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<br />M I N U T E S <br /> <br />Eugene City Council <br />Work Session <br />McNutt Room—Eugene City Hall <br /> <br /> March 13, 2006 <br /> 5:30 p.m. <br /> <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: Jennifer Solomon, Andrea Ortiz, David Kelly, Betty Taylor (via <br />teleconference), Bonny Bettman, Gary Papé, George Poling, Chris Pryor. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />The Honorable Mayor Kitty Piercy convened the Eugene City Council Work Session. <br /> <br /> <br />A. Committee Reports and Items of Interest from Mayor, City Council and City Manager <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy reported that she traveled to Washington, D.C. with Councilor Bettman to lobby for projects <br />such as the Wetlands Education Center, Delta Ponds, the Forest Legacy Program, and the West Bank Trail <br />Extension. She then reported that she attended the opening ceremonies for the new walking and bike path in <br />the Bethel neighborhood on March 13. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz announced that she also attended the opening ceremonies for the walking and bath path, <br />explaining that the path extends from Roosevelt to the American Red Cross and allowed for more accessibil- <br />ity to the neighborhood park. She reported that the pedestrian crossing on Roosevelt was moving forward. <br />She then announced that on Wednesday, March 15, the Mayor would be at the American Red Cross office, <br />beginning at 7 p.m. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly expressed appreciation to staff for arranging the return of the free chamber <br />concerts on Saturdays in the Atrium Building. Mr. Kelly reported that the Human Rights Commission held <br />a special meeting on March 7 and voted 9:3 to postpone action to add the Gender Identity Code to the <br />Eugene Anti-Discrimination Code. He noted that he voted with the minority on this issue. Mr. Kelly <br />explained that an educational campaign, as recommended by the Lane Gender Task Force, would ensue. <br />Finally, Mr. Kelly reported that the City/County Public Safety Task Force held a reunion the week of March <br />6, to inform members of the actions of the County Commissioners who were moving to place a ballot <br />measure on the November election (an income rather than a sales tax initiative) to fund public safety <br />services. He explained there would be a cap on the amount of tax that could be assessed. <br /> <br />Mr. Poling reported that he recently attended the Lane Transit District (LTD) EmX Steering Committee <br />meeting where it was noted that a prototype vehicle was currently at the Government Vehicle Testing <br />Grounds in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He said vehicles would begin arriving in Lane County in August and <br />LTD would undertake testing on the various routes from September through December, with actual service <br />beginning on December 17. Mr. Poling also reported that work was currently underway in the University <br />area, beginning with the Walnut Street Station, and would be completed in July 2006. He then stated that <br />the Metropolitan Waste Water Management Commission (MWMC) revealed that the first bid it received <br />(from a local concern) on one of its major projects came in $2 million lower than what had been originally <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council March 13, 2006 Page 1 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />