Item 2C: Ratif. of IGR Actions - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Marston. Ms. Taylor proposed that the committee prepare a resolution in keeping with the letter to forward to the full council for action. Mr. Pap~ questioned whether it was in the purview of the committee to be involved in United States military and international policy. Ms. Bettman indicated the committee would direct staff to draft a resolution to forward to the council. Mr. Pap~ did not think the proposal should come from the committee. He preferred to leave the matter to each individual councilor as to whether to sign a letter of opposition. Ms. Taylor, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to direct staff to draft a resolution to return to the council. The motion passed, 2:1; Mr. Pap~ voting no. Mr. Pap6 referred to SB 0170, related to alterations of waters of the state, and determined from Mr. Duckett that the bill did not impact the City. Responding to a question from Mr. Pap6, Mr. Duckett said SB 0542, which created an "environmental justice task force," would direct State agencies to take into account the needs of the disadvantaged when making decisions, citing as an example the siting of a garbage dump next to a low-income housing community. He interpreted the bill as calling for one State task force with input from a variety of different stakeholders. Ms. Bettman referred to SB 0588, which would remove the legal requirement that photo radar equipment be operated by uniformed police officers and asked if staff believed that was appropriate. Mr. Cushman was not sure as he was not familiar with how such systems worked. However, in theory the bill would allow the City's senior volunteers, for example, to operate such equipment. The committee confirmed that its position on SB 0725, relating to the governing bodies of service districts, was Priority 3, Oppose. Ms. Bettman asked if the bill authorized a district to be formed. Mr. Lidz said the bill did not change the formation process. The only change was that the governing body could be separately elected rather than the County commissioners. Mr. Pap~ questioned why staff did not support SB 0847, which would reactivate property tax exemptions for single-unit housing in distressed areas. Ms. Brooks indicated the bill had a hearing on March 29 and it was her understanding that Mr. Weinman, the staff contact for the bill, considered the bill to be Portland- specific. Portland had been pushing for the tax exemption for the last two sessions but it had been waylaid by more controversial proposals twice. Mr. Pap~ interpreted the bill as allowing the City to use the incentive. The committee agreed to hold the bill over for further consideration pending more information. Mr. Pap~ left the meeting. Referring to the staff recommendation to oppose SB 0772, relating to medical marijuana, Ms. Bettman said that medical marijuana really worked for certain conditions, such as those going through chemotherapy, and she favored its use. It was nontoxic and did not have a long-lasting effect. She asked what three ounces looked like compared to seven ounces. She feared it would be an obstacle to treatment for someone to have to continually secure marijuana for their condition, and she did not want to make it more difficult for patients to secure it because of someone's philosophical opposition to its use. Ms. Bettman said she would support taking a neutral position with amendments related to the membership of the proposed State advisory MINUTES--Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations March 31, 2005 Page 7