Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Councilor Ortiz understood the concerns expressed by Councilors Zelenka and Bettman but was also worried about the message being sent to Springfield. She believed the council would have an opportunity to act at a later time in regard to the ramps and wanted to move ahead at this time. Councilor Bettman said she would be happy to defer action until the council had more specific legal advice that council approval would not be “de facto” approval of future on-ramps. She believed a delay would give the City Manager time to communicate with Springfield and “smooth the way” without precipitous action. Councilor Bettman said if the amendment failed she would move to table the item for action prior to the council recess. She said that everyone was in a hurry, but such projects took “years and decades.” Roll call vote; the amendment to the motion failed, 5:3; councilors Taylor, Zelenka, and Bettman voting yes. Councilor Pryor supported the motion on the table. He did not think anyone could “sneak ramps in” because they would require an additional approval process. In addition, the last time he talked with ODOT staff, it had indicated such ramps were not in ODOT’s plans and that, if requested, Eugene and Springfield would have to pay for them. He did not believe the local community had the money to pay for such ramps. He suggested that the proposal to add ramps had little probability of occurring. Councilor Bettman, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to amend the motion to delay the vote to give the City Manager time to talk to the Springfield City Manager about the concern’s regarding the new ramps. Roll call vote; the amendment to the motion failed, 5:3; councilors Taylor, Bettman, and Zelenka voting yes. Roll call vote; the main motion passed, 6:2; councilors Taylor and Bettman voting no. Councilor Pryor, seconded by Councilor Bettman, moved that the council adopt Council Bill 4982, an ordinance amending the Willakenzie Area Plan Text in the Willamette Greenway Section. Councilor Bettman indicated she had seconded the motion in her role as council vice president but would vote against it. Roll call vote; the motion passed, 5:1:2; councilors Taylor and Bettman voting no, and Councilor Solomon being out of the room when the vote was taken. 7. DISCUSSION: I-5 Willamette River Bridge—Bridge Design Type Selection Tim Dodson of ODOT provided an overview of the bridge design selection process. He first noted the public involvement process, reviewed the integrated project timeline, and shared information about the bridge types under consideration. Mr. Dodson discussed the evaluation process for the bridge design, noting a Citizen Advisory Group decision was anticipated in early August. He noted the final authority for the design rested with the Major Projects Branch of ODOT. He reviewed the input that would be considered in the selection process by the Project Design Team; that team’s recommendation would be endorsed by the manager of the Major Projects Branch. Mr. Dodson invited questions about the process. Mayor Piercy appreciated the thorough community outreach effort done by ODOT and its attention to environmental concerns. She liked the through-arch design. MINUTES—Eugene City Council January 16, 2008 Page 11 Meeting