Item 6: Ratification of IGR Minutes and Direction on Legislative Policy

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act would require proof of citizenship for other things, such as a driver’s license. He said there were many concerns about how to avoid bias and racism in implementation. He noted that some states, such as Wisconsin, had refused to implement the federal act. Ms. Piercy affirmed she did not want to contribute to the anti-immigrant sentiments in the country and hoped it could be approached in a more humane and positive manner. Ms. Piercy provided the second. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. HB 2794 Ms. Taylor moved to Support the bill as a Priority 2. Ms. Piercy asked for a report from staff. Mr. Wold explained that much of the bill pertained to forest lands and the last portion would apply to the City by requiring that a plan be submitted to the Oregon Department of Agriculture 30 days before the application of any pesticide, describing the acreage to be treated and the pesticide and concentration to be used. He said the City’s goal was to reduce the application of pesticides and herbicides and when they were applied to make that process as effective as possible, which meant that staff monitored potential sites and timed applications for maximum effect. He said that resulted in application of herbicide quickly when plants flowered and weather conditions were most appropriate to prevent them going to seed; requiring a 30-day notification prior to application would make that process less effective and result in broadly written plans and less incentive to target applications. Ms. Bettman said she understood the existing regulations allowed spraying within a six month window. Mr. Finney said that applied to forest land, not open space. He emphasized that having to notify the State and wait 30 days to apply a pesticide or herbicide meant there would be a significantly different problem at the time of application, such as occurrence of a particular weed that had gone to seed and would require a much larger application. He said the bill would make achieving the City’s goal of smaller and less frequent application much more difficult. He said the City, although not required, currently posted notice of applications 24 hours in advance, provided information on the chemical and concentration and gave contact information. Ms. Taylor asked if the weeds could be removed manually and avoid the use of pesticide. Mr. Finney said that the City’s Parks and Open Space Division was a leader in its nonpesticide approach to weed control. Ms. Bettman said the bill represented the public’s right-to-know and a reporting requirement. She said that current regulations did not require a specific timeframe for application or identification of the chemical to be used and its concentration and that information was important to the community. Ms. Piercy agreed with Ms. Bettman but concurred with staff’s point about building in flexibility for timing of applications to allow for the minimum amount of chemicals to be used and support good stewardship of the natural areas and the environment. Ms. Bettman asserted that the blooming time for various species was known and the community was on the record as supporting notification. MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations March 16, 2007 Page 6