CCMinutes - 04/12/04 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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3. PUBLIC HEARING: An Ordinance Concerning Apportionment of Assessments for Alley Improvements; Amending Section 7.175 of the Eugene Code, 1971; and Providing an Effective Date Mayor Torrey opened the public hearing. As no one present wished to speak, Mayor Torrey closed the public hearing. Councilor Bettman asked if there was a way to make improvements to alleys contingent upon 100 percent approval of all the affected property owners. Mark Schoening, City Engineer for the Public Works Department, responded that the council could enact such a requirement. Councilor Bettman requested some language that would accomplish this when it came time to act. Councilor Bettman opined that all property owners should have a right not to be assessed for improve- ments. Councilor Kelly stated that the reason this item was before the council was because of the large number of unimproved alleys in the West University Neighborhood and because the West University Neighborhood Task Force (WUNTF) had placed this as one of the highest priorities for neighborhood improvements. He averred that, due to the large number of property owners that live elsewhere, the likelihood such an improvement would even receive a 50 percent level of agreement would be slim. He felt making such a requirement would hamstring alley improvements in the area. Councilor Solomon concurred, adding that requiring 100 percent agreement assured nothing would be done. 4. PUBLIC HEARING: An Ordinance Concerning Ambulance Services; Amending Sections 2.606, 2.1990, 3.005, 3.862, 3.864, 3.866, and 3.990 of the Eugene Code, 1971; and Repealing Sections 3.850, 3.852, 3.854, 3.856, and 3.858 of that Code Mayor Torrey opened the public hearing. Seeing no one who wished to speak to the issue, Mayor Torrey closed the public hearing. Councilor Kelly remarked that the ordinance had not come with a strategy for what services would be subcontracted. He felt the ordinance could be read to indicate that all emergency medical services could be subcontracted. He asked staff to provide information on what emergency services other jurisdictions chose to privatize and how quality was monitored. Deputy Fire Chief Matt Shuler said there were three issues addressed by the ordinance, of which privatization of certain ambulance services was one. He stated that the other two were to contemporize the language and make it into alliance with the Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) and to give the licensing unit better tools for managing ambulance transport. Councilor Bettman asked for further interpretation of the language in the ordinance. She felt the privatiza- tion of the ambulances looked a little like a taxi service. She was concerned the drivers would not have adequate training. Deputy Shuler stated that the first responder was strictly limited to Emergency Medical Services (EMS). He noted that there was a triage system in place that aided the 9-1-1 operators in prioritizing calls and determining what level of response was needed.