CC Minutes - 04/28/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Mayor Torrey called for council comments. Mr. Meisner said he would not characterize the process as a happy one for all concerned. He was glad to see the City paying some attention to the issue, noting that several councilors had raised the topic over time for several years. He said that given what had occurred downtown, the City needed to consider such issues more comprehensively. Council Coordinator Lynda Rose distributed a copy of a motion to be proposed by Mr. Meisner, directing the City Manager to develop and promote a process that encourages social services providers to work voluntarily with nearby neighbors and businesses to develop a "good neighbor policy" prior to starting a social service agency and that the manager report back to the council when the process has been put into place, and to endorse the principle adopted by the Social Service Siting Task Force, that organizations that provide social services should locate and operate social services in a manner that maintains neighbors' safety and their right to the peaceful enjoyment of their neighborhood. Ms. Bettman expressed appreciation to the task force for its work. She believed that the concentration of social services in a small geographic area could create problems, while acknowledging the need to locate those services where they were needed. She did not perceive the recommendations as "don't site social services in our neighborhood," but rather as the task force expressing a willingness to work with the providers and the City. Ms. Bettman suggested a voluntary program that incorporated some of the aspects of Portland's program would be appropriate, but was prepared to listen to the debate about the motion. Mr. Kelly emphasized the vital contributions made by the community's social service agencies and characterized the budget shortfalls facing those services as a human tragedy. Mr. Kelly was unsure that siting or dispersal was the issue as much as an agency's relationship to its neighborhoods, the impact of the agency, and how it was mitigated. Mr. Kelly asked for input about what was meant by the recommendation for a "values based community process." Mr. Weinman responded that the idea was that a consultant could bring all the parties together over a longer period of time to identify common values, gather more data, and collaboratively develop a set of solutions. The task force process had no budget and lacked the staff support desired by task force members. Mr. Kelly referred to the Portland Community Residential Siting program web page and said he had been impressed with how it was laid out. Mr. Kelly said that some of the task force's recommendations would cost money, and he suggested that staff be directed to provide feedback on funding sources. He suggested the potential use of one-time money. Ms. Solomon indicated that she received an e-mail from Vicki Bell, the owner of the Reflections Salon, who had testified before the council about the Food for Lane County (Govinda's) situation. Ms. Bell informed her that things were going well and the situation had been resolved. Ms. Solomon suggested that the problems experienced could have been avoided if what Mr. Meisner outlined in his memorandum was in place, and therefore endorsed his approach. Mayor Torrey asked how task force members felt about the recommended motion. Members of the task force spoke. Some said it was not clear what problem needed to be addressed. Task MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 28, 2003 Page 9 Work Session