CC Minutes - 02/10/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room-Eugene City Ha11-777 Pearl Street February 10, 2003 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, David Kelly, Nancy Nathanson, Scott Meisner, Gary Pap~, Bonny Bettman, George Poling, Jennifer Solomon. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Mayor James D. Torrey called the work session of the City Council to order. A. ITEMS FROM THE COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND CITY MANAGER Mr. Meisner called the council's attention to the Oregon Department of Transportation's intention to close the Spores Bridge over the McKenzie River and the I-5 bridges over the Willamette River to oversize trucks because the bridges were failing. The truck traffic would be diverted from the interstate facility to road facilities through Eugene until the bridges could be replaced, and that would not be soon given funding conditions. Mr. Meisner said that diversion would have a severe impact on Eugene. He believed that downtown and west side neighborhoods would be facing serious consequences soon. He said that staff would be providing the council with projected traffic counts soon. Ms. Solomon had no items. Ms. Bettman said she heard the State had some funding for local jurisdictions for maintenance in conjunction with such bridge closures and traffic. She requested more information about the funding, how it would be calculated, and how it would be allocated. Mr. Carlson was not aware of the program in question. He noted that Coburg Road north of Beltline was the only local road facility affected; other affected facilities were State facilities. Ms. Bettman referred to the City Manager's Office budget and called for examination of its budget during the budget process. She objected to the reassignment of staff that resulted in a .5 FTE reduction in the Human Rights Program at time at a time when she anticipated an increase in anti- war protests and when war tensions may increase the incidence of bias crimes. She believed the funding was needed in the Human Rights Program. She objected to the concurrent increase in staffing for the mayor resulting in a full-time assistnace dedicated to him, which was in addition to the other staff resources he had available to him in the City Manager's Office Mr. Pap~ shared an experience he had on the City's rivet'front bicycle paths, saying that the entire community appeared to be out on the bicycle paths recreating in all types of manners. Everyone out recreating on the paths had been smiling. He thanked former Mayor Ruth Bascom for her work to get the river trail system constructed. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 10, 2003 Page 1 Work Session