Item 2A: Approval of Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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He alleged that the practice of torture was being continued in the prisons in Iraq, though it violated the 8th Amendment of the Constitution. He felt it was no longer possible to go to elected leaders on a national level. This necessitated that such things be addressed locally. Henry Alley, 835 East 32nd Avenue, supported Resolution 4830. He felt it was profoundly relevant to the city of Eugene for the following four reasons: 1) Assurance that people were being treated humanely around the world developed pride in our country; 2) Combining with other communities in support of this resolution sends a strong message that this country believes in keeping promises such as those made in the Geneva Convention; 3) The resolution was in keeping with Eugene's presentation of itself as a humane city, which only worked to create a more secure city; 4) A more humane United States meant a more humane Eugene. Bob Pearson, 5170 Fox Hollow Road, thanked the Mayor and the City Council for giving so much of their time to this job. He said the Mayor and councilors understood the "larger picture" and carded it out with genuine sincerity. He shared that he watched the council meetings on television. He quoted Thomas Jefferson, who said, "the whole art of government consists in the art of being honest." He said on the surface it often looked like the truth needed some adjustment in an effort to gain popularity. He averred that popularity would go away but truth never changed. He remarked that it took a wise person to "bat 800" on any issue. He thanked the council and Mayor for the way they struggled "to be honest." He commented that he would be exhausted if he had to participate in council meetings. Ray Wolfe, 1473 Luella Street, said his investigation into the process leading up to the proposed enterprise zone had lead him to suggest that the City undertake a more comprehensive study prior to voting on it. He was particularly concerned about the millions in lost tax revenue, especially given that EPD lacked sufficient personnel to meet community need for crime prevention. He asserted that there were serious oversights in the 2004 Economic Development Committee report, primarily in the lack of data from the 1997 Enterprise Zone Advisory Committee minority report. He referred the council to an article from a 1996 professional review entitled, Rhetoric Versus Reality Reveals Studies o fa State Enterprise Zone, a real study of enterprise zones, and an academic study entitled, State Enterprise Programs: Have They Worked, all three of which he felt raised questions about the effectiveness of such zones. He recalled that the 1997 council had voted to allow the existing zone to expire, because of observations made in the committee reports. He opined that many of those observations were still valid. He averred that enterprise zones were not effective engines for economic growth. He asked the council to defer its vote on this issue until more comprehensive studies had been completed. Ann Vaughn, 4269 Altura Street, wished to address the land swap that would extend the UGB in Santa Clara. She said the exchange would provide Santa Clara with much needed space. She stated that although she was on the Santa Clara Organization Board and on the River Road/Santa Clara Task Force, she was speaking only for herself. She acknowledged the strong feelings on both sides of the issue within the community. While she respected those who oppose consideration of the proposal and the work they had done to come up with alternatives, she believed that especially with the passage of Ballot Measure 37, few opportunities such as this would present themselves. She called it critical that the community be visionary and plan for future growth. She felt it was reasonable to assume that the acreage involved would be developed with or without the land swap. She predicted that without the land swap there would likely be no 77-acre park and wetland preservation would be questionable. She also predicted that little MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 11, 2005 Page 5 Regular Session