CC Minutes - 03/11/09 Work Session

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time the City Manager would give the budget message to the time the council was expected to adopt the budget. She foresaw a lot of potential decision-making for the Budget Committee and City Council if the budget shortfall was still projected to be between $8 and $12 million. She asked if there was an estimate of the property tax revenues. She wondered, given the current rate of unemployment, whether some people would be challenged to pay their property taxes. Mr. Poling announced that the Harlow Neighborhood Association planned to meet at 7:00 p.m. on March 18 at Monroe Middle School. He stated that in addition to all of the emails and phone calls about the street assessment policy, he was also receiving a lot of calls and emails about the potential garbage hauler surcharge. He wanted to reassure people that the council was not taking action on it and would be discussing it at a later time. He stressed that he had opposed the garbage hauler fee the last time it had come before the City Council and he was still opposed to it. Mr. Brown related that he had attended Project Homeless Connect and had been amazed by all of the good work done by volunteers there. He had attended the Neighborhood Summit and thought it was also a worthy event. Mr. Brown reported that he had met with five local bankers, along with City Manager Jon Ruiz, Executive Director of the Planning and Development Department Susan Muir, and Mayor Piercy to discuss how the City could better interact. He averred that the bankers misapprehended certain things about the City’s services. He said there was a perception conveyed by the bankers’ clients that the City was unfriendly toward business people and did not want development to happen. He felt that they were able to share with them that the efficiency of the permitting process had been improved. He personally knew a builder who had been able to obtain permits for a whole house in one morning. He related that the bankers were pleased to hear this. He said they had directed the bankers to recommend that developers who have issues with the process contact the City Manager’s Office. He noted that Ms. Muir planned to hold some workshops with loan officers to explain what the planners were doing in regard to permitting. Mr. Zelenka stated that the Police Auditor Ordinance Review Committee (PAORC) had completed its work. He said the work had been processed in preparation for the public hearing. He had also attended the Lane Workforce Partnership. He related that they were willing to help the City and other government agencies with the facilitating of economic development summits and forum. He noted that the partnership had received some stimulus money to help unemployed people increase their training and find jobs. Mr. Zelenka had attended the Neighborhood Summit. He felt it had improved greatly from the previous one. He averred that having the neighborhoods be empowered was one of his top issues. Mr. Zelenka noted that there would be a Mayor’s Townhall Meeting on March 12 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The topic would be the potential spraying of bacillus thuringiensis Kurstaki (Btk) to eradicate the gypsy moth in the south hills. Mr. Zelenka reported that he had attended a reception for Ann Aiken, who had been elevated to District Court Chief Judge. He felt the promotion was well-deserved. He had also attended the Walnut Node Mixed- Use Open House. He said the process had begun moving forward and would come before the Planning Commission and, subsequently, the City Council in the fall. Continuing, Mr. Zelenka said the Sustainability Commission was scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. on March 18 in the Bascom-Tykeson Room. He noted that the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) planned to MINUTES—Eugene City Council March 11, 2009 Page 3 Work Session