CC Minutes - 09/26/11 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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