Item 2D: Ratification of IGR Action

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Ms. Ortiz asked why Portland would take a position on this. Ms. Wilson replied that Portland believed that if Eugene, Veneta, Cottage Grove, and Creswell were grandfathered in it would reduce the chance for the bill to be passed. She said Portland would like the ability to have a four percent tax with an option to go for more locally. Eugene currently had a seven percent tax and would have to go out to the public if it wanted to regain the extra three percent. She added that the majority of her energy at this point was spent trying to stop this. 6. Items from Members and Staff Ms. Wilson said she had compiled a list of all the bills that the CCIGR had given a high priority in the last session and asked if there were any the committee members wanted to include in the legislative document. Ms. Taylor did not want to revisit them. Ms. Ortiz remarked that she would like to reserve the option to review them. Ms. Wilson reported that there was an issue with field burning going on at present. She said one thing the CCIGR should decide was whether it would back the Governor’s three-year plan to phase the practice out or Representative Paul Holvey’s bill which would immediately ban field burning. She noted the latter did not include Eugene’s exemption for ecologically-based burning. Ms. Wilson stated that the CCIGR would discuss the bill that sought to create a Department of Peace and Nonviolence at its next meeting. She said the bill called for the establishment of a new federal agency and though it looked like it would call for an international priority agenda it actually would provide grants for the prevention and elimination of violence at the local level, such as domestic violence, child abuse, and gang violence. She noted that Representatives DeFazio and Woo were sponsoring it. She explained that the options for the CCIGR included drafting letters of thanks to the sponsors, letters to the rest of Eugene’s federal delegation asking them to sign on as sponsors, and letters to the senators asking them to sponsor their own bill. She added that if the CCIGR wanted to draft a resolution it would have to start at the full City Council level. Mr. Poling commented that he could not support the bill as it was currently written. Ms. Wilson indicated she would send the CCIGR members a list of the League of Oregon Cities legislative priorities. The committee scheduled the next meeting for September 24 at 1 p.m. Ms. Taylor adjourned the meeting at 2:37 p.m. (Recorded by Ruth Atcherson) MINUTES—Council Committee on September 10, 2008 Page 5 Intergovernmental Relations