CC Minutes - 09/27/10 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Piercy closed the Public Forum. She expressed appreciation for the tone of the comments offered the council. She said she would work to get people the answers they wanted. Speaking to those who offered testimony on the proposed West Eugene EmX route, Mayor Piercy said that LTD was following council direction in pursuing the extension. The council was committed to full build -out of the EmX system. LTD believed the preferred alternative was the best alternative. Mayor Piercy assured those who spoke that the council valued the businesses on West 11 Avenue and the council had worked on strategies to be more helpful to local businesses. She also expressed appreciation for Ms. Gladen's remarks and the update provided by Commissioner Brown. Councilor Pryor also expressed appreciation for the comments of the public. He asked for more information about the situation at the Hidden Meadows manufactured home park. He thanked Commis- sioner Brown for the update and said when he had served on the McKenzie Watershed Council he had been impressed by EWEB's water quality monitoring efforts on the McKenzie River and its tributaries. He was happy the utility was working with Lane County on the ordinances mentioned by Commissioner Brown. Councilor Pryor reported he was meeting with members of the LTD board to discuss the concerns expressed by West l I Avenue property owners, who were seeking answers to their questions. He asked for a copy of the plan mentioned by Mr. Sawyer so he could review it with LTD. Councilor Clark also expressed appreciation for the public testimony and in particular thanked the business owners on West 1 I 1 Avenue. He was tentatively leaning toward the no -build option because the impact on the West 11 Avenue option on businesses would be far too burdensome. He also philosophi- cally objected to the fact that an unelected LTD board of directors could condemn property, and he had yet to be persuaded the costs of LTD's operations would decrease dramatically after construction. If he could be shown differently, Councilor Clark said he would be interested in further discussion. Councilor Clark thanked Ms. Gladen for her comments and agreed that bathrooms were everywhere downtown if one looked for them. Speaking to the remarks of Commissioner Brown, Councilor Clark said that water and electric rates would go up this year, impacting the City budget, and he would be seeking an estimate of the impact of those increases on the current and future City budgets. Councilor Taylor said she was very sympathetic to the business owners on West 11 Avenue and thought they brought up several good points. She said the council had voted for a route in West Eugene but the vote had not been a unanimous vote, and merely because the council voted in the past did not mean it could not change its mind, particularly since the council's composition had changed since that vote. Councilor Taylor expressed appreciation to Commissioner Brown for his update, although she did not welcome the news of additional rate increases. She questioned how many residents were in danger of becoming homeless because of increased utility rates. She was also concerned about residents who had taken in family members and friends during the time of economic crisis, sending their rates even higher. She thought that was something all people should be concerned about. Councilor Ortiz thanked Ms. Gladen for her comments and agreed there were amenities downtown that people needed to take advantage of. MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 27, 2010 Page 5 Regular Meeting