CC Minutes - 01/24/11 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES Eugene City Council Council Chamber —City Hall 777 Pearl Street — Eugene, Oregon January 24, 2011 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, George Brown, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Mike Clark, Alan Zelenka, Chris Pryor, Pat Farr. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the January 24, 2011, regular meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Jim Hale, 1715 Linnea Avenue, opposed the proposed City income tax for schools because he believed it would harm business in Eugene and because school funding was a State responsibility. He believed a City income tax surcharge would be regressive in nature, but acknowledged that not adopting the surcharge approach would make the tax more complex and expensive to collect. Mr. Hale suggested that such a tax would take pressure off the legislature to act on behalf of the schools. He said the true purpose of the proposed tax was not clear; some argued about the need for haste to take advantage of voter discontent over school closures while others were concerned about layoffs and school instructional days. Mr. Hale said that many of those who would benefit from such a tax would not pay it and many who would pay it would not benefit. He urged the council to place pressure on the State to fund education. Jack Meacham, 2663 West 28` Avenue, expressed support for the West Eugene EmX extension. He termed it a visionary project that would alleviate future congestion in West Eugene and help accommodate population growth. Many citizens of Eugene, including low -wage employees, would have to rely on public transportation in the future because of the costs of cars. He predicted that West 11 "' Avenue would see an increase in sales and employment as a result of EmX. Donna DeForest, 3575 Westwood Ho Avenue, Bethel Stand for Children, reported her organization formally supported the proposed income tax for schools at its last meeting. She emphasized the importance of adequate education funding to close the achievement gap. She asked the council to place an income tax measure for education on the May 2011 ballot to avoid a shortened school year and increased class sizes. She did not think State government would increase school funding anytime soon. In the meantime, the achievement gap would grow. Pete Mandrapa, 4120 West Amazon Street, supported the proposed income tax for schools. He urged the council to place a measure on the May 2011 ballot and to make the tax as progressive as possible. In his view, a progressive tax was a tax on those residents making more than $50,000. He believed that if the City waited until November 2011 it would mean massive teacher layoffs. MINUTES — Eugene City Council January 24, 2011 Page 1 Regular Meeting