Agenda - 04/19/05 JEO Mtg. - Laserfiche WebLink

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(Planning & Devel pment Planning City of E~ugene 99 West 10th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon 97401 (541) 682-5481 (541) 682-5572 Fax March 28, 2005 Mayor Piercy and City Council Eugene City Hall 777 Pearl Street Eugene, OR 97401 Subject: Special Districts Dear Mayor Piercy and Councilors: On February 28, 2005, the Planning Commission forwarded a recommendation to you to approve, with minor amendments, language to amend the Metro Plan as proposed by Lane County related to a Public Safety Service District. During our deliberations, we had discussion on additional items that, as a group, we decided to bring to your attention. The public safety services to be dealt with in this amendment are services the County already provides, and the City does not, as required by State Statute. However, the language to amend the Metro Plan should not be limited to those solely required of the County under State Statute. There are some minor, and very beneficial, services provided by the County related to public service that reasonably should be included in the district if it moves forward. We believe that the proposed language allows these non-mandated services, but are concemed once the district is formed this language does not prevent the County from adding additional services - both safety related and otherwise - without concurrence from the cities of Eugene or Springfield. We asked staff to develop additional language for your consideration that addresses this concern. In our role as Planning Commissioners, an advisory body to the City Council on land use matters, the recommendation represents compliance with the land use findings in the Metro Plan; it is not a recommendation on the financial, political and other issues related to forming the district. The historic basis for Policy 15 of the Metro Plan has changed over time and we believe a very specific amendment for the reasons illustrated by Lane County seems reasonable and consistent with other Metro Plan principles. This is not a growth inducing amendment; it is consistent with the major tenants of the Metro Plan, per our findings. Current legislative structures indicate the County Board will be the governing body over the district. If the district is formed, we suggest you consider what role the City Council should have in decision making for the district to protect City interests related to administration of our current services.