CCMinutes - 08/11/04 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Poling, seconded by Ms. Solomon, moved to approve the use of up to $15,000 in con- tingency funds for the commercial/industrial land study recommended on page 8 of the re- port of the Mayor's Economic Development Committee, contingent upon the City Man- ager's approval of an Intergovernmental Agreement with Lane County and the City of Springfield that (1) addresses the selection of an independent contractor, and (2) ensures that the study is consistent with State requirements for such studies, including considera- tions of both vacant and significantly under-utilized lands. Mayor Torrey called for comments and questions on Mr. Poling's motion. Mr. Kelly referred to the letter from Mr. Green and asked if the City's money would be used to assess industrial lands in Lane County. Mayor Torrey suggested that question would be answered when the City Manager developed the RFP. Mr. Kelly believed the motion would preclude further council review. Speaking to Mr. Kelly's concern, Mr. Meisner suggested that the question of how Eugene's funding would be expended was addressed in the recommendation of the Mayor's Committee on Economic Development. Ms. Nathanson said she assumed Lane County would spend its own funding to assess industrial lands in Lane County. Ms. Nathanson supported the motion because she believed it addressed many of the concerns expressed by councilors on August 9. Mr. Poling said the study was very important. The information being used now was outdated. He believed the results of the study would help local companies to stay and expand in Eugene. He believed there was broad community support for the study. Ms. Taylor did not see a need for any hurry. She agreed with Ms. Bettman that the community had not expressed its support for the study as of yet. On the other hand, she had heard a great deal of community support for the Natural Resources Study. She did not think the council was expressing distrust of the manager by asking for more information. She suggested that the three chief executives from Eugene, Springfield, and Lane County meet to develop discuss the criteria and scope of the study, and then the council could hold a work session. She wanted the council to make an informed decision in open session. Ms. Bettman said it was news to her that individual councilors could talk to the manager about the provisions in RFP, although she believed the council as a whole could. Ms. Bettman maintained the study already lacked credibility because it was being rushed and because the scope of work approved by the Board of County Commissioners included a technical advisory committee made up of private entities with business expertise to direct the research. She likened that to Vice President Dick Cheney calling on the energy industry for input into energy policy. Further, she said the process would lack public input. Responding to a question from Mr. Pap~, Mr. Klein said the City Council could not direct the manager who to hire, but that did not preclude the councilors from offering input into the scope of work. MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 11, 2004 Page 9 Work Session