CC Minutes - 09/19/11 Public Hearing

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MINUTES Eugene City Council Council Chamber —City Hall 777 Pearl Street — Eugene, Oregon September 19, 2011 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, George Brown, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Mike Clark, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka, Pat Farr. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the September 19, 2011, public hearing of the Eugene City Council to order. PUBLIC HEARING: An Ordinance Concerning Dogs on Alder Street and Repealing Section 4.427 of the Eugene Code, 1971 City Manager Jon Ruiz introduced the topic, reporting that the City Council adopted a ban on dogs in the commercial area near 13 Avenue and Alder Street in 1996. Dogs owned by people living in the area were exempted from the ban. An ordinance to lift the ban was the subject of the public hearing. Lieutenant Doug Mozan of the Eugene Police Department was present to answer questions. Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. Sheila Daughtry, 762 East 13` Avenue, President of the University Business District Association, advocated for retention of the ordinance because it improved the safety of the area in question by reducing panhandling, graffiti, drug dealing, and drunkenness. She noted improved business vacancy rates and new development that occurred since adoption of the ban, which in combination with other creative solutions had provided a safer community environment. She no longer feared to walk down the street because of the ordinance and did not have to clean dog waste in front or her business. She asked the council to retain the ban. Neva Becker, 920 Darlene Avenue, Springfield, said she worked in the area in question and described her past experience traveling through the area and encounters with aggressive panhandlers. She believed the ban had helped to create a safer and more comfortable environment and asked the council to retain the ban. Jim Williams, 428 Mansfield Street, Springfield, General Manager of the University of Oregon Bookstore, suggested dogs were not appropriate for a congested commercial area. He spoke of the environment that existed before the ban, when aggressive panhandlers, many with large dogs, frequented the area. Their anti - social behavior caused a serious decline in business. He believed those problems would return if the ban was lifted and asked the council to retain the ban. Dave Hauser, 1401 Willamette Street, representing the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Eugene Inc., and University Business District Association, noted the remarkable turnaround the commercial district in question experienced since the imposition of the ban. While he believed no single MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 19, 2011 Page 1 Regular Meeting