CC Minutes - 10/14/02 Work Session

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suggested that such subcommittees could be assets, and could be formed on a temporary basis in lieu of department advisory committees. She suggested the concept be extended to other City committees as well. Ms. Taylor requested more information about the City's plans to privatize custodial services at the library. Ms. Taylor noted that she had recently returned from a National League of Cities Human Development Steering Committee meeting, where she learned from other members that while they thought the City's domestic registry proposal was a wonderful idea, they would not have gotten far with the subject in their home cities. She suggested it was an example of how far ahead of other communities the City was in some ways. Ms. Bettman said that the City developed a shod-term strategy for improving traffic flow and pedestrian safety on South Willamette Street. She thanked the neighborhood organization for its persistence and staff for using its expertise to reach a recommendation that was acceptable to all parties. Ms. Bettman acknowledged the cooperation of local businesses in the process, and thanked the Tsunami Bookstore for hosting meetings and Down to Earth for making sacrifices to accommodate the suggested improvements to the nearby intersection. She anticipated a much safer environment for pedestrians on the street in the future. Ms. Bettman was also concerned about the privatization of custodial services at the library. She questioned whether the City would lose the ability to run the building in a environmentally friendly fashion or the ability to screen employees. She said that contracted employees would not be answerable to the City but rather to a private firm, and the City would not have the ability to regulate their behavior or appearance outside a contract setting. She was not convinced that contracting for custodial services for the library was in the best interest of the public. Ms. Bettman noted the council would be considering amendments to the Land Use Code soon and requested the relevant ordinances as soon as possible. Mr. Rayor asked for a summary of the recent court judgment regarding the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). Mr. Carlson referred him to the PERS Web site for a copy of the actual ruling and indicated he would provide a summary of the judgment. He reported that a meeting of those clients involved in the lawsuit had occurred earlier that day. Mr. Carlson said that the City continued to work toward resolution of the litigated issues as well as working with the PERS Board to institute reform. He noted that the ruling was a Circuit Court ruling, and further appeals could occur. Mr. Carlson reported that the council would hold an executive session later that day, if time permitted. Mayor Torrey noted the Committee on Homelessness and Youth would be meeting on October 22 and invited interested councilors to attend. Mayor Torrey hoped the councilors would invite the incoming councilors to attend meetings of the committees to which they were to be assigned. He noted that a council vacancy existed on the Citizen Involvement Committee (CIC) and that a majority of councilors indicated an interest in discussing a different approach to that committee. A work session on the topic would be MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 14, 2002 Page 2 Work Session