03.11.20 City Council Work Session Minutes

Home Browse Search

MINUTES Eugene City Council Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97401 March 11, 2020 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Claire Syrett Councilors Absent: Betty Taylor, Greg Evans, Chris Pryor Mayor Vinis opened the March 11, 2020, work session of the Eugene City Council. 1. WORK SESSION: Emergency Preparedness Update Interim Fire Chief Chris Heppel and Communicable Disease Nursing Supervisor and Incident Commander for Lane County Public Health Cindy Morgan gave an update regarding emergency preparedness specifically regarding COVID-19. Items discussed were updates from Lane County Public Health, role of the City, and current City actions. Council Discussion: • Councilor Zelenka - asked about viricide and bleach -based cleaning products; inquired about the differences between COVID-19 and other similar viruses as they relate to transmission; talked about personal prevention tactics; asked about attending large events and social distancing measures; asked who has the authority to shut down events or large gathering locations, • Councilor Clark - talked about the fear many citizens feel and their frustration with the lack of communication; asked about restricting activities and closing locations that are used by vulnerable populations; spoke about wanting more communication from Lane County Public Health and City staff to the citizens. • Councilor Syrett - reminded everyone about Oregon's paid sick leave law; noted the preparedness of health care workers, her availability for meeting with the City Manager during the council break, and her desire for more communications from Lane C ounty Public Health and the City. • Mayor Vinis - asked about plans for increasing the number of sanitation stations for the unhoused community members. • Councilor Semple - expressed concern about the lack of hand washing stations for the unhoused population; asked about next steps after the mitigation stage; expressed hope that the City's response can be used as a model for what to do in the future. • Councilor Yeh - asked about the timeline and agenda of the task force and if they would be needing funds to proceed; • Councilor Clark - talked about the concerns related to taking stricter precautionary measures for the city and what precautions have taken place in the world; appreciated the thoughtfulness of taking into consideration small businesses and access to services; desired more calming communication with the public. • Councilor Zelenka -thanked staff for the work being done on preparedness; spoke about the mortality rates of the flu versus COVID-19; supported placing hand washing stations around the city and at large events; inquired about testing and the actual number of cases. MINUTES - Eugene City Council March 11, 2020 Page 1 Work Session