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3. Campaign Update <br /> <br />Mr. Heuser reviewed upcoming legislative and congressional races and answered questions. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly asked if there were potentially a significant budget impact to the City of Eugene if the ballot <br />measure ending the State Accident and Insurance Fund (SAIF) Corporation should pass. Mr. Heuser <br />answered that he did not know, but could attempt to find out. Mr. Pap~ said he believed it would have a <br />heavy negative effect on Eugene businesses, and that the Association of Oregon Industries (AOI) had taken <br />a stance against the measure. Mr. Heuser added that staff assessment at the City of Eugene, League of <br />Oregon Cities (LOC), and AOI was that SAIF was structurally sound and its performance optimum, but its <br />management transparency was less than ideal. Mr. Pap~ and Mr. Heuser expressed confidence in Linda <br />Rockland, recently appointed as SAIF Director. At Mr. Kelly's request, Mr. Heuser agreed to continue <br />monitoring the SAIF ballot measure for any financial impact on the City. <br /> <br />4. Preview of 2005 Legislative Session <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner said he had reviewed the Legislative Policy Document and believed it was broad enough to <br />stand as a policy statement for the 2005 Oregon legislative session. He said he hoped the council could <br />start working with their legislative delegation on the question of private security contracts under the state <br />contracting law. He said this question had been brought up at the Police Commission recently, in that the <br />law provides for an automatic grant of contracts to qualified rehabilitation facility (QRF) vendors. The <br />result in downtown Eugene was that a rehabilitation agency based in Portland has the contract for parking <br />garage security for much more money than the City was previously paying, with less security. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly added that his understanding was the QRF need not employ its clients who are in rehabilitation <br />under the contract, so the original noble goal of the law is not necessarily being realized except indirectly, in <br />that the agency receives more revenue to serve more clients. Mr. Meisner said there were exemptions in the <br />state contract law for other areas, and he believed security was another area that needed to be looked at for <br />exemption. Mr. Heuser agreed, and said the City of Portland was also interested in the issue, and he could <br />work with their staff on it. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly brought up the issue of ~awkward preemption" being used as a major argument to promote <br />legislative changes to the transportation planning rule as a result of the Jaqua decision, significantly <br />restricting allowed appellants of land use decisions. He said LOC has intervened with an amicus brief in <br />two cases in which the Community Development Committee was notified after the fact, rather than being <br />brought into the discussion. He said he was looking for general guidance in situations when the City of <br />Eugene was taking one position and LOC was taking another, and noted an innate conflict between state <br />land use laws and local control. He was concerned that Eugene policy of preemption could be used as a <br />lever to dramatically change state land use law. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner said he doubted that would occur, but he was basing his opinion on experience with previous <br />Planning Manager Jan Childs, who always made it very clear as the City Council considered bills to <br />consider them in the light of the state system of land use planning, and the council has very consistently <br />backed Senate. Bill 1. He asked Mr. Heuser to look at the language on preemption in the policy document <br />and make sure there is a statement on land use planning arguing against preemption. Mr. Heuser said he <br /> <br />MINUTES--Council Committee on August 31, 2004 Page 3 <br /> Intergovernmental Relations <br /> <br /> <br />