Item 2A: Approval of Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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consideration would be given to assimilate the development with the present neighborhood without the swap. She urged the council not to let this opportunity slip by without looking into its feasibility. Claire Syrett, 363 Adams Street, wished to speak about the establishment of community standards within the proposed enterprise zone. She stated that she was an organizer for the Eugene/Springfield Solidarity Network: Jobs With Justice (ESSN). She asserted that public money used to subsidize private business should result in a measurable public benefit. She indicated that a business providing low-wage jobs with no benefits ended up costing tax payers twice, first in an enterprise zone subsidy and then again when the low wage worker needed help to feed his or her children or showed up at the emergency room for medical care. She related that the United Way 2004 State of Caring report indicated that Lane County's working families were struggling to meet basic needs. She reported that among households earning between $20,000 and $34,000 per year, 30 percent lacked enough money for food and 25 percent lacked enough money for decent housing. She noted that a full-time, minimum wage worker would make approximately $15,000 annually. She supported the establishment of community standards in the enterprise zone so that Eugene could help to move Lane County toward wage and benefit standards that would meet the basic needs of families. She said having employers who benefit from the enterprise zone provide a living wage to its workers by the time the tax incentives expired was a goal of ESSN. She defined a living wage as a wage on which workers could support themselves and one dependent. She hoped Eugene would pass such standards, calling it the first important step to move surrounding cities and the Lane Board of County Commissioners to adopt similar standards. Russ Brink, 132 East Broadway Street, #103, Downtown Eugene, Incorporated (DEl), said among many positive developments in the downtown area were a series of activities and programs in the summer that were to be coordinated with the City's efforts to promote the arts and outdoors. Mr. Brink favored the application for the enterprise zone, adding his observation that "there must be some reason" why so many local governments in Oregon used the tool. He thought the previous enterprise zone program had worked well for Eugene. He strongly recommended prompt submittal of the application. Kevin Matthews, 1192 Lawrence Street, president of the Friends of Eugene, expressed his enjoyment of the comments provided at the Public Forum. He averred, however, that only a few of the residents of Eugene could come to a council meeting. He wondered what the citizens "at large" think on issues such as nodal development, UGB expansions, and enterprise zones. He noted that an economic news release, which he did not cite, had called Oregon the second fastest growing state in the country. He felt this meant that Oregon was "open enough" for business. Continuing, Mr. Matthews reviewed a graph taken from former councilor Shawn Boles' personal analysis of the 1998 Eugene Growth Management Study, copies of which were provided to the council. He extrapolated from it that the citizens who were members of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce were diametrically opposed to the desires of the rest of the citizens of Eugene regarding growth management. He said the citizens were "shouting into the wind." He registered his opposition to the enterprise zone. Karl Sorg, 1555 West 18t~ Avenue, #11, supported the resolution addressed to the federal government and its "acts of terror." He recounted the military service he volunteered for during World War II, noting that he volunteered for it because he was terrified at the fascism he had seen in Spain, Germany, Italy, and France. He opined that he now saw his country engaged in terrorism he perceived to be outlandish. He expressed shame for the country. He urged the council to pass the resolution that condemned the government's use of torture in its war against a people. MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 11, 2005 Page 6 Regular Session