Item 2A: Approval of Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilor Bettman approved of this idea. She related that she had looked for the plan on the Web site and had discovered that it was a 94-page document. Mayor Piercy determined from the council that the item could be postponed until the work session scheduled for May 11. Mayor Piercy moved on to Consent Calendar Item G. Councilor Taylor indicated that she opposed the entire project because she did not approve of this method of forcing people to pay for assessments. She wished to find a way, in particular, to exempt the Eugene Garden Club. She commented that it was not right to classify the club as a business. City Attorney Glenn Klein said the only way to exempt the Eugene Garden Club would be to exempt the entire alley from the plan. He explained that the code established who would be assessed and one could not change the code except by ordinance with a six-month lead time. Councilor Taylor asked if there was a way to change the club's classification. Mr. Klein replied that he had not looked into this. He said that the item could be postponed. Councilor Taylor moved to table the item. The motion died for lack of a second. Councilor Bettman intended to vote against the motion. She did not believe there was any substantiation that paving alleys reduced crime. She also thought it would set a precedent for City-initiated local improvement districts (LIDs). She predicted that, coupled with the "relentless pursuit of infill" in existing stable neighborhoods, it would create incompatible development and a huge financial burden on areas in which alley improvements were made. She said mixed-use development, as currently proposed and enabled by alley improvements, would replicate the exact problems that manifested in the West University Neighborhood in other "inner-city" neighborhoods. Councilor Pap6 applauded the work of Councilor Kelly and the West University Neighborhood Task Force (WUNTF). He noted that the process had been underway for two years and had not arisen over night. He thought the recommendations, of which alley improvements were one, had been the result of careful review. He agreed there was a problem throughout the city and that the City should find a way to finance and improve the alleys to a reasonable level of functionality and use. Councilor Kelly thanked staff for their involvement through the process. He noted that approximate numbers were discussed with any inquiring property owner. Also, he said, similar estimations of cost were discussed at the hearing. He pointed out that he lived in that neighborhood. He opined that unimproved alleys held more trash and were more likely to be in neighborhoods that reflected that lack of improvement. Roll call vote; the motion passed, 6:2; councilors Taylor and Bettman voting in opposition. Councilor Taylor hoped it would be possible to obtain information on how to reduce the assessment to the Eugene Garden Club. City Manager Taylor responded that the council could choose to use its MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 9, 2005 Page 10 Regular Session