CC Minutes - 07/23/01 Work Session

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not be used, and would favor Option B, with the direction the SDC issue be returned to the Stormwater Department Advisory Committee and possibly the Public Works Rates Advisory Committee for further work on the system definition and a determination of whether excess capacity existed for the possible establishment of a reimbursement fee. Ms. Nathanson noted her long-time support for the concept before the council but reiterated her concern that the political climate was not supportive. She said that the council had other priorities it needed to fund. Ms. Nathanson asked if a good case could be made that the study recommendations could assist with flood control citywide; if so, that should be made clear to the public. She asked if acquisition was more costly than a conservation easement and called for less costly alternatives, such as different funding methods, different management methods, or a combination of both. She questioned if it was possible to acquire, for example, 25 feet and purchase a conservation easement for the remainder of the land. Ms. Nathanson noted the results of the survey conducted by staff, saying that they did not give her confidence the majority of citizens would embrace the program. Mr. Rayor agreed with the remarks made by Ms. Nathanson. He asked about the current protections that existed for waterways under City, State, or federal law and requested that information in the form of a matrix. He thought that would inform the council of the value added by the proposed program. He asked if the City was duplicating existing law. Mr. Johnson noted the additional protections created by the planned unit development and conditional use permit processes. Mayor Torrey asked if the council was prepared to ask the City Manager to proceed with condemnation. Mayor Torrey asked what the minimum buffer size requirement was for open waterways that would meet the criteria for stormwater usage of the funds. Ms. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Kelly, moved to direct the City Manager to proceed with the recommended acquisitions and authorize the City Manager to initiate stormwater user fees to pay for 75 percent of the program costs and to pay for the remainder of the program (25 percent) with systems development charges. Mr. Farr remained convinced that imposing new fees on residents was not the correct approach. He did not want to vote on the issue at this time. Mr. Farr, seconded by Ms. Nathanson, moved to table the motion. The vote on the motion to table was a 3:3 tie; Ms. Nathanson, Mr. Farr, and Mr. Rayor MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 23, 2001 Page 7 Work Session