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MINUTES <br />Eugene City Council <br />Council Chamber —City Hall <br />777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon <br />May 29, 2012 <br />7:30 p.m. <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Brown, Pat Farr, Betty Taylor, George Poling, Mike Clark, Chris <br />Pryor, Alan Zelenka. <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: Andrea Ortiz. <br />Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the May 29, 2012, regular meeting of the Eugene City Council to <br />order. <br />1. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE <br />Mayor Piercy shared some of President Barack Obama's Memorial Day remarks. <br />Councilor Poling led the council and audience through the Pledge of Allegiance. <br />2. PUBLIC FORUM <br />Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. <br />Dan Armstrong, Ward 5, Lane County Farmers, provided an update on progress in expanding the <br />farmers market, which included discussions with Lane County about the possible use of the County's <br />butterfly parking lot and a University of Oregon design studio focused on expansion concepts. He invited <br />the council to a final review of the design studio's work scheduled on June 5 at 2 p.m. in Room 231 of <br />Lawrence Hall. <br />John Simpson, Ward 8, Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) commissioner, shared information <br />regarding EWEB's upcoming electricity rate increase, EWEB's water distribution infrastructure system <br />upgrade and related water rate increase, recent organizational actions to close the anticipated budget gap, <br />and EWEB's smart meter pilot project. He indicated the smart meter project would continue through the <br />summer and EWEB was holding public meetings to explain the benefits of the smart meter technology. <br />Pauline Hutson, Ward 1, asked the mayor and council to consider the potential job losses from the West <br />Eugene EmX route. She questioned how political agendas could take priority over such losses. She <br />suggested that frequently, the public was the last to know the ramifications of council actions as she <br />perceived the project study authorized by the council had morphed into the project. She said residents <br />had the right to speak out to protect their town, quality of life, and livelihoods. <br />Josef Siekiel - Zdzienicki, Ward 1, had attended a recent lecture on humans and transit by transportation <br />planning and policy consultant Jared Walker where Mr. Walker suggested no private individual should <br />MINUTES— Eugene City Council May 29, 2012 Page 1 <br />Regular Meeting <br />