Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

Home Browse Search

Ms. Ortiz reported on the recent first annual Latino Education Summit held by Bethel School District, noting that there were more than 600 attendees at the summit from around the State. She briefly noted some of the presentations that were made at that event. Mr. Pryor reported that he attended that day’s memorial service for long-time Eugene resident Adell McMillan, who had made many significant contributions to the community over the years as well as being the long-time director and later Director Emeritus of the Erb Memorial Union on the University of Oregon campus. Mr. Pryor also commended the work of the Budget Committee and agreed with Mr. Clark it had been a good budget process. He was pleased to see so few changes made to the budget proposed by the manager, which he thought was an acknowledgement of the City’s financial condition. Mr. Pryor reported he attended the recent School District 4J Board of Directors meeting to be available as a resource during the board’s discussion of urban renewal funding. The board unanimously concurred with the City’s conclusions regarding the financial implications of recent urban renewal funding proposals. Mr. Brown raised the issue of the dismissal of the Deputy Police Auditor and asked if the council was precluded from speaking to the issue. City Attorney Klein said he would provide a written response to the question in the next council meeting packet. Ms. Solomon said that the Active Bethel Citizens (ABC) neighborhood organization was meeting on June 26, at 7 p.m., at Petersen Barn, and the annual We Are Bethel Celebration was scheduled to occur on May 29, also at Petersen Barn, from 11 p.m. to 4 p.m. Many great activities were scheduled. She said she had attended the most recent meeting of the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC), where commissioners had said goodbye to City Public Works Wastewater Manager Peter Ruffier, who was leaving the City’s employment. She regretted his departure. Ms. Solomon noted that she had also attended a meeting of the Public Safety Coordinating Council and a meeting of the Human Services Commission. Ms. Taylor reported that she attended a Lane County Workforce Executive Committee meeting and commended the work that agency was doing. Ms. Taylor also commended the community contributions of Adell McMillan and noted Ms. McMillan’s two terms on the City’s Planning Commission. Ms. Taylor reported that she had heard from constituents about the new lines on the sidewalk at the Lane Transit District Downtown Station and had visited the station to view the situation herself. The youth she spoke to were not happy about being confined to the edge of the street. She wondered why the delineated space was so wide. City Manager Jon Ruiz believed it was because the lines delineated the sidewalk itself, not a portion of the sidewalk. Ms. Taylor expressed concern that people were not able to stand in the area and talk for a few minutes. She assumed she had broken the law when she visited the area and stood in the marked-off space to talk to people. Ms. Taylor said that some people believed the lines were a way to get people out of downtown. City Manager Ruiz assured Ms. Taylor that the lines were intended to maintain a MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 24, 2010 Page 2 Work Session