01/16/1991 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . . Responding to a question from Mr. Green, Ms. Short said that the term "haz- ardous materials" is clearly defined in the ordinance. She pointed out that many persons are unaware of the hazards associated with many of the materials they work with on a daily basis. An integral part of this program will be the implementation of an educational component that instructs individuals about the presence and proper use of hazardous materials. Mr. Gleason pointed out that part of the City's goal with this program is to develop a rational approach to the management of hazardous materials that is fair and has good success with compliance. Ms. Short said that the primary goals of this program are to encourage busi- nesses to reduce the amount of hazardous materials they work with as much as possible and to educate them on the safe use of those materials. Mr. MacDonald asked about what impact the Toxic Use Reduction Act recently adopted by the Oregon legislature would have on Oregon law and whether the State would be able to offer the City any assistance with hazardous materials management. In response, Mr. Gleason said that the Toxic Use Reduction Act has been rendered virtually ineffective by the State Fire Marshal's Office. The State had previously agreed to fund regional hazardous materials special- ty teams, but has not done it because of a lack of funds. Mr. Boles said that if the City is going to allow the sale of hazardous ma- terials, it is incumbent upon it to ensure some means of appropriate dispos- al. He asked whether this issue is being discussed by the Solid Waste and Recycling Board. Ms. Utecht said that the possibility of forming a coalition of local businesses to provide some means of effective waste disposal has been discussed in Solid Waste and Recycling Board meetings. In an effort to ensure the proper disposal of hazardous materials, Mr. Boles suggested the City consider the possibility of requiring a business to con- tract with a waste-disposal facility prior to issuing a license. He also suggested that the City consider implementing a tax on the sale of these hazardous goods to compensate public entities for costs associated with li- censing. Mayor Miller said that it is important to realize that it is in the communi- ty's best interest to ensure that hazardous waste materials are disposed of properly. When considering licensing costs, he asked the council to be cog- nizant of the costs associated with proper waste management, particularly as they impact small businesses, and to keep these costs as low as possible to ensure the likelihood of proper waste disposal. Responding to a question from Mr. Green, Ms. Short said that the hazardous material inspections conducted by the City are unannounced. Mr. Nicholson expressed his concern with the council's criteria for estab- lishing fees. He stated that in many instances it is not sensible to recover all the costs associated with licensing from the end user. The council MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 16, 1991 Page 5