Laserfiche WebLink
Ms. LeMasurier, responding to a question from Mr. Zelenka, noted that the City of Eugene was one of the first <br />municipalities in the region to formally adopt a mental health resolution. She believed that other communities <br />would soon look to Eugene as a model for how various mental health issues would be addressed. <br />Ms. LeMasurier briefed the council on the history and development of the Mental Health Resolution. <br />Ms. Medary thanked Ms. LeMasurier and Ms. wells for their presentation and commended the HRC members and <br />staff for their continued work on various social equity matters. <br />B. WORD SESSION: Neighborhood Services Update <br />Mr. Kinnison noted it had been some time since the council had been updated regarding Neighborhood Services <br />and the Neighborhood Empowerment Initiative (NEI) and proceeded to update the council regarding the same. <br />Mr. Kinnison briefly described the "Mission of Neighborhood Associations" that had been adopted by the council <br />in May of 1999, as well as the various reasons neighborhood associations continued to be a viable strategy for <br />positive community development in the area. Additionally, Mr. Kinnison recognized the immeasurable contribu- <br />tion provided by neighborhood volunteers throughout the community, and cited volunteer contributions to the Infill <br />Compatibility Standards Task Team as one such example. <br />Mr. Kinnison noted the most recent developments to the Neighborhood Services division and reported that, most <br />significantly, it had been placed under the City Manager's office in response to a recommendation developed <br />through the Neighborhood Services Assessment process. Ms. Kinnison added that the Neighborhood Services <br />program continued to maintain a strong connection to the City's Planning Division. <br />Mr. Kinnison noted Neighborhood Services was currently comprised of three permanent staff members, Rene <br />Kane, Cindy Clarke and him, and briefly described the various functions of each of them. <br />Mr. Kinnison reported on various elements of the NEI that had developed since its inception in 2005, and further <br />noted that a cross - departmental NEI Committee had been meeting regularly for more than two years to discuss and <br />develop various neighborhood action items related to the NEI Action Plan. Mr. Kinnison further noted that a <br />detailed breakdown of the NEI Action Plan progress had been included as part of the agenda item summary <br />materials provided to the council. <br />Mr. Kinnison briefly reported on various communications and public relations strategies currently employed as part <br />of the NEI and noted that the NEI's online resources had been significantly enhanced as part of those outreach <br />efforts. <br />Mr. Kinnison noted that the Neighborhood Services division had worked with local neighborhood groups to find <br />processes that might help incorporate the elements of the NEI more directly. He reported on the recent Neighbor- <br />hood Services program assessment and noted that the collaborative implementation team reviewing the assessment <br />results had provided several specific recommendations. He further noted that detailed information regarding the <br />implementation team's recommendations had been provided in the agenda item summary materials as Attachment <br />C. <br />Mr. Kinnison briefly described the recurring themes he had identified that affected several areas of the Neighbor- <br />hood Services program. He noted that he was seeking feedback from the council regarding their concerns and <br />interests regarding the specific direction of the Neighborhood Services program, their suggestions as to how the <br />Neighborhood Services program might improve effective communication within the organization, and their <br />preferences as to how the council might receive future Neighborhood Services updates. <br />MINUTES Eugene City Council November 18, 2009 Page 4 <br />Work Session <br />