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M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Regular Session Council Chamber—City Hall August 8, 2005 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Poling, Jennifer Solomon, Bonny Bettman, David Kelly, Gary Papé, Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor, Andrea Ortiz. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy convened the meeting of the Eugene City Council. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy welcomed everyone to the City Council meeting and reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Gerry Gaydos , 440 East Broadway Street, Suite 302, spoke in support of the enterprise zone. He recognized that its merits had been amply debated. He felt this indicated that good people can disagree on the importance of many things, including tax incentives. He believed the enterprise zone to be important for both the business community and the community at-large as it would help increase the tax base and fund public services. He appreciated the risk Mayor Piercy took in looking for a compromise between the City and the County. He commended Hynix Semiconductor, Incorporated, and expressed appreciation to the County Commissioners for their efforts toward resolution. He said it was very important to provide adequate jobs for the community. He noted the time he recently spent with United Way looking at ways to do so and to improve the economy. He opined that the council’s support of the enterprise zone would be helpful in that regard. Mayor Piercy acknowledged that County Commissioner Faye Stewart was present. Zachary Vorhies , 1693 Mill Alley, suggested there be a parking fee waiver for people who drink and then choose not to drive. He related that, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the State of Oregon recorded 512 traffic-related deaths in 2003, of which 40 percent were alcohol-related. He shared that he enjoyed his right to drink and that he made the responsible decision not to drive if he drank too much. He alleged that the City of Eugene aggressively ticketed cars and that his vehicle recently was impounded. He commented that $82 was a lot of money to a college student. He felt there should be a way of getting one’s fees dropped, such as showing receipts from a drinking establishment to demonstrate that a car was parked illegally because of a responsible choice not to drive after having imbibed too much alcohol. Sara Fay , 2033 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, Washington, spoke on behalf of the Pacific Housing Advisors. She thanked the City Council for its support of affordable housing and for its consideration of a property tax th exemption for the Redwood Park Apartments on the corner of 18 Avenue and Bertelsen Road. She said Redwood Park would be converted to 100 percent affordable housing after substantial renovations. She stated that the renovation would add 16 new units bringing the total of low-income units in that project to MINUTES—Eugene City Council August 8, 2005 Page 1 Regular Session