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Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Brown, moved to adopt Council Bill 5055 <br />adopting a new sunset date for the Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption program in the <br />Downtown Plan area. <br /> <br />Councilor Ortiz determined from Ms. Laurence that there were two current applications for the MUPTE; <br />one had been approved and needed to be extended, and the other had not been considered because there <br />was insufficient time to build the project under the current timelines. <br /> <br />Councilor Taylor indicated she would vote for the motion because the exemption was focused on the <br />downtown area. <br /> <br />Roll call vote: The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. <br /> <br /> <br />5. WORK SESSION: <br />Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Communities Grant <br /> <br />Intergovernmental Relations Manager Brenda Wilson was present for the item. She first provided <br />background on the region’s receipt of a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Sustainable <br />Communities grant. The Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) applied for the grant and assembled the <br />consortium of partners. However, the Springfield City Council decided not to proceed as a partner in <br />June 2011 and the Lane Board of County Commissioners also had concerns about the grant. Ms. Wilson <br />had been asked to take over the project to address those concerns, which were related to the management <br />of the grant and the purpose of the grant. Subsequently, she created a new governance structure. Ms. <br />Wilson described the structure, which was designed to give the partners that contributed the most funding <br />more control over the grant. <br /> <br />Ms. Wilson reported that a leadership committee that included Mayor Piercy, Springfield Mayor Christine <br />Lundberg, Lane County Commissioner Faye Stewart, and a representative of the University of Oregon <br />had been formed to ensure that the policy decisions that had to be made through the life of the grant were <br />communicated in a timely way to consortium members, and Stephanie Jennings of the Eugene Planning <br />and Development Department had agreed to be the grant project manager. <br /> <br />Ms. Wilson briefly discussed the repurposing of the grant, which would be used by the region to find new <br />ways to integrate planning efforts in a variety of areas. There were no mandates or outcomes associated <br />with the grant. She said the receipt of the grant improved the region’s chances of receiving future grants. <br /> <br />Ms. Wilson distributed copies of a handout entitled that illustrated the connection between the strategies <br />of Envision Eugene and the grant work plan. <br /> <br />Ms. Wilson reported that the Springfield City Council supported the revised work plan and Memorandum <br />of Understanding (MOU). She requested council support for the City’s continued participation, and noted <br />that the Lane Board of County Commissioners would discuss the grant the following day. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy thanked Ms. Wilson and other staff for their work on the grant. She also thanked Mayor <br />Lundberg and Commissioner Stewart. She said the funding would speed the implementation of some <br />City initiatives and gave the region “an edge” in making future grant applications. <br /> <br />Councilor Pryor, the council’s representative on the LCOG Board of Directors, reported that the grant had <br />a profound impact on LCOG’s approach to its government partners. LCOG staff was aware that the <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 26, 2011 Page 4 <br /> Regular Meeting <br /> <br />