CC Minutes - 01/13/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

school-aged children in the area should be able to receive free library cards, regardless of whether they resided within the city limits. In response to a question from Ms. Taylor, Mr. Carlson stated that Eugene Police Department staff knew about the resolution regarding equal rights and he assumed that staff agreed with it. Regarding a question about a specific citizen complaint made to Ms. Taylor about alleged building of multiplexes in backyards, Mr. Carlson stated that he would need more information and then he would instruct staff to follow up. Ms. Nathanson noted that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor plan had been approved. She recommended that this opportunity for undergrounding utilities be seized. Ms. Nathanson cited the fact that Oregon has the highest unemployment of any state in the country. She felt that, should Ballot Measure 28 not pass, citizens would be in more dire straits than before. She related that she had learned that many people are not aware of the Earned Income Tax Credit available to working poor people. She advocated for leveraging $2000 for an education campaign to aid people in attaining Earned Income Tax Credit, stating that doing so would help the working families of Eugene attain approximately $3 million. Ms. Nathanson called attention to the memorandum about the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Comprehensive Plan update process that she had circulated to councilors. She related that the Mayor's Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee, of which she was chair, was still in the information-gathering and brainstorming mode. Mr. Kelly welcomed the two new members of the City Council to the table. Mr. Kelly, noting that in August 2002, the council had voted to fund $50,000 in consulting services related to sustainable economic development planning and implementation, asked when the memorandum describing what the funding would be used for would arrive. Mr. Carlson responded that he had received the memorandum from Planning and Development the previous week and had sent it back for "one more round of iteration." Mr. Kelly suggested, given that he had just read about the governor's draft budget and he felt that there could be many implications for the City of Eugene, that the Intergovernmental Relations Office keep the City Council aware of what issues in the budget could potentially be of the greatest impact to the City. Mr. Pap~ lauded the mayor for his State of the City Address. He also expressed tremendous appreciation for the grand opening of the new library. Mr. Pap~ informed the council that there would be an Evening with David Suzuki, an environmentalist and writer, in Portland on February 4, 2003. He encouraged councilors to attend. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 13, 2003 Page 2 Work Session