Item 3A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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thth Ms. Piercy expressed that the 150 Oregon birthday celebration might be a good opportunity to incorporate the 40 anniversary efforts for the Oregon Country Fair and Saturday Market. Ms. Taylor noted that she had attended a recent workshop concerning high school dropouts and noted efforts by the City of Springfield to encourage minority high school graduates to begin a public service career by guaranteeing college tuition for high school graduates. Ms. Taylor, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to direct the City Manager to bring back to the council a resolution supporting the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace and scheduling the resolution for action. Ms. Taylor noted that she had brought her motion before the council in response to suggestions from her constituents. Ms. Piercy commented on a recent packet of information that had been previously distributed to the council regarding the U.S. Department of Peace initiative referenced by Ms. Taylor. Mr. Pryor expressed that while he had no qualms with the content or spirit of the motion or the objectives a federal entity devoted to peace concerns might have, he felt that the motion had been brought before the council in a precipitous and hurried manner that would prevent thoughtful discussion of the issue. He subsequently indicated that he would reluctantly not support Ms. Taylor’s motion. Mr. Poling agreed with Mr. Pryor and felt that the department of peace suggested by the motion was an example of unnecessary and inefficient duplication of government resources. He also felt any such federal department would not have much practical effect on local issues regarding peace initiatives. Ms. Bettman felt the procedural concerns raised by Mr. Pryor regarding the motion represented an attempt to obfuscate the process by which community members could bring issues to their city council. Ms. Solomon felt that it was unnecessary to bring a federal issue such as that referenced in Ms. Taylor’s motion before the council. Mr. Clarke agreed with Ms. Solomon’s comment and said any practical concerns that might be addressed by a federal department devoted to peace and justice were in fact already designed to be addressed by the United States Justice Department and other established federal agencies. Mr. Zelenka felt that the motion needed further discussion and noted his support of it. Ms. Piercy suggested that the council adopt a more stringent policy regarding the submission of motions before the council if there were concerns that current procedures were inefficient or harmful to the interests of the public. Ms. Piercy expressed that local city governments had a strong role to play in the creation of effective federal policies. Ms. Piercy called for a vote on Ms. Taylor’s previously stated motion. The motion passed 5:4, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Clark, Ms. Solomon, and Mr. Poling voting in opposition. B. WORK SESSION: Legislative Policies Document Intergovernmental Relations Manager Brenda Wilson presented a brief overview of the process whereby the City MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 24, 2008 Page 3 Work Session