Item 6: Adoption of City of Eugene Naming Policy

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ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Action: Adoption of City of Eugene Naming Policy Meeting Date: September 27, 2010 Agenda Item Number: 6 Department: City Manager’s Office Staff Contact: Beth Forrest www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5882 ISSUE STATEMENT The council is asked to consider and formally adopt the City of Eugene Naming Policy. The intent of the policy is to guide the naming of City-owned facilities in a fair, objective and consistent manner and aid in the selection of names that are suitable to the property or facility, respectful of the history of the site or area, useful to the public in locating the facility and reflect prevailing or emerging community culture. In general, City facilities are named for their geographic location, or for a natural, historic, or geological feature - a practice that promotes community identification and creates a sense of ownership by community members. Facilities and amenities may also be named to recognize or commemorate individuals. The proposed naming policy (Attachment A) supports a continuation of this practice and further clarifies the criteria and procedures for naming and renaming. It also recognizes the existence of several internal policies. BACKGROUND A City Council work session was held on May 19, 2010, at which time a proposed naming policy was presented. In addition to setting forth specific procedures for addressing or initiating naming proposals, the policy emphasizes three core elements of any process:  Transparency: Naming and renaming opportunities will be anticipated and/or publicly acknowledged as early as practicable. For high-profile City projects, staff will notify the council of potential naming opportunities and follow the relevant process. The council may choose to charge an existing or ad hoc committee with analyzing the social and financial implications of the proposal.  Fiscal Responsibility: The identification and analysis of the financial costs associated with a naming proposal is to be a component of any naming proposal.  Public Engagement: The details of a well-publicized public comment process are specified in the naming policy. The need for additional outreach and publicity will be determined as each naming proposal is considered. During its discussion of the draft policy, the council suggested several changes. These changes were incorporated into the policy and a revised draft was distributed to the council on July 29, 2010. No further revisions have been proposed. The procedures outlined in the “Council-Initiated Proposals to Other Jurisdictions” section of the proposed policy were given a test run when a request was made by the Whilamut Natural Area Citizen Planning Committee in May 2010 for the council to recommend that the new I-5/Willamette River Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M100927\S1009276.doc