Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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provide some funding to the EPD to address it. He objected to changing that direction because of pressure from Occupy Eugene. The amendment to the motion passed, 6:2; Mr. Farr and Mr. Poling voting no. The vote on the amended motion was a 4:4 tie; councilors Ortiz, Pryor, Zelenka, and Brown voting yes, and councilors Taylor, Clark, Poling, and Farr voting no. Mayor Piercy cast a vote of support for the motion and it passed on a final vote of 5:4. The council considered the fifth element of the motion. Amend the council’s November 9 motion to extend the exemption under Section 4.815 of the Eugene Code one final time until noon on January 11 and direct the City Manager to ensure all campsites are removed from Washington-Jefferson Park as soon as practicable after the January 11 ending date. Mr. Poling, seconded by Mr. Clark, moved to amend the motion to direct the City Manager to ensure that all camp sites are removed from Washington-Jefferson Park no later than seven calendar days after the December 15 deadline. Mr. Poling said the issues that Occupy Eugene had raised did not require that people camp outside. Mr. Clark believed the motion was the responsible thing for the council to do; otherwise, he feared the council was “playing Russian roulette with people’s safety.” The amendment to the motion failed, 5:3; councilors Poling, Clark, and Farr voting yes. Mr. Brown expressed concern that January 11 might not be enough time. While he hoped it was, he wanted to be sure that the council had the opportunity to consider such an extension. Ms. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Brown, moved to change the deadline to February 28. The motion failed, 6:2; councilors Taylor and Brown voting yes. The motion passed, 5:3; councilors Poling, Clark, and Farr voting no. The council considered the sixth element of the motion. Direct the City Manager to request that the mayor schedule an emergency meeting of the council to consider revocation of the exemption if the City Manager believes the Occupy Eugene camp poses an immediate or ongoing risk to public health or safety. Mr. Poling noted that many councilors might be unavailable over the holidays and questioned if the motion was necessary. He believed the City Manager could make that decision. He asked the manager what threshold would trigger a revocation. City Manager Ruiz suggested it was likely no single incident but rather the totality of the camp’s condition that would cause him to request an emergency meeting. He would work with Occupy Eugene to ensure that conditions for campers and the police were as safe as possible and consider the situation on a day-to-day basis. City Attorney Klein noted that only the council had the authority to revoke the exemption. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 14, 2011 Page 10 Work Session