10/24/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e connected. He recommended proceeding with the installation of sewers which he considered inevitable. Once this is accomplished, he said the discussion of annexation would be significantly changed. Mr. Holmer said his initial preference was for option 2, but he now recog- nized the need to jointly address the related problems of sewers costs, annexation, and taxes. He supported the formation of a citizen committee with representation from the River Road area and the City to devise an offer that would be attractive to River Road residents. Tax deferrals and a mora- torium on taxes during the Bancrofting period could be elements of that offer. Ms. Wooten concurred with Mr. Freeman's proposal, but she stressed the impor- tance of the City's pursuit of both annexation and sewer connection. She recommended negotiating with the DEQ to obtain a hook-up schedule that will allow time for a committee to develop a financing recommendation. Ms. Schue suggested scheduling an election for the River Road area after making an effort to present the advantages of annexation. Ms. Brody pointed out that because the area is outside the city limits, initiating the annexa- tion would be the only way the City could bring the matter to an election. However, the County could seek an advisory vote on the question for that area. Because Eugene's water utility is the provider of service for the River Road water district, Mayor Obie suggested exploring the ability of EWEB to partic- e ipate. Mr. Ball commented that while policy reasons support the linking of sewer installation and annexation in "ordinary" circumstances, specific questions related to existing levels of development in the area and the significant ground water problem allow for consideration of a departure from accepted public policy. For this reason, he encouraged careful review of the second option. Mr. Ball said the annexation issue eventually must be addressed in terms of a whole range of urban services. He said the full potential of the metropoli- tan area cannot be achieved until that issue is resolved and he cautioned against allowing the adopted Metropolitan Plan to create problems instead of solving them. Mr. Ball observed that focusing on sewer installation would not accomplish the integration of the River Road/Santa Clara area into the community. He advised delaying action to allow a process to be developed that will invite the continuing participation of the River Road/Santa Clara residents in addressing all the issues of urbanization. Ms. Brody distributed a letter she had received from the Industrial Corridor Community Organization expressing a desire to separate the issues of annexa- tion and sewers and to work with the City to resolve the problem. e MINUTES--City Council October 24, 1988 Page 6 Work Session