Item 2A - Minutes Approval - Laserfiche WebLink

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Roxie Cuellar, 2050 Laura Street, Springfield, a member of the parks planning committee, encouraged the council to hold a work session on a bond measure and levy. She said the parks planning process made it clear there were deficiencies in the system. It was easier to pass such a measure during a general election. In addition, interest rates were currently low. A three-year delay could see interest rates increases. She said the committee's proposal would be for a variety of parks serving all areas of the community. The amount would be affordable. She pledged to work on a campaign for a new measure, and thought the homebuilders' history argued its support for such a measure. Steve Johnson, 1825 Longview Street, supported a work session on a parks and open space measure. He acknowledged the short time line before the election but did not think that the council would lack options to take to the voters. He said the City was far below national standards in regard to parks. The money from the last bond measure would be spent before the new bonds were sold. He wanted to "keep the ball rolling" on parks improvements and acquisitions. He believed the City had been clear in the past when communicating with the voters that more was needed, and hoped that the measure was one of six or seven more he would see proposed. He also pledged to work for the measure, and noted the formation of a new Parks Foundation, which could also work on such a measure. Patrick Munyon, 1560 Chasa Street, supported a moratorium on big box retail and a study of their impacts on the community. He said the mai ority of Wal-Mart jobs left people in working poverty. He asked the council to preserve existing clean jobs in the community. Mr. Munyon also supported fair housing standards for rental housing, such as that modeled on that of Corvallis. Maddy Melton, 957 Chambers Street, outgoing University of Oregon Student Body President, asked the City to create a local enforcement system for the State housing standards. She thought the current system inadequate and called for a local system based on the Corvallis model. John Evans, 2355 West 14th Avenue, supported a moratorium on big box retail uses. He said businesses such as Wal-Mart are a drain on the economy. They pay low wages and encourage their employees to seek public assistance. In addition, Wal-Mart was anti-union. He was concerned about Wal-Mart's policy of driving down wages to third-world levels for the sake of corporate benefit. He thought Wal-Mart was at odds with American values such as respect for employees and investing in local communities. Steve Stevens, 572 Jefferson Street, a union grocery worker, discussed the impact of big box retail on communities. They drove down wages and forced the closure of local businesses. Increased competition from new supercenters in southern California would have a drastically negative impact on union employees. Taxpayers subsidized Wal-Mart's unwillingness to pay family wages in the form of housing, food, and wage subsidies. Wal-Mart shopped around the world for the cheapest goods, and the workers in those countries were treated even worse than Wal-Mart employees. While the company operated within its legal rights, it was at a high moral cost. Kathy Ging, 2787 Harris Street, noted the high percentage of Eugene residents who lived in rental housing and advocated for the establishment of local housing standards. She thought the cost of such a program nominal contrasted to high rents. She said she was a landlord but recognized that some landlords were not responsible. Ms. Ging supported the Corvallis model. She suggested that, given increasing densities, it was essential to prevent fires from electrical hazards. She pointed out that additionally, insulation improvements saved tenants money. Ms. Ging noted that the Amazon Community Neighbors MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 10, 2004 Page 5 Regular Meeting