CC Minutes - 01/27/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Green said the Whiteaker council had chosen to condemn the manner in which the police conducted a raid in the Whiteaker neighborhood in October 2002. She expressed her pleasure that the Police Commission had decided to review SWAT policies and protocols. Zachary Vishanoff, Fairmount neighborhood, urged the council to take an interest in what he called the University's mismanagement of affairs in that neighborhood. Lauren Heitzman, 3395 West 7th Avenue, spoke against a proposed motor vehicle fuel tax. He urged the council to remember that the economy was going through a rough time and commented that raising taxes would not stop the situation. He remarked that the council was out of touch with the community. Karl Sorg, 1555 West 18th Avenue, spoke for the implementation of a living wage ordinance. He said it was essential to give Iow-income people a decent wage. Sarah Charlesworth, 2373 Pershing Street, spoke as vice chair of Trainsong Neighborhood Association. She spoke in support of a living wage. She read from the universal declaration of human rights regarding wages for workers. Nick Urhausen, 2858 Warren Street, said a living wage was a fiscal fantasy. He said the City should be mindful of what was being paid by others. He said the market determined what labor was worth. Greg McLauchlan, 2401 West 22nd Avenue, spoke in favor of a living wage standard. He said paying City workers less than a living wage would mean that some of them would require social services that the City was struggling to pay for. He called for a baseline in City salaries of $12 hourly with health benefits and said it would not be too difficult for the City to provide. Dal Ollek, 415 Court Drive, President of AFSCME Local 1724, spoke in support of a living wage. He said a living wage would increase worker happiness and performance. He said the proposal would make Eugene's economy would more healthy and would make the City a better place to live. Salmon Stroich, 570-1/2 West 10th Avenue, spoke in support of a living wage. He noted that he had been a City of Eugene employee for ten years and had benefits for only four of those years. He said he had not seen a dentist or a doctor for 14 years since he could not afford medical care. He said this was the standard of life for those without benefits and lower paying jobs. He noted that he had a college degree and was not a pad-time teenager looking for extra money from a summer job. He asked if the council's vision for the City was that it be a place where people had to look somewhere else if they wanted basic benefits and stable income. Mr. Stroich called for a clarification of whether Councilor Papa's company would benefit from a decision to reject a living wage standard, and whether that was a conflict of interest. John Pitney, 1243 Melvina Way, urged the council to keep considering a living wage standard for the City. He urged the council to be an example of hope in a time of fear. Bob Bussel, 3054 Grand Cayman drive, spoke as the Director of the Labor, Education and Research Center at the University of Oregon. He said he supported a living wage standard MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 27, 2003 Page 3 Regular Meeting