Item B1: Approval of City Council Minutes

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come and make the request and accept responsibility for anything that might go wrong. He suggested that the University student leadership be consulted and recommended that in fairness the decision should wait until students were back on campus. David Sonnichsen , 2435 Skyline Boulevard, understood why the ordinance might be seen as expedient but he felt it was bad public policy. He had monitored the effect of games on park land and he felt that incidents of alcohol abuse had increased. He found it incongruous that football players were not allowed to drink but the followers of the games thought it was a part of the process. He wondered if fewer people would attend the games if they had to adhere to the same rules as the football players. He added that he thought it was crazy to allow people to remain and drink after games for two more hours before driving. He urged the council to oppose the ordinance. rd Bob Dougherty , 479 East 53 Avenue, supported the council’s endeavor to clean up the Autzen Stadium parking system. He noted that he also was a member of the Masonic Lodge. He said for the past two years the lodge provided an alcohol consumption policy handout to every car that came into the parking lot. He related that the lodge required that each carload of people appoint a designated driver. He underscored that many people came to the lot who did not drink but would have a hot dog and chips and that sort of thing. He believed the alcohol consumption was reasonably limited. He stated that the lodge provided security throughout the lot and they coached the people who needed coaching. He acknowledged the opposing view but he thought customers in the lodge lot should be able to have an equal access to the stadium lot experience. Dan Williams , 3544 Black Oak Drive, represented the University of Oregon. He stated that the University actively participated for over a year in meetings with a number of people who were concerned with these issues. He felt the meetings had been helpful. He stressed that the University went to extensive lengths to make sure the tailgating was lawful. He conveyed the University’s support for the proposal, including the suggested amendment to reduce the impacted area. He stated that the University was willing to work to make the ordinance successful. Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing and called for council comments and questions. Councilor Bettman thanked everyone who testified. She cited a section of the ordinance that stated that “disorderly conduct will not be tolerated.” She asked if the City had that kind of language in any other ordinance. City Attorney Jerome replied that she was not aware of such language in other ordinances. Councilor Bettman asked what it meant. Ms. Jerome replied that the ordinance would require a handbill and signage indicating the parameters for behavior. Councilor Bettman said she would pose a substitute motion that would create equity for football games by eliminating the exemption for Autzen Stadium. She felt it was in the public’s best interest to regulate drinking. She averred that the City should uphold its law regardless of an entity’s financial position. She believed that the exemption was inequitable because the City did not allow public drinking for any of the other venues in the City. She believed that to entertain adopting the ordinance meant that people would have to suspend their beliefs given that it was not a hypothetical issue that drinking and driving led to tragedy. She asserted that to think that people would drink more responsibly around a football game was “pretend- ing.” Councilor Zelenka thought Councilor Bettman raised a point regarding the other venues in Eugene for public events, which were required to obtain a license from OLCC. He asked what the OLCC requirements were and what it would take for all of the people who coordinated tailgating activities to acquire such a license. MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 10, 2007 Page 5 Work Session