CC Minutes - 02/23/09 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to adopt a Priority 3 Oppose position on Senate Bill 422. Councilor Poling related that there were concerns voiced by the Municipal Court judge and his staff about imposing mandatory jail time if it could not be enforced, given the lack of jail space. He said his view was that they were planning for the future; if “some day some miracle happened” and the City and County had enough jail space, people needed to be held accountable for their crimes. He stated that there were nearby communities that had the capacity to hold people accountable for the crimes they committed. Councilor Ortiz supported the staff recommendation to oppose the bill because of the inability to keep people in jail. Councilor Taylor thought the motion should have been to support the bill. Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to amend the motion to direct staff to adopt a Priority 3 Support position on the bill. Roll call vote; the motion to amend passed, 5:2, councilors Zelenka and Brown voting in opposition. Roll call vote; the motion passed as amended, 5:3; councilors Zelenka, Brown, and Ortiz voting in opposition. House Bill 2426 – Imposes a minimum fine of $2,500 and mandatory imprisonment for a person convicted of driving under the influence of intoxicants if the person had 0.20 percent or more by weight of alcohol in the blood of the person at the time of offense. Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to adopt a Priority 3 Oppose position on House Bill 2426. Ms. Wilson stated that the bill had a hearing earlier in the day and it had been amended. She related that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had objected to the bill and asked that it be amended to eliminate the mandatory jail time but reduce the level of intoxication to .15 percent. Those amendments were adopted and the ACLU had pulled its opposition. Councilor Poling moved to amend the motion to direct staff to adopt a Priority 3 Support position. The motion died for lack of a second. Roll call vote; the motion passed, 6:1; Councilor Poling voting in opposition. House Bill 2429 – Modifies qualifications for property tax exemptions for business firms eligible to participate in an enterprise zone program. It requires firms engaged in private construction projects with a value of $5 million or more to comply with the prevailing wage rate law. Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to direct staff to monitor House Bill 2429. Roll call vote; the motion passed, 5:2; councilors Poling and Clark voting in opposition. House Bill 2430 – Defines “building construction” and modifies the definition of “residential construction” for purposes of applying prevailing rate of wage to projects that predominantly provide affordable housing. Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to direct staff to monitor House Bill 2430. Roll call vote; the motion passed, 4:3; councilors Poling, Zelenka, and Clark voting in opposition. MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 23, 2009 Page 12 Regular Meeting