CC Minutes - 05/12/08 Work Session

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M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room – City Hall 777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon May 12, 2008 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, Bonny Bettman, Andrea Ortiz, Mike Clark, Jennifer Solomon, Alan Zelenka, Betty Taylor, George Poling (via telephone). Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. A. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER Ms. Bettman referred to minutes from the Intergovernmental Relations Committee (IGR) that indicated staff would use the City’s legislative policy document to take a position on a bill if the IGR Committee had not met. She said in the past when there was not an opportunity for the committee to take a position on a bill, the official position was neutral. She characterized a memorandum from staff as “overly argumentative” and objected to inappropriate references to her prior comments. She acknowledged that the current IGR policy did not specifically address supplemental legislative sessions and recommended amending it to include procedures to be used during truncated sessions. Ms. Taylor expressed her continuing concerns with assessments in the Crest Drive, Storey Boulevard and Friendly Street areas, which excluded properties on cul de sacs. Mr. Clark said he had attended a meeting to discuss saving Civic Stadium and encouraged the public to participate in the effort. He reported on the Police Commission’s discussion of Police Chief Bob Lehner’s response to the Lane County budget crisis, which would be discussed later in the work session. Mr. Solomon related that some Housing Policy Board (HPB) members were participating on the Planning Commission’s subcommittees on infill compatibility standards and opportunity siting and regularly reporting back to the board. She said the HPB had communicated to the Planning Commission its concerns about the potential impact of proposed policies on the availability of affordable housing. She invited everyone to attend the annual “We Are Bethel” celebration. Ms. Ortiz thanked staff for organizing a Communities of Color open house for City Manager Jon Ruiz. She said it was well attended, as was the City’s open house at the Hult Center. She said the Bethel School District celebrated Mexican Mothers’ Day on May 9 and that event was very well attended. She said the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) board met for a budget review and she had requested a condensed version, including the amount contributed by jurisdictions, to share with the Budget Committee. Mr. Zelenka said a hearing on the appeal of the planning director’s decision that the University of Oregon basketball arena did not require a conditional use permit was held on May 7 before the hearings official. He supported the neighborhood’s appeal, but was also working with the University to find ways to mitigate th neighborhood concerns. He said the developer of the housing project at 19 Avenue and Alder Street had