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Claire Syrett <br />, 363 Adams Street, supported the ordinance. She thanked the Mayor and City Council for <br />adopting the local wage and benefit standards for the West Eugene Enterprise Zone, making Eugene one of <br />the only cities in the United States with community standards of this kind. She felt that in setting the <br />standards, the City sent a clear message that good wages and benefits matter and are the key to fostering a <br />healthy local economy. She said passage of the ordinance would protect the City’s most vulnerable citizens <br />from economic exploitation. She stated that by addressing the economic pressures facing workers from <br />both sides, encouraging higher wages, and protecting those in economic hardship, the council would show <br />great leadership and strengthen the City’s economy and its community. She thanked the council. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing. <br /> <br />Councilor Ortiz thanked Mr. Heuser for working so closely with the contingency of people that had brought <br />this ordinance forward. She encouraged the council to take action at the present meeting. <br /> <br />Councilor Taylor supported the ordinance. She felt it was a small way to alleviate poverty. <br /> <br />Councilor Poling asked how soon the ordinance would go into effect if it was approved at the present <br />meeting. City Manager Taylor replied that it would be 30 days. <br /> <br />Councilor Poling asked if there was a way to put the ordinance into effect immediately. City Attorney <br />Jerry Lidz responded that there would have to be findings describing the nature of the emergency and the <br />way in which the ordinance would address it specifically in accordance with the City Charter. Councilor <br />Poling asked if this would be difficult at this point. City Manager Taylor surmised that staff and the <br />council would have trouble maintaining that they had made thoughtful findings by doing it “right on the <br />stump” after the hearing. He thought they could come back before the council in two weeks with the <br />necessary findings in order to enact the ordinance sooner. <br /> <br />Mr. Lidz stated that the council would need to make the finding that an earlier effective date was necessary <br />to serve an important public purpose and a separate section would have to be added to the ordinance stating <br />specifically why the earlier effective date was necessary. He thought it was possible to amend the <br />ordinance so that this could be accomplished. <br /> <br />Councilor Poling thought the issue was urgent enough that the council did need to set forth immediate <br />protection for poor people who he felt were being taken advantage of. He liked that the ordinance was <br />simple and did not go beyond what the State had laid out to go into effect in July 2007. <br /> <br />Councilor Kelly supported the ordinance. He felt it provided a modest level of consumer protection. <br /> <br />In response to a question from Councilor Kelly, Mr. Heuser affirmed that there were some elements of <br />discretion, such as setting the amount of the fee and where the enforcement within the City would be, that <br />would be carried out by administrative rule. He asked Mr. Lidz to elaborate. <br /> <br />Mr. Lidz confirmed that there were portions of the ordinance that would be implemented by administrative <br />rule, but there were other portions that would apply immediately when the ordinance went into effect. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy ascertained that there were no objections to taking action at the present meeting. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 10, 2006 Page 8 <br /> Regular Meeting <br /> <br />