06/22/1992 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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-- ------- e appropriations for the City of Eugene for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1991, and ending June 30, 1992; and declaring an emergency. Mr. Boles moved, seconded by Mr. Green, to amend Council Bill 4393 to include a transfer of $150,000 from General Fund Contingency to the Department of Public Safety. Mr. Boles said that it would be very helpful when such amendments are required to have the procedure documented for the benefit of the council. Mr. Boles indicated his intent to vote against the motion without more information about the long-range plan for addressing fire issues in the south hills. He pointed out that the current dry season was not unique and could recur, and asked if the council would continue to respond to such situations without a comprehensive examination of the the City's response to such an emergency. In response to Mr. Boles' remarks, Mr. MacDonald said that previous council discussion included agreement that there was a need for a comprehensive plan. He said staff had not been given further direction by council at that time, and indicated he would be willing to make a motion directing staff to bring back long-term issues for council discussion and resolution. Mr. MacDonald said that he believed it was too soon to expect to have a comprehensive plan in hand and expressed his satisfaction with the council's commitment. e Mr. Nicholson agreed with Mr. MacDonald that the council had committed to further discussion of the issue and asked Councilor Boles for more specificity about his objection to the motion. Ms. Ehrman said she would support the motion but had concerns regarding the City's ability to continue to meet service demands with state-of-the-art equipment. She suggested that the cost of addressing fire issues in the south hills was approximately the same as opening a new fire station, and said that it was difficult to justify such an expenditure to her constituents. In response to Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Boles said it was his hope that the council would have at this point a set of issues prepared by staff regarding the long-term response to fire hazard in the south hills. He suggested that, given the hazard, the council might wish to consider a moratorium on development or a change in standards for development in high-risk areas. The long-term operations and maintenance costs of state-of-the-art equipment referred to by Ms. Ehrman was another issue for the council to consider. Additionally, Mr. Boles said the council should discuss whether the cost of addressing such hazards should be borne by all citizens, or those responsible for creating the potential hazard. In response to Ms. Ehrman's remarks regarding the cost of equipment, Mr. Robinette pointed out that the equipment cost was a one-time expenditure, while the cost of a fire station was an ongoing expense. He said that for e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 22, 1992 Page 3 7:30 p.m.