CC Minutes - 04/23/12 Work Session

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Mr. Zelenka reported he had been invited to speak by University of Oregon students who were examining athletic facilities and events through a sustainability lens. He had attended the Eugene Water & Electric Board Earth Day celebration and commended the event. He had also attended an Earth Day celebration at the Cascade Raptor Center and commended that event as well. He noted the center's national reputation for rehabilitation. Mr. Brown also attended Cascade Raptor Center Earth Day celebration. He commended the raptor center as one of the best in the country. City Manager Ruiz commended the work of Ms. Wilson and said she was a fabulous choice for LCOG. City Manager Ruiz encouraged councilors to stop and visit with Officer Darwin Terry, one of the City's police officers assigned to downtown, when they had an opportunity. City Manager Ruiz expressed appreciation for the corporate citizenship of Ninkasi Brewing Company. B. WORK SESSION: An Ordinance Concerning Unruly Gatherings; Adding Section 4.4670 and 4.672 to the Eugene Code, 1971; and Amending Sections 4.990 and 4.996 of that Code The council was joined by Michael Kinnison of the Neighborhood Program, University of Oregon (UO) Community Relations Director Greg Rikhoff, and Kelly Putman of the Eugene Police Department (EPD), who led the council through a PowerPoint presentation titled Social Host Ordinance. The presentation highlighted the recommendations of the Neighborhood Livability Working Group, which put forth the proposed ordinance. Mr. Kinnison briefly reviewed the elements of the ordinance. Mr. Rikhoff reported that the UO administration would take no official position on the ordinance. He described the UO's current efforts as they related to education strategies, student engagement, and incident responses and noted the City's involvement in those efforts. Officer Putnam emphasized that the ordinance was not a prohibition of social gatherings, was not intended to regulate lawful gatherings, and did not affect property owners without significant repeat offenses in a 12 -month period. The ordinance was focused in behaviors rather than groups or individuals. Staff did not consider it a silver bullet; it was one of several tools. She provided more details about the provisions of the ordinance. Mr. Kinnison said a public hearing on a proposed ordinance was tentatively scheduled on May 14. Councilors asked questions clarifying the details of the proposed ordinance. Mr. Zelenka noted that he and Mayor Piercy had met with the leadership of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon, who had concerns about the ordinance, including who was considered the "responsible person." Officer Poling said officers typically used on -scene interviews to determine the responsible person. Mr. Zelenka suggested adding a mandatory one -year review to the proposed ordinance. He also suggested that first offenses could trigger a community service requirement rather than a fine. Officer Putnam said the working group had discussed the community service and the concepts of restorative MINUTES— Eugene City Council April 23, 2012 Page 2 Work Session