CC Minutes - 03/12/12 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

time to evaluate the effectiveness of the amendment. Council Coordinator Beth Forrest distributed an amended ordinance with a sunset date of December 31, 2012. City Attorney Kathryn Brotherton was present to answer questions. Responding to a question from Councilor Brown about the reason for the selected sunset date, Community Programs Analyst Michael Wisth said staff planned to do a long -term feasibility study of including tents in the definition of vehicles. There were only two current tent sites and staff hoped to have a larger sample size to evaluate the long -term effects of the change before returning to recommend a permanent amendment to the ordinance. Councilor Brown suggested the effort might be moot if there were no more tent sites and he questioned why the sunset would be in the middle of winter rather than later in the spring. Councilor Brown, seconded by Councilor Farr, moved to adopt an ordinance amending Section 5 of Ordinance No. 20484 to extend the sunset date to December 31, 2012. Councilor Zelenka determined from City Manager Ruiz that the manager concurred with Mr. Wisth's remarks regarding the need for more data. Speaking to earlier testimony in the Public Forum, Mayor Piercy said none of the council believed a tent camp would solve the community's homeless issue or was ideal for most people to live in. The amendment was an attempt to ensure that people were not totally unsheltered. Responding to a question from Councilor Ortiz, Mr. Wisth said St. Vincent de Paul's contract for the car camping program was up for renewal in August 2012. Councilor Ortiz hoped that whatever data was gathered would be folded into the contract. She supported the sunset and wanted to know if the program was working. She hoped to see other solutions to the problems of homelessness. Councilor Farr supported the motion. He agreed with the mayor's remarks. He reminded the audience of Eugene's long history of providing assistance to the homeless. He believed Eugene led the nation in its efforts and was doing its best with the resources it had. Roll call vote: The motion passed unanimously, 6:0. Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 8:37 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ,Q aj, j Beth Forrest City Recorder (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES— Eugene City Council March 12, 2012 Page 5 Regular Meeting