Laserfiche WebLink
to ask the public to approve funding for such a program on its own. She said preparation of a <br />single-page summary description of the function and importance of AIRS would be helpful and <br />that she would also like additional information about what would be involved in a City-only <br />upgrade of AIRS. <br /> <br />Mr. Farr said that he had changed his mind about the AIRS conversion and that he now believed <br />it was possible for voters to understand its function adequately to support it as a stand-alone <br />revenue measure. <br /> <br />Ms. Swanson Gribskov expressed appreciation to councilors for their input on the proposed levy. <br />She said it was important to realize that although it would be officially placed on the ballot by <br />Lane County, all other local governments would benefit from it and need to provide support for its <br />passage. <br /> <br /> C. Work Session: Recommendations from the Council Committee on <br /> Homelessness and Youth Related to an Ordinance on Overnight Sleeping <br /> <br />Housing and Neighborhood Development Section Manager Richie Weinman referred to the <br />history of council actions related to an ordinance on overnight sleeping in vehicles in specified <br />areas included in the Agenda Item Summary distributed with the agenda of the meeting. He <br />reviewed positive and negative elements of options available to the council in connection with the <br />ordinance, as follows: <br />(1) no change in the current ordinance; (2) a complete ban on camping; (3) a partial ban on <br />camping; (4) establishing a campground; and (5) no ban on camping. <br /> <br />Mr. VVeinman reviewed recommendations of the Council Committee on Homelessness and <br />Youth, as follows: (1) expansion of the church parking lot program to business, industries, and <br />public agencies; (b) allowing sleeping in a vehicle on any street in Eugene for up to five days; <br />and (3) establishing a system requiring campers to obtain a permit to sleep in a vehicle. He <br />explained the purposes, budget implications, and benefits of the recommendations. <br /> <br />Mr. Fart said that he believed the recommendations of the committee were balanced, but not <br />perfect. He reported that they had the support of the police, Eugene-Springfield Homeless Action <br />Coalition, and business community. He said he believed the goal of the ordinance was to enable <br />dispersal of persons sleeping in vehicles throughout the community, that the administrative rules <br />to be established in its implementation would be the key to its success, and that establishment of <br />the role of a mediator/facilitator for its enforcement was essential. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner said that he hoped it was possible for the council to have a better proposal than <br />what was contained in the recommendations of the committee. He said he had received more <br />citizen input on the ordinance than any other issue since becoming a member of the council. He <br />said he did not believe the ordinance would effectively provide for dispersal of persons sleeping <br />in vehicles throughout the community and that they would continue to congregate in the central <br />area of the City. He pointed out that the role of the proposed facilitator of the ordinance was not <br />that of a mediator, which was an established profession with specific responsibilities not possible <br />to fulfill in the situations to be faced. He suggested that the role of the facilitator would be <br />extremely difficult since police officers could not currently enforce existing ordinances. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner asked for specific details regarding the difficulty of establishing a campground for <br />homeless persons. Mr. Weinman discussed the expense, interpersonal relationship problems, <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1998 Page 6 <br /> <br /> <br />