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during the recruitment and hiring process. He said Chief Buchanan assured him that he would <br />serve until another candidate was selected. <br /> <br />Mr. Pap6 expressed hope that the City did not take Chief Buchanan for granted. He said he <br />understood the department was having trouble attracting recruits, and asked about the status of <br />that effort. Mr. Taylor said that the City had no trouble getting recruits, but did have trouble <br />getting its candidates through the academy. He stressed the importance of maintaining high <br />standards, and said that it took some time to get good candidates. He did not know when the next <br />wave of officers would be on the street, and said he had asked Chief Buchanan to discuss ways to <br />ease the burden on patrol and still meet the demand for service. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey shared Mr. Papa's concerns about the Washington-Jefferson Bridge and his <br />particular concern about the Jefferson Street off-ramp, which he believed would be the site of a <br />bad accident at some point. He asked that something be done. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey asked Mr. Heuser to contact Andrea Fogue of the League of Oregon Cities about <br />the new school zone speeding rules and regulations recently enacted by the State legislature and <br />their impact on the community. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey recalled the pedestrian fatality at North Eugene High School the previous year, and <br />the subsequent community meeting regarding potential solutions to problems with speeding in the <br />vicinity. Nothing had been accomplished, and he asked City Manager Taylor to follow-up on the <br />ideas generated at the community meeting as to what the City could do in terms of lowering the <br />speed limit near the school. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey asked what the City was going to do with the historic building on the AgriPac site. <br />City Manager Taylor said that staff was investigating viable redevelopment or relocation options <br />for the building. Mayor Torrey encouraged councilors to view the demolished site. <br /> <br />B. Work Session: Discussion of 2003 Legislative Session <br /> <br />Intergovernmental Relations Manager Jason Heuser was present for the item. City Manager <br />Taylor expressed appreciation for the work of Mr. Heuser and his staff, and for the work of the <br />Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (CCIGR). <br /> <br />Mr. Heuser recognized the team effort involved in the legislative process and thanked the <br />members of the CCIGR for its guidance and availability. He commended the team of legislative <br />coordinators and said staff's analysis had benefited both the League of Cities and the City of <br />Portland. <br /> <br />Mr. Heuser indicated that despite reports to the contrary, the legislature had accomplished a great <br />deal. Issues around the country were similar to those faced by Oregon, and times were difficult <br />for most states. He said that an economic turnaround was needed for things to improve. <br /> <br />Mr. Heuser reviewed key issues from the legislative session and briefly described the legislation <br />that was adopted to address those issues. Key issues included Public Employees Retirement <br />System (PERS) reform, collective bargaining, transportation funding, regional law enforcement <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 2003 Page 3 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />