Item 2C: Ratification of IGR Minutes

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Legislative Concept 139 Ms. Wilson stated that after further review, staff had changed its recommendation for a position on the bill from Monitor to Drop. She said she had been concerned about the changes in the lien process for contractors, specifically whether or not the changes in the lien process would impact projects that the City was engaged in. She related that three staff members had reviewed the bill and determined that it would not impact the City. Ms. Taylor had pulled it for discussion. In response to a question from Ms. Taylor, Ms. Wilson said the City did not govern issues between private landowners and contractors. Ms. Taylor indicated that she had been looking to provide further protection for private property owners. She was amenable to taking a Drop position. Ms. Ortiz, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to Drop LC 139. The motion passed unanim- ously, 3:0. House Bill 3621 Ms. Wilson explained that the bill had to do with backflow testing. Facilities Manager Mike Penwell said he wanted to change the staff position from one of being Neutral to a Monitor. He was not concerned that the bill would impact the City of Eugene. He stated that the City would still be allowed to do its backflow testing and maintenance with its own staff. Mr. Poling agreed, noting that he had brought it up because he thought it should be monitored and if a grandfather clause was added, the City should support the bill. Mr. Penwell related that after subsequent review, he had determined that the grandfather clause was still intact. He said the way it could potentially affect the City in the future would be if it started relying more on on-call contractors, which would increase the cost because the bill would make it so only plumbers would be allowed to do the work. He commented that the plumbers union was strong in the state and a “fair number” of bills came forward along the lines of the one before them. Mr. Poling, seconded by Ms. Ortiz, moved to take a Monitor position on HB 3621. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. House Bill 3608 Ms. Wilson related that Ethan Nelson, Solid Waste Management Program Manager, believed that the bill could correspond to the City’s Legislative Policy. She said he thought Eugene would support a regulatory process that would provide incentives and financial measures for preservation and natural resources and that would promote sustainable energy policies. She noted that Ms. Taylor had pulled the bill. Ms. Taylor thought the City should oppose the bill. Larry Hill, Senior Management Analyst for the Finance Division, stated that he had reviewed the bill only in terms of the fiscal impact and the bill would have minimal direct fiscal impact on the City. He had not judged the bill based on the policies and he would defer to Mr. Nelson in that respect. MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations January 27, 2010 Page 3