CC Minutes - 11/13/07 Work Session

Home Browse Search

Mr. Zelenka provided a chart he received at the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) which delineated the cost per gallon/per passenger in relation to modes of transportation. He also reported that the MPC had taken two significant actions: approval of both the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), though not by a unanimous vote; and the Air Quality Compliance Report. He felt that the new RTP contained several problems, one of which was that there was an insufficient linkage between land use planning and the transportation plan. He felt the RTP was off in “a different orbit” than the TransPlan. He also thought that although MPC had met the legal requirement for public involvement, he had not felt the amount of public involvement to be sufficient. He underscored that there were “hundreds of millions of dollars” that would be spent “in the short-term.” He averred that the way transportation planning happened in the community had a huge impact on it. He thought the amount of public involvement they were getting in the process was disproportionate to the impact of the money. He related that they asked staff to bring back ideas about how to do that better for the next meeting. He said the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) staff briefed the MPC on the 2008-2011 funding cycle in which they advised the MPC that they would be $142 million short in transportation funding for the state. He stated that ODOT was in “triage mode.” He noted that the projection for spending in 2012-2013 for Region 2 was $6.5 million. He called the RTP “very unrealistic” given the constraints related to the “fact that ODOT has cut us back,” that the gas tax had not been increased since 1993, and that prices for labor and materials had increased dramatically. He explained that they had passed it because not passing it could have put federal funding in jeopardy. Mr. Clark noted that he would also be attending the Oregon Toxics Alliance meeting. Mr. Clark reported that he attended a Public Safety Coordinating Council (PSCC) Juvenile Justice Subcommittee meeting on October 23. He related that there had been a lot of discussion and concern about the impact long-term county funding issues would have on the juvenile justice system. He said County Commissioner Bobby Green was serving as chair for the committee. Mr. Clark related that he also attended a Chalkboard Project reception on October 24. He had enjoyed hearing about the progress of the project. He listed some of the other functions he had attended, which included Convention and Visitors Association of Lane County, Oregon (CVALCO) meeting on October 25, at which he learned about the plaques that all of the mayors purchased for the pathway, neighborhood meetings, a Lane Metropolitan dinner on November 7, and the Human Rights Commission “Bringing Human Rights Home” symposium on November 8 and the “Making Eugene a Human Rights City” event earlier on that day. He said it had been a moving and educational day and he expressed appreciation for all of the staff involvement in the event. Mr. Clark thanked the veterans for their service in honor of Veterans Day. Mr. Clark closed by saying “Go Ducks” in support of the game scheduled for November 15. Ms. Bettman wished to thank the voters who voted in the special election. She was eager to begin looking at next steps. She noted that the council special session scheduled for November 27 was intended as a discussion on the next steps to take with downtown redevelopment issues. Ms. Bettman appreciated Mr. Zelenka’s update on the RTP. She averred that adoption of plans that were not financially constrained had been “an issue before.” She remarked that it was always a situation where “they” say it has to be adopted or the federal funding would be jeopardized. She opined that this was dysfunctional public policy. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 13, 2007 Page 2 Work Session