Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Ms. Taylor stated that downtown needed more activities like the art walks and Eugene Celebration to draw people to the area. She suggested charging fees for empty buildings to encourage owners to make them affordable for tenants. She was completely opposed to the exclusionary zone as it only moved people elsewhere in the community. Ms. Ortiz asked if the task team was looking at ways to address aggressive panhandling. She said that problems with the sale of certain types of alcohol beverages elsewhere in the community had been dealt with through discussions with the business owners. She understood that only the Oregon Liquor Control Commission had the authority to impose restrictions. She asked what services downtown were perceived as drawing undesirable behaviors as most social service agencies were outside the downtown core. Mr. Brown asked for clarification of a statement in Mr. Clark’s handout related to downtown events and efforts that did not work for all of the community. Mr. Clark replied that many events, while intended to appeal to all residents, did not attract people from the northern part of the City. Those residents did not feel safe downtown and were not interested in the type of events that were offered; they regarded the Oakway Center as their “downtown.” Mr. Brown asked if data indicated that Eugene provided more social services than other communities and which programs would be better located outside of the downtown area. Mr. Clark said his point was that Eugene spent more on those services than other cities of a comparable size, but public safety was dramati- cally under-funded by comparison to those same cities. He pointed to programs like The Dining Room and a methadone clinic as creating a problem environment. Mr. Brown asserted that providing those types of services reduced criminal behaviors Mr. Pryor encouraged the council to focus on addressing inappropriate behaviors and the relatively small number of people who were responsible for them, rather than social services and the people they assisted. He said the problem needed to be clearly defined and those who were causing it identified before effective solutions could be developed. Ms. Piercy felt that social services and public safety were integral parts of a comprehensive system. She said there appeared to be interest among councilors in task force recommendations related to enhanced enforcement through the use of security officers and limitations on the sale of certain beverages. Mr. Clark agreed that many in the homeless population were community residents who had encountered financial hardships, but a majority of the people concentrated in the downtown area had come into Eugene from elsewhere. He wanted to see a better balance between investments in social services and public safety systems. Ms. Medary stressed that leadership in the community was committed to making a difference and there were many initiatives under way to improve downtown and the broader community. Ms. Taylor agreed that many people downtown had moved to Eugene from other communities and were deliberately homeless. She asked if there were public restrooms downtown. Ms. Muir replied that there were several public restrooms downtown and the hours they were opened had been expanded and security enhanced. She said there had been discussions about improving signage to make their locations better known. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 23, 2009 Page 5 Work Session