07/28/1986 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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Assistant City Manager Dave W~itlow introduced proposed revisions to chapters 6, 7, and 9 of the City Code. City Engineer Bert Teitzel and e Marsha Miller gave the staff report using slides. Mr. Teitzel distributed copi es of page 25 of the proposed ordi nance to substitute for the' page 25 in the ordinance because a definition of "Franchisee" was added. Answering a question from Mr. Hansen, Mr. Teitzel said the following sentence should be added to the new page 25: Public way. Any street, road, alley, right-of-way, pedes- Mr. Teitzel said most of the proposed revisions concerning foliage and nuisance abatement, assessments, and right-of-way uses are in chapters 6 and 7 of the code. A few changes are in chapters 4, 8, and 9. Ms. Miller said the changes to Chapter 6 streamline and simpl ify the nuisance abatement process and expand the conditions subject to abatement. Discussing the present abatement process and the proposed process, she said the Hearings Official will hear protests to Notices of Abatement if the revisions are approved. The counci 1 hears protests now. She sa i d the revisions will permit the City Manager or a designee to have a nuisance abated. The council must do that now. She said the revisions will allow the staff to be more responsive to citizens and to participate in yearly contracts for the removal of garbage and junk. Ms. Miller said the cost of abating a nuisance will be assessed to the property owner. If an objection to the assessment is filed, it wi 11 be heard by the Hearings Official. She said a person who fails to remove a nuisance can be prosecuted in Municipal Court and the revisions retain that e provision. Ms. Miller said the revisions add open and vacant structures, obnoxious vegetation, unused dri veways, and property owners I responsibility to maintain sidewalks to the list of things that are nuisances. The revisions also contain a time period for removing garbage, junk, and used vehicles and special provisions for people with low incomes. Discussing the revisions to Chapter 7, Mr. Teitze 1 revi ewed current problems with the Bancroft Loan Program and the proposed revisions. He said the City has foreclosed on 642 lots. In the past, Bancroft loans could be made for twi ce the assessed value of residential property. If the revisions are approved, Bancroft loans will be made for no more than the assessed value of the property. He said the Planning Commission recommended Bancroft loans be made for one-and-a-half of the assessed value of a property. Mr. Teitzel said the revisions permit the City to bear more of the cost of special improvements than is usually allowed if the council approves. The revisions also permit assessment of street lights. He said all existing assessment policies are retained in the revisions. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28, 1986 Page 4 "