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MINUTES Eugene City Council Regular Session Council Chamber--City Hall September 13, 2004 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Bonny Bettman, George Poling, Nancy Nathanson, David Kelly, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, Scott Meisner, Gary Pap~ (via telephone). His Honor Mayor James D. Torrey called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Torrey reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Bill Northrup, 939 Laurelhurst Drive, spoke against the resolution before the council to oppose Ballot Measure 36, which sought to prevent gay couples from getting married. He believed marriage is the relationship between a man and a woman that produces children. He likened it to the relationships between non-profit organizations and churches, as there was also a distinction there. He said, in marriage, the relationship between a man and a woman was a "special thing." He felt it need not be redefined. He recognized that some people felt that universal benefits were being withheld from committed couples of the same sex. He thought a common ground could be found and other ways to extend benefits could be pursued at the legislative level. He recommended that the City Council not take a stand on a statewide referendum prior to the election. Bob O'Brien, 3525 Gilham Road, spoke regarding the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the West Eugene Parkway (WEP). He related that he had obtained his information from the County web site and the information indicated that the WEP would be broken into two parts, one of which would be the responsibility of the City of Eugene, meaning the City would be required to maintain it. He said this would cost the public money and asserted that voters did not have that understanding when they approved the WEP. He opined that, though an MOU was not a binding agreement, politically, it could be a "slippery slope." In closing, Mr. O'Brien thanked councilors Nathanson and Meisner for taking the time to meet with him and several other people. He noted that while he disagreed with Mayor Torrey on many issues, he appreciated how fairly the Mayor had run the meetings. Bruce Miller, PO Box 50968, provided testimony in writing. He urged the new mayor of Eugene to visit Corvallis and look at its Chamber of Commerce booklet. He called the downtown Eugene flyer, printed by the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, "a disgrace." He noted that only 14 businesses in downtown Eugene had paid to be listed. He circulated a parking supplement. He suggested that Russ Brink of Downtown Eugene, Incorporated, move to Pullman, Washington. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 13, 2004 Page 1 Regular Session