CC Minutes - 04/18/01 Work Session

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Mayor Torrey wanted the Planning and Development Department staff to identify available residential development opportunities on a map. He said that the City had the capacity to produce accurate maps to help the council create more appropriate wards. He asked what legal steps were available in case redistricting caused a councilor to no longer live in the ward he or she previously represented. Ms. Taylor supported the council making the decision regarding redistricting. She thought outreach to the neighborhood organizations might be the best form of public outreach. She did not favor spending money on small, poorly attended informational meetings. She thought the Web site was good but pointed out not everyone had a computer. Ms. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Kelly, moved to have the City Council as a whole carry out the redistricting process. Mr. Kelly referred to an editorial printed in The Register-Guard on April 15 that had misquoted his position, and noted the letter he sent in response, printed the previous day in the paper. He said he had been accurately quoted in a subsequent story. The motion passed, 7:1, Mr. Pap6 voting no. Ms. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Kelly, moved to approve the general redistricting process and time schedule as outlined in Attachment A, with possible modifications or efficiencies. Mr. Meisner asked for information regarding the number of registered voters in each ward and throughout the entire community. Ms. Nathanson wanted to ensure public comment occurred at the right time and was concerned that the public hearings were not timed in a manner that allowed the council to take the input into account in its decision- making. She encouraged staff to consider how the schedule would work. Mr. Farr shared Ms. Nathanson's concern. Mr. Pap6, seconded by Mr. Farr, moved to amend the motion by revising the schedule by adding a public hearing prior to adoption of the criteria. Mr. Kelly suggested the council did not need to make a decision on the form of input at this time. He did not support the motion because he was unsure that a public hearing was more or less effective than an informal, potentially interactive public forum. Ms. Nathanson agreed. Mayor Torrey hoped that staff would develop a map that did not incorporate the current wards and that presumed that, for the first time, the city was going to be divided into wards. The motion to amend failed, 2:6; Mr. Pap6 and Mr. Farr voting yes. The main motion passed, 7:1, Mr. Pap6 voting no. MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 18, 2001 Page 9 Work Session