CC Minutes - 03/09/98 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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recommended that the council consider paying for the program from the General Fund until further information was gathered. Mark Marzullo, 5741 Royal Avenue, stated that he represented Whittier Wood Projects which had two manufacturing plants in Eugene. He said he did not believe it was fair to base Toxics Right-to-Know Program fees on the number of employees. He said that pending legislative rulings and court appeals related to the Charter amendment could change its implementation and that his firm supported paying the first-year cost of the program from the General Fund. Mr. Farrjoined the meeting at 7:55 p.m. Moshe Immerman, 3455 Onyx Place, stated that he was grateful for the growing support of the City Council for the Toxics Right-to-Know Program and that he hoped it would identify Eugene as a world leader in such concerns. He said he believed optimal funding for the program was crucial to ensure the quality of life in Eugene and that any cuts to its proposed budget were premature. He described his personal experience with laboratory testing procedures and toxic materials. He said the privilege of using toxic substances should be accompanied by responsibilities and that he did not believe the proposed fees were onerous. Rhone Lee, 1210 Alfaretta Drive, stated that he represented PSC Scanning (formerly Spectra Physics) corporation. He said his company supported the Toxics Right-to-Know Program, but was concerned about the principle that the program should be self-funded because this did not encourage the behaviors intended. He said his company employed 650 persons and was classified as a "conditionally exempt" generator of toxic substances. He explained that his company had worked for many years to reduce its chemical usage and convert what it did use to beneficial purposes. He said he believed the fee proposal lumped his company together with large quantity toxic substance generators and penalized it for having a large number of employees and doing a good job in its toxics management. He said the fees provided no incentives to reduce chemical use and encouraged reduction in the number of employees. He recommended that first-year fees in the program be off-set by any increased number of companies participating in the future. Ray Wolfe, 1473 Luella, stated that he supported providing an adequate budget for the first year's operation of the Toxics Right-to-Know Program and that any surplus generated should be placed in a trust fund to reduce future costs. Clyde Carson, 618 "D" Street, Springfield, stated that he represented Williams Bakery. He said he believed the proposed costs of the Toxics Right-to-Know program were out-of-line. He said the fee proposed to be charged his company was higher than all other City and State regulatory permit charges. He said such fees gave an unfair advantage to non-Eugene competitor businesses. He reported that a recent court decision had determined that employee-based fees were to be considered a tax and that imposition of new taxes had legal implications in the State of Oregon. Kathy Madison, 1401 Willamette, stated that she represented the Eugene Chamber of Commerce. She said that her organization supported a lower budget for the Toxics Right-to- Know Program because its true costs were unknown. She said she believed the fee structure proposal was troubling because it would unfairly penalize either large or small businesses. She pointed out that the program was imposing start-up costs for computer software, personnel, and Minutes--Eugene City Council March 9, 1998 Page 3 7:30 p.m.