CC Minutes - 01/10/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Ortiz stated she was looking forward to working with the council. She voiced her appreciation to the City staff that provided excellent orientation on its practices. Mr. Kelly welcomed the Mayor and newly elected councilors. He disclosed that he had received a number of inquiries regarding the recent increase in local cable television rates (standard cable - $44.00 per month), which he noted is not in line with inflation. Mr. Kelly pointed out that the City is the franchise authority for the local cable company and requested that staff determine if the council can bear influence around the issue of rising cable rates. He also mentioned the recent loss to the City and the community-at-large of Diversity Coordinator, Marilyn Mays. Mr. Kelly reminded the council ofthe valuable contributions Ms. Mays has made to the community and sadly noted that her resignation was due to the ongoing intolerance within the community around racial and ethnic differences. He voiced his hope that as a result of this loss, the City will rededicate itself to improving the current climate. Mr. Kelly announced that a new campaign, ;~We Are All In This Together," had been launched and a meeting was scheduled for Thursday, January 13, to determine ;;next steps." In conclusion, he voiced his appreciation to the City Manager and the Police Chief for their rapid response to the panhandling issue as EPD officers intentionally misleading the community regarding constitutional protection cannot continue. Ms. Taylor welcomed the Mayor and the newly elected councilors. Mr. Pryor voiced his appreciation for the opportunity to serve the community. Mayor Piercy announced that Ms. Bettman was ill and Mr. Pap~ was currently out of the state. She wished Ms. Taylor a speedy recovery from recent surgery. City Manager Taylor reminded the council that the International City Managers Association (ICMA) team was currently in Eugene and would conduct individual interviews and focus groups/meetings regarding comprehensive external police inquiry. As part of this process, he announced that an advertisement was placed in The Register-Guard advising citizens who are not able to participate in the process that there is a toll-free confidential recorded telephone line, 1-866-292-4860 (available through January 31), which can be utilized to provide (1) advice on ways to improve the EPD, and (2) input on community values and expectations for law enforcement. B. WORK SESSION: Toxics Right to Know Program Fees Glen Potter, Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, presented an overview of the staff report. He explained that the previous council had requested that the Toxics Board make recommendations regarding the perceived inequity of program fees. Mr. Potter provided an historical overview of the program and noted the following: · The State of Oregon imposed a fee cap of $2,000 per business effective in 2004; · Fees hovered around $10 to $15 per full-time equivalent (FTE) through 2003; however, due to the cap, the 2004 fees were $31.65 per FTE up to the cap; · The Toxics Board developed two proposals to address this inequity: 1) an ordinance which would add certain types of businesses to the program to reduce the individual fees; and 2) a surcharge on commercial solid-waste hauling fees of perhaps 50 cents per account per month and $1 per dumpster removal; MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 10, 2005 Page 2 Work Session