01/13/1958 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e 73 ~ . .----~ -- --.. ,---. - - _.- . ---- --- ~ --~ - - - ----~- ----+- ----- ----- - ~----- - --.. - --- .--- . - - - . .-. 1/13/58 --------- ------ ------------ -~._-_.~-----~- ~-- 1 e 1 1 e 1 - , , ! I" ,I i ! JUD I ClARY & PR I NT! NG COMM I TTEE I. :DISCUSSION REGA~DING POSSIBLE CHANGE IN ELECTION Of COUNCILMEN fROM ,THE WARD SYSTEM TO ELECTION AT LARGE - COUNCILMAN BR,'GGS, CHAIRMAN Of THE JUDICIARY & PRINTING COMMITTEE,GAVE A RESUME OF THE BACKGROUND OF THE WARD SYSTEM Of REPRESENTATION IN CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THI~ SYSTEM ORIGINATED IN THE LATTER PART Of THE 17TH CENTURY, BECAME VERY POPULAR IN THE 19TH CEN- TURY A~D HAS ,REDUCED IN POPULARITY IN THE 20TH ,CENTURY, ACCORDING TO STA- TISTICS WHICH,WERE PRESENTED AT THE MEETIN~; THE LATEST INfORMATION AVAIL- ABLE INDICATES THAT 56% OF-ALL CITIES ELECT THEIR REPRESENTATIVES AT LARGE AND 76% Of THE COUNC I L-MANAGER C I TIES ELECT COUNC I L, REPRESENTAT I VES AT LARGE. , 11 r ,I i~ I I I I j I I I ,1 , l I I I'. ,I l I Ii ,I II II DURING THE COURSE Of THE MEETING fACTORS fAVORING THE WARD SYSTEM AND fACTORS fAVORING ELECTION AT LARGE WERE PRESENTED. SOME Of THE ADVANTAGES Of THE WARD SYSTEM THAT WERE BROUGHT OUT WERE THAT IT GIVES A SHORT BALLOT, THAT THE VOTER IS BALLOTING ON S6MEONE WHO LIVES NEAR HIS LOCATION AND WHOM HE MIGHT KNOW, AND IN THE EVENT THERE WERE SPE~IAL WARD INTERESTS THE WARD REPRESENTATIVE COULD BETTER SATISfY THESE INTERESTS THAN SOMEONE WHO REPRE- SENTED THE CITY AT LARGE. IT WAS ALSO INDICATED THAT THE WARD SYSTEM IN- SURES A SPREAD Of REPRESENTATION THROUGHOUT VARIOUS AREAS Of THE CITY. WI TH RESPECT TO ELECT ION AT LARGE, A NUMBER Of ADVANTAGES, O.f TH I S SYSTEM WERE POINTED OUT. THESE INCLUDE THE WIPING OUT Of WARD BOUNDARIES, THE ABILITY OF THE ~EST MEN WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.TO RUN fOR COUNCIL POSITIONS IRRESPECTIVE OF JHEIR PLACE Of RESIDENCE, THE IDEA THAT THE COUNCILMEN,RE- PRESENT THE WHOLE CITY AND ARE ANSWERABLE TO THE WHOLE CITY IF ELECTED AT LARGE, AND MORE EQUITABLY IN VOTING SINCE THE VOTERS ELECT ALL THE COUNC[~- ,MEN AND THE COUNCILMEN ARE IN TURN ANSWERABLE TO ALL THE VOTERS. DURING THE COURSE Of THE DISCUSSION IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT IN EUGENE THERE WERE NO APPARENT PROBLEMS WITH ~HE SYSTEM Of REPRESENTATION IN USE AT THE PRESENT TIME AND THAT IN THE HISTORY Of THE CITY NO ONE HAD ANY KNOWLEDGE Of ANY PROBLEMS ARISING fROM THE REPRESENTATION ON A WARD SYSTEM BASIS.' CONVERSELY, IT APPEARS THAT THE COUNCIL Of THE CITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN- TERESTED IN THE BEST INTERESTS Of THE CITY AS A WHOLE AND HAS NOT REPRE- SENTED ONLY A WARD BUT HAS REPRESENTED THE CITY AS A WHOLE. IT WAS ALSO POINTED OUT THAT SINCE A DEPARTURE fROM THE WARD SYSTEM Of REPRESENTATION WOULD BE A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE OPERATION OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT, PROBABLY ANY SUCH CHANGE, WHILE LEGALLY POSSIBLE TO BE DONE BY ORDINANCE, SHOULD BE REFERREDTO THE VOTERS AT AN ELECTION SO THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE AN,OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES WITH RESPECT TO SUCH CHANGE. -IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT IN THE EVENT SUCH CHANGE,WERETO BE MADE, 'THERE WERE A NUMBER,Of QUESTIONS WHICH MUST BE ANSWERED BOTH,WITH RESPECT,TO THE'ELEC~ TION OF THE COUNCIL AS WELL AS TO THE ELECTION Of THE MEMBERS Of THE EUGENE WATER & ELECTRIC BOARD AS, TO WHEN SUCH A SYSTEM WOULD GO' INTO OPERATION, HOW PRESENT COUNCILMEN'S TERM,Of OffiCE WOULD EXPIRE, AND WHEN, THE METHOD OF ELECTING AT LARGE WOULD COMMENCE. I i I .i I DI,SCUSSION WAS ALSO HAD AS fO THE POSSIBILITIES Of CHANGING THE EXISTING WARD SYSTEM SO THAT MORE EQUAL DISTRIBUTION Of REGISTERED VOTERS WOULD BE HAD IN EACH OF THE WARDS Of THE CITY, AND IT WAS RECOGNIZED AT THIS TIME THAT THE WARDS ARE UNEQUALLY DIVIDED AS TO THE NUMBER Of REGISTERED VOTERS EACH CONTAINS AT THIS TIME. I ri 11 1'1 THE CITY RECORDER WAS INSTRUCTED TO WRITE TO CERTAIN REPRESENTATIVE CITIES THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STArES WHO HAVE COUNCILMEN ELECTED AT LARGE TO DETER- MINE WHAT EFfECT THE ELECTION AT LARGE HAS WITH RESPECTLTO THE GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION fROM VARIOUS AREAS Of THE CITY, WHETHER POLITICAL PARTIES HAD BECOME INTERESTED IN CITY ELECTIONS, AND WHETHER ANY GROUPS OR fACTIONS WITHIN THE CITY HAD ATTEMPTED 'TO CONTROL SUCH ELECT~ONS. No fORMAL'ACTION WAS TAKEN ON THE MATTER. i Ii I I 2. DISCUSSION ON THE fURNISHING Of AGENDAS TO THOSE PRESENT AT COUNCIL MEETINGS - IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT THE BUDGET COMMITTEE DURING THEIR NEXT SESSIONS CON- SIDER THE MATTER Of PROVIDING fUNDS SO THAT AGENDAS Of THE COUNCIL MEETINGS MIGHT BE GIVEN TO THOSE PRESENT AT COUNCIL MEETINGS." ~ I .1 ! 1 I i j I I IT WAS MOVED BY MR. BRIGGS SECONDED BY MR. HARTMAN THAT: THE REPORT Of THE JU~ICIARY & PRINTING COMMITTEE BE ADOPTED. MOTION CARRIED. A REPORT Of THE COMMITTEE. MEETING HELD ON JANUARY 10, 1958 .. RE: COMMITTEE Of THE WHOLE - REZON- ING REQUEST MADE BY MRS. THEODORE STERN, ET AL, ON LOTS,21 THROUGH 25 Of-MATHEWS PARK~ LOCATED ON EAST SIDE Of POLK STREET FROM RAILROAD BOULEVARD TO NORTH LINE,Of CROSS STREET EXTENDED EAST, fROM R-2 Two FAMILY RESIDENTIAL TO M-2 LIGHT INDUSTRIAL; REQUEST fOR REZONING MADE BY H. J. COX ON LOT 9, BLOCK I, HILLCRES:r ADDITION LOCATED AT 1990 W,LLAMETTE STREET, fROM R-I SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL TO CR COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL; REQUEST fOR REZONING ,MADE' BY BAS,IL F. WILLIAMS ON; LOTS 5,AND 6, BLOCK 5, AMENDED PLAT Of FAIRMOUNT, LOCATED ON WEST SIDE Of Moss STREET BETWEEN 13TH AND 15TH AVENUES fROM R-I SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL To-M-I LIMITED INDUSTRIAL; ZONING Of AREAS ANNEXED TO THE CITY; RECOMMENDA- TION CONCERNING SIGNS IN C-I ZONE; DISCUSSION REGARDING, LIQUOR OUTLETS IN THE, UNIVERSITY AREA; WAS SUBMITTED AND READ AS FOLLOWS:- j 11 I! I jl I'! t:' H ~