber, Ward 2, updated the council about The Newspaper, a local newspaper written and sold by the homeless. He said more vendors were needed to sell the goal of 800 newspapers monthly. He said people could take pride in selling newspapers as opposed to panhandling. Cedar Cosner, Ward 5, objected that the proposed social ordinance placed liability on roommates who might have nothing to do with the event that triggered the ordinance. He believed the proposed fines were disproportionate to the offense and could have severe financial repercussions for students. He was also concerned that the ordinance would cause landlords not to rent to students. Rachel Cowan, Ward 3, shared Mr. Cosner's concerns regarding liability and the financial ramifications of the ordinance on students whose roommates might choose to have a party without telling them because the ordinance did not define "social host." She suggested there were more effective ways to address the problems the ordinance sought to address, such as neighbor notification of pending parties. Ben Epstein, Ward 3, President of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon, opposed the proposed social host ordinance. The ordinance infringed on tenant and landlord rights, imposed new cost burdens on students, and strained the legal system while doing nothing to promote neighborhood livability. He called for increased education, renewed outreach, and better coordination between the MINUTES— Eugene City Council April 23, 2012 Page 1 Regular Meeting