Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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ATTACHMENT J M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Regular Meeting Council Chamber—Eugene City Hall September 22, 2008 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, Bonny Bettman, Mike Clark, Andrea Ortiz, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, Alan Zelenka. COUNCILORS ABSENT: George Poling. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the regular meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. Councilor Poling was excused due to a death in the family. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Carol Berg-Caldwell , 2510 Augusta Street, asserted that mayoral candidate Jim Torrey had made “baseless attacks” on the Civilian Review Board (CRB). She alleged that this was tantamount to politiciz- ing an “already fragile police/community relationship.” She asked why Mr. Torrey would question Mayor Piercy’s unwillingness to condemn a member of the CRB who had allegedly suggested a citizen’s arrest of Police Chief Lehner. She disputed claims that Mayor Piercy disrespected the police because she did not advocate hiring more police. She averred that Mayor Piercy “hired” more police than had been hired during Mayor Torrey’s tenure. She opined that candidate Torrey was making false accusations and was exploiting police/community conflicts. She felt that City Manager Jon Ruiz and some Human Rights Commission (HRC) staff and “some police, too,” were “quietly working to restore good relations between police and public.” She opined that people were harmed by Mr. Torrey’s efforts. She said the Eugene Police Department (EPD) knew there was a “growing negative atmosphere” and an EPD representative had told the Police Commission that the Prevention Convention scheduled for October 12 and sponsored by the EPD was being held in part to counter negative publicity the EPD had received. She reiterated her unhappiness with Mr. Torrey. th Deb Frisch ,3002 West 11 Avenue, related that she had attended the CRB. She was unhappy that the officers who were involved in the tasering incident in late May would not be investigated until the District Attorney’s office investigation was completed. She was also unhappy with the appeal process to the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) regarding the alley vacations. Gary Gillespie , 2644 Kincaid Street, stated that he was president of Oregon American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 75 which represented 23,000 workers throughout the state. He said he worked for the public library and had been employed by the City for 21 years. He had bargained from both the management and the labor sides of the table. He underscored that the City had a deal to be made but this deal would not be for a three percent pay increase. He indicated that the council MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 22, 2008 Page 1 Regular Meeting