02/09/1981 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e e - Bonneville Power Administration, State or Federal sources. It is one thing to weatherize only one living unit from your own pocketbook but to have to do five, ten, 20 or more units is quite a different matter. Laura Johnson, 1810 Fairmount Boulevard, joint owner of rental property in Eugene, as the newsletter editor of the Rental Owners Association, had sent out a questionnaire with 20 responses which showed: 24.2 percent of the units have R-19 or better; 26.1 percent have from R-ll to R-19; 48.5 percent have some insulation; and 1.2 percent have no ceiling insulation. She added that it was more likely that commercial buildings were the greatest source of heat loss. Many of the landlords had only a few rental properties, were retired, and were lacking in funds. Eugene had no right to impose such expenditures. The ordinance should not be passed until it contained exemptions and provisions for appeals. Although numerous individuals had not spoken yet, the allocated 30 minutes were up; public hearing was closed. Mayor Keller ruled that ten more minutes would be devoted to further testimony. Public hearing was reopened. LaVerne Edwards, 1260 President, asked if councilors Wooten and Lindberg were on the board of the Progressive Alliance as there might be a conflict of interest. They responded that they were members of the steering committee. She also said that Whiteaker Energy (a private corporation) had helped form the ordinance and one of the members of the Johnson firm worked with them. Again, maybe a con- flict of interest. She felt that the language of the ordinance was too broad and could present problems to future councilors. Other objections concerned the availability of funds and that the electrical users would be paying for the benefit of the few. Jo Lu Roberts, 2775 Friendly, businesswoman and citizen, thanked Mayor Keller for extending the time and advised that one of her businesses provided weatheri- zation, finish carpentry, and painting. She viewed the ordinance as a council's implementation of the Whiteaker community's self-reliance program which was a corporation with a development arm called NEDCO. A 4-J school document stated that Whiteaker Energy, Inc., projected a sales volume of $550,000 in the first year and one of the first contracts would be to weatherize homes involved in the East Blair Housing Project. She objected strongly, said there were definite conflicts of interest, and suggested: 1) open biddings; 2) feasibility study of possible health hazards; and 3) a contested case hearing. Dave Simon, 351 Clark, #1, chose not to testify. Lee Carey, 1370 Jay Street, economist, suggested that if the ordinance was passed, Eugene would be used as a classic example of how to not interfere with the economy. Energy was a scarce and valuable resource which had to be allocated appropriately or there would be waste and a shrinking of the economic pie. Insu- lation is good but all people do not have enough money to buy it. The council is making the same mistake people have made for centuries by not understanding the market forces, what determines value, and what increases people's standard of living. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 9, 1981 Page 9