Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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in leading in these efforts. Again, we depend on our community and all our volunteers to work on plans that ensure the best outcome for Eugene. We are part of the Cascade Rail Corridor that extends all the way to British Columbia. When President Obama invested substantial resources in higher speed rail, Oregon wasn’t prepared and received little of the money. We need efficient, frequent and reliable passenger and freight rail in this state. That is both north and south, east and west. I’m co-chairing the state committee to improve our rail line between here and Portland. We’ll be ready to go when funding opportunities come our way again. In terms of economic opportunity, this is a big issue for our state and region. Improved rail provides jobs in building, servicing, in products, and in support businesses such as intermodal distribution centers. This is an exciting possibility that requires us to work together as a region to position ourselves for economic advantage. Strong social services remain critical to our community. Eugene continued to build a stock of affordable housing with its partners. This year, our city manager led an effort to rebuild some foreclosed housing to help returning veterans. We supported social services, the Buckley House and an additional Cahoots vehicle. A council subcommittee has examined the growing social service needs in our community and will be making recommendations to the council. The council responded to Occupy Eugene’s focus on unhoused members of our community by adding camping sites, working on providing wet beds and setting up a task force to make recommendations for how to better provide additional services for the homeless. There’s much need for innovative solutions and I’m confident they can be found when we all work together. Our goal is to be a human rights city, a city that is safe, inclusive, just and hospitable to all. The Human Rights Commission has done a great job of listening to community members regarding community needs and this information will help guide us to a stronger, better community - one that is in keeping with our values. Our future begins now. I have spoken to you about the work of the city, and our many challenges and successes. This is a special place, where community members are compassionate and give generously of their time and energy. We have a lot to build on, a lot of friends and colleagues, a lot of natural wealth, a lot of innovative and exciting entrepreneurs, and a lot of possibilities. We must step beyond the national political rancor, step beyond the confines of difficulty and pettiness, to stay focused on having a community that’s good for all of us - left, right and all points in between. That’s what I’ve been personally and steadily working toward. We must offer a hand to help a neighbor. We must offer a hand to someone who is without any hope. We must be smart but generous, kind but accountable, and work to prepare our children, to create jobs, and to be certain our community is prepared for the future. We can do this. We must be bold, focused and steady at the helm. MINUTES—State of the City January 5, 2012 Page 6