Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

Home Browse Search

Ms. Bettman recalled that she had not been inclined to support the original initiative to create the Sustainability Commission. She declared that she could not support “spending scarce resources on creating illusions of doing something.” She was sensitive to whether they were making a difference or just “talking [and] outreaching it to death” and doing nothing. She asserted that many communities had studied sustainability and the City already knew what the options were; it was a matter of picking and choosing to determine how to implement them. She felt they should look at a gap analysis of the operations that were already provided, such as the public relations arms of the different City departments. She averred that those were roles that existing staff already addressed and that Ms. Fahy should continue to serve as the staff person for the Sustainability Commission. Ms. Taylor recalled that Mr. Boles had often discussed stewardship when he had served on the City Council. She added that there were talented people on the commission who could do a great deal of the work. She did not feel comfortable giving a job to someone for only one year. She did not think the commission would be able to hire a competent person if the job was temporary. In response to a question from Ms. Taylor, Mr. Shaver explained that the person in the one-year position would primarily focus on education and outreach. Mr. Laue observed that a person could use a one-year position as a step in career advancement. In response to the suggestion that commissioners be asked to volunteer more time to do the sort of staff work needed to successfully advance the sustainability initiative, he said he did not think this was a realistic expectation given that most of them had full-time jobs outside of their volunteer commitment to the commission. Mr. Shaver related that a number of people had expressed concern about not just going to meetings, but serving to bring about positive action. Ms. Taylor opined that there was no work that was more important. Mayor Piercy reiterated that sustainability was a priority for the City of Eugene. She averred that the commission’s job was to keep the community focused and working on the things that needed to happen. She said people working within departments were feeling “maxed out” and could not take on additional work for sustainability. She agreed, however, that sustainability should be infused into the work of every department. She noted that there were still some funds allocated to the Sustainability Commission that were available. Mr. Clark had confidence in the commissioners’ skill and ability to accomplish the work and to educate the public. He underscored that the City of Eugene would be faced with substantial problems as a result of County funding cuts. He listed some of the agencies that would be cut that would impact the City. He said he would approve the framework of the work plan as long as the motion was clear that it did not contain a budgetary component. Mr. Ruiz said he would look at whether Ms. Fahy had enough support in order to implement the plan. He thought it possible to find an existing position within the City that could be channeled into the Sustainability Commission efforts. Ms. Bettman declared that if the City was not willing to make hard decisions then the sustainability efforts were “an utter waste of money.” She averred that a policy piece was missing. The work plan included internal City operations, the community, businesses, households, and education, but it was not integrated into the policy of the City and the sorts of things the City supported in Salem and “on down the line.” She wanted to look at options that would move the City as far forward as possible with existing resources. She opined that the City should make a policy that required all City employees to reside within city limits. She asserted that this would reduce carbon emissions. She thought the City could take the money it would spend on the Sustainability Commission and spend it on free transit within the City of Eugene, including neighborhood shuttles. She also wanted to focus on “relocalization.” She thought the task of looking at sustainability had been broadened to the point that it would take the community time and resources to return to a more specific focus. She called this a “mushy approach.” MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 23, 2008 Page 3 Work Session