Item 2C: Ratification of IGR Committee Actions

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Active Transportation and funding for the West Bank Trail Extension and Riverbank Path System. The motion passed unanimously. Ms. Wilson reviewed a request to seek Land and Water Conservation Fund moneys to buy a ten-acre property in the West Eugene Wetlands area. The cost of the property was estimated to be $1.5 million. She said the first step in the process was to let the Congressional delegation know of the City’s interest, and persuade the Bureau of Land Management to include the funding in its budget for a subsequent earmark. Responding to a question from Mr. Poling, Ms. Wilson said the LWCF did not require matching funds. She confirmed that the property was inside the Eugene urban growth boundary and outside the city limits. Ms. Ortiz questioned the impact of the acquisition on the City’s buildable lands inventory. Ms. Wilson did not know. She said the property contained an endangered plant, Kincaid’s lupine, which was key habitat for another endangered species, the Fender’s Blue Butterfly, and would be expensive to develop because of the wetlands mitigation required. Mr. Poling asked about the property’s zoning. Ms. Wilson did not know and indicated she would find out that informa- tion for the committee. Ms. Wilson reviewed the remainder of the proposed additions, which included funding for Air Quality Monitoring Station for the Lane Regional Air Protection Authority, Multi-Modal Rail, Rail Crossing Quiet Zone, and Eugene Depot Site Improvements. Ms. Ortiz, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to support the above-named projects on the federal priority list at a level of Priority 1. The motion passed unanimously. Ms. Wilson reviewed a list of projects proposed for the federal SAFETEA-LU reauthorization and recommended that they all be forwarded for funding. She noted that the West Eugene Transportation Study should also be on the list. She also recommended that other transportation related projects that the committee just voted to support, also be added to the SAFETEA-LU list. Ms. Ortiz, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to approve the addition of the transportation-related pro- jects to the SAFETEA-LU list. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0 Mayor Piercy said that Representative Peter DeFazio expressed interest in doing something to improve the rail corridor between Oregon and Washington State. She wanted to ensure that Eugene supported that effort. Ms. Wilson indicated she was meeting with representatives of Mr. DeFazio and Senator Ron Wyden the next day and that issue was already on the agenda. 9. Meeting with Legislative Delegation The committee agreed to a proposal from Ms. Wilson that members meet with the local legislative delegation on a Saturday morning. Ms. Wilson said she was polling the delegation for possible dates. Ms. Ortiz, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to schedule IGR committee meetings after Wednesday council meetings. The motion passed unanimously. Ms. Wilson confirmed the committee could advertise its meetings as starting at 1:15 p.m. but could start them slightly later. She asked that the committee get its bills by staff the previous Tuesday. The committee scheduled the next meeting for January 21, 2009, at 1:15 p.m. MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations January 13, 2009 Page 4