Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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interesting and important conversation. He noted the Sustainability Commission was meeting the next day. Mr. Zelenka reported that he had met with some of the opponents of the West Eugene EmX extension and received a lot of input that gave him “food for thought.” He also met with Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) General Manager Roger Gray to discuss water master planning and the Veneta water contract. Mr. Zelenka also thanked Ms. Solomon for her service to the City and said he would miss her. Mr. Pryor reported that the Lane Council of Governments Board of Directors met the previous week and heard the report mentioned by Mr. Zelenka. He also attended a meeting of the Housing Policy Board and reported the board was seeking new members. He encouraged interested councilors to look into the work of the board, which was working on its next round of affordable housing grants. Mr. Pryor said he attended the Oregon Business Plan Leadership Summit in Portland. The message he heard was that people could not expect economic development to occur as it did before. A new conversation was necessary. He said the good news was that Eugene was a catalyst and leader in how some of the issues discussed were addressed. He cited budgeting for outcomes as an example, saying Eugene was the only city in Oregon using that approach. He believed there were tremendous opportunities ahead, but the state could not approach issues in the same manner as in the past. Ms. Taylor reported that she met some neighborhood leaders to discuss the proposed street assessment policies. They were enthusiastic about the proposals. Ms. Taylor reported that she had received a call from a constituent who was facing a street assessment and learned that when applying for low-income status, the City considered last year’s earnings instead of current earnings. She questioned why that was the case. City Manager Jon Ruiz said he would follow up with more information. Ms. Taylor said she had attended a meeting of the McKenzie Watershed Council, which continued to work on restoration projects. Several property owners who lived along the McKenzie River were in attendance at the last watershed council meeting and they were still upset about Lane County’s riparian and floodplain ordinance proposals. Some planned to join the watershed council. She said that representatives of Lane County and EWEB who were present had offered to meet the property owners to discuss their concerns. City Manager Ruiz reported that he had also attended the International Human Rights Day event and had been able to recognize several employees for their work. B. WORK SESSION: Adoption of Federal Priorities Intergovernmental Relations Director Brenda Wilson was present for the item. She reminded the council that it adopted a priority list on an annual basis to guide the City in its lobbying efforts. She also reminded the council that the Republican Party had assumed control of the United States House of Representatives and had agreed to ban earmarks. The Senate failed to reach a similar agreement but she anticipated that earmarks would be rare. Ms. Wilson reviewed the projects endorsed by the Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations. Councilors asked questions to clarify the details of the projects. Ms. Ortiz expressed interest in adding a project to upgrade the approaches to the Highway 99 bridge to the MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 13, 2010 Page 3 Work Session