Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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VII. VIDEO PRESENTATION A video entitled “Restoring the Heart of Downtown – The Broadway Commerce Center” was presented. VIII. STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS Mayor Piercy delivered the following address: This is an evening to celebrate our city - to look at our accomplishments and, more than anything, our plans for the future. As we celebrate our city, we also celebrate each of you, for it is you, the people, who make a city. This is a day to recognize you who guide and govern our city and to thank community volunteers and staff for the hours, ingenuity and compassion they bring to our city. You all make Eugene a very inspiring, unique and wonderful place to live. The sheer number and quality of our volunteers, our staff accomplishments, and our commitment to stewardship are known and recognized across the country. For me, this is a very sweet moment when I begin my ninth year and third term as Mayor of Eugene. Thank you for giving me the great privilege of serving. I want you to know that I approach the next four years with the same energy, fortitude, and commitment I had eight years ago. If anything, my expectations are even higher because I know what is possible when we work together as a communi- ty. I know we are indeed “better together”. The Last Eight Years Throughout the last eight years, I focused on ensuring that Eugene has a strong, resilient and creative economy that supports our families, and that our economic development is guided by sustainability, by caring for and nurturing both our natural environment the social well-being of all. In 2005, there were many challenges to achieving these goals. 1. The number one topic in city government was community division. I observed in my first State of the City, “Different opinions based on facts, experiences and expertise enable us to consider policy proposals from a broad range of perspectives. In the best of worlds this results in sound decisions. We can improve how these opinions are expressed.”…. “We, both leaders and community members, simply can aim together to do it better, to respect the views of all, to engage our residents in new ways and to carefully use the expertise we have. And we can aim for the win-win whenever possible.” Over the last eight years we aimed for win-wins by:  Providing open and transparent meetings with time for everyone to be heard and true delib- eration to occur.  Bringing many perspectives to the table to participate - in the Sustainable Business Initia- tive, the West Eugene Collaborative, the Climate and Energy Plan, and Envision Eugene.  Engaging our neighborhood associations in meaningful conversations and policy decisions.  Forming working partnerships with our metropolitan partners to create jobs and build our economy MINUTES—City Council January 5, 2010 Page 2