CC Minutes - 04/27/09 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Regular Meeting Council Chamber 777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon April 27, 2009 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, Bonny Bettman, Andrea Ortiz, Mike Clark, Alan Zelenka, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, George Poling. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. She announced that action on Item 4 on the agenda would be postponed as further work was required. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy reviewed procedures for providing comments. Daniel Cooper, Eugene, spoke to the council on several issues of concern and thanked them for their service to the community. Joe Collins, Eugene, concluded his comments begun at an earlier meeting regarding residents of the Crest Drive neighborhood who were complaining about the cost of fixing their streets. He said even Councilor Betty Taylor said she had been complaining for years about street assessments and asked whether she or the Crest Drive residents had complained for others in the community facing the same situation. He did not want to see anyone lose their home over the situation and felt that City officials would be glad to meet with owners to review their financial situations, then make exceptions for the needy among them. He said the council had more important things to consider than street assessments, such as a poor police department and high unemployment. He said things in the downtown had not improved since he moved to Eugene 15 years ago. Zachary Vishanoff, Ward 3, Eugene, suggested that the City explore establishing a video link to Salem to provide citizens with access to legislative hearings and the ability to provide testimony without having to travel to Salem. He pointed out that Lane County had done something similar for Florence residents who wanted to participate in Board of County Commissioner meetings. He said the City Club had tentative approval for a program about returning to the river, which he hoped would focus on using the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) building as a new City Hall. He hoped that Mayor Piercy and Councilor Mike Clark would participate in the program, which would take place sometime in October or November. Ed Monks, Old Dillard Road, Ward 7, Eugene, executive director of Catholic Community Services (CSS), th stated that the organization currently owned a facility at 7 Avenue and Van Buren Street. His remarks related to Item 2D on the Consent Calendar. He said some time ago CSS applied for funds to rehabilitate that facility, but it became clear that was not feasible and the agenda item related to reprogramming those th funds initially allocated for renovation to acquisition of a new facility on West 6 Avenue. He urged the council’s support and thanked Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) staff for their professional and efficient assistance. MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 27, 2009 Page 1