Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

Home Browse Search

Councilor Solomon asked if this bill would retain the districts that currently made up the Lane Transit District (LTD) board of directors. She noted that in the past LTD had found it difficult to find representa- tives for all of the districts. Ms. Wilson replied that it redefined the districts by stipulating that the districts must be nearly equal in population and it added two appointed board members. Councilor Solomon asked if the new districts would have the same requirements for ridership. She added that LTD just recently went through a lengthy process to find someone to represent the district in which she resided. Ms. Wilson replied that in the form the bill had been introduced it did not require candidates to be riders. In response to a question from Mayor Piercy, Ms. Wilson stated that the current position of the CCIGR was a Priority 2 Support. Councilor Solomon asked what the benefit of having an elected board would be. Mayor Piercy responded that it related to council policy. Councilor Pryor explained that his reason for pulling the bill was because he did not know if LTD governance was something the City of Eugene should take a position on. He questioned the necessity of “wading into the fight” if it was not necessary. Councilor Bettman averred that the City had a stake in the governance of LTD. Roll call vote; the vote on whether to support the recommendation of the Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations to take a position of Priority 2 Support on SB 476 passed, 5:3; councilors Solomon, Pryor, and Poling voting in opposition. HB 2465 Councilor Pryor explained that staff recommended that the CCIGR take a Drop position on the bill as it only applied to schools in Hood River County and, therefore, did not affect the City of Eugene. Mayor Piercy stated her opposition to this bill because she believed allowing the Hood River school district to establish a school on land within three miles of a UGB without adopting an exception to the State land use planning goal would not be good for Eugene’s land use policy. Councilor Solomon said she hoped the bill would pass and would have an effect on the City. She stated that the Bethel School District owned land outside of the UGB of Eugene and it needed to build a new high school. She averred that the bill, which was specific to the Hood River County school district, could set a precedent that would benefit the Bethel School District. Councilor Bettman asserted that the bill was inconsistent to the legislative agenda of Eugene. She averred that the Bethel School District could apply for a local exception to the statewide land use requirements. She felt the bill would set “a very bad precedent.” She urged the council to uphold the vote of the CCIGR. Councilor Zelenka concurred. He believed it was a bad precedent and a bad policy. Councilor Clark related that he had heard the concern expressed that such votes create conflict between public good and public bad. He suggested that the bill was an opportunity to remedy this. MINUTES—Eugene City Council March 12, 2007 Page 10 Regular Meeting