03.17.20 City Council Emergency Meeting Minutes

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MINUTES Eugene City Council Bascom-Tykeson Room Eugene Public Library, 100 West 10th Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97401 March 17, 2020 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Jennifer Yeh, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor Mayor Vinis opened the March 17, 2020, meeting of the Eugene City Council. City Manager Pro Tern Sarah Medary provided context about the public health emergency relating to COVID-19. Fire Chief Chris Heppel updated council on the City's efforts to respond to the public health challenge. Declaring a state of emergency would enable access to more state and federal resources to support the community in navigating the crisis. DISCUSSION: Declaration of a State of Emergency City Attorney Kathryn Brotherton explained how a state of emergency could be declared and what such a declaration would authorize and require of the City Manager. Council Discussion: • Councilor Clark - asked for clarification of the reason the City Manager may declare a state of emergency as defined in the code; said he was inspired by ideas offered by former Governor Kitzhaber in a recent article about the State's response to COVID-19. • Councilor Pryor - said a declaration of emergency was essential; encouraged the City Manager to communicate with council and the community as expeditiously as possible over the course of managing the crisis. • Councilor Semple - noted she would like to talk about alternative emergency shelters, bathrooms, and food access later in the meeting. • Councilor Syrett - asked staff to respond to small businesses' concerns, especially those of restaurants; asked about childcare support, more testing ability and priority testing. • Councilor Taylor - expressed concern about the impacts of the crisis on people living paycheck to paycheck. • Councilor Yeh - said many of her concerns had already been mentioned and addressed. • Councilor Zelenka - thought a declaration of emergency was appropriate; clarified that not all powers available to the City Manager in a state of emergency would necessarily be used; highlighted how the communication process would work between council and the City Manager during the emergency; noted several operational concerns, including support for local businesses, shelter and sanitation for the unhoused, communications planning, and lack of available testing. MINUTES - Eugene City Council March 17, 2020 Page Meeting