Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Zachary Vishanoff , Patterson Street, asked the council to consider expanding the program to include nanotechnology. He was very concerned that there seemed to be a lack of regulation governing nanotech- nology. He thought the University of Oregon was making “new designer materials” that could be used by the military-industrial complex. He suggested the councilors conduct a Google search by typing in ‘ONAMI and RFID commercializing Oregon’s future.’ He said ONAMI had hired a public relations firm. He felt there was a lack of information on polluters and that the Toxics Right-to-Know law could be gutted. David Monk , 3720 Emerald Street, thanked the councilors for their service to the community. He thought it was significant that the councilors understood and appreciated the democratic process and the importance of having an informed public. He said the City’s Toxics Program was one of the finest in the country. He acknowledged that it had been argued the program duplicated Federal and State programs. He disagreed with this assessment. He said the Eugene program had a mass/balance accounting system whereby all of the toxic substances coming into a facility have to be reported whether they go into the water, air, product, or elsewhere. He averred that this prevented any discrepancies from occurring. He noted that a couple of years earlier, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) had been allowed to relax the reporting requirements for its program. He related that the DEQ had done so because it asserted that the federal government had adequate reporting programs. He pointed out that the federal government was now proposing reductions in its program, which heightened the need for local vigilance. He noted that the Toxics Right-to-Know program was now nine years old and it still cost the City of Eugene nothing. Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing and asked for questions and comments from the City Council. Councilor Ortiz commented that she would like to expand the number of businesses that were required to report, but she felt it should be left to the discretion of the Toxics Board to let the council know when it was time to do so. Mayor Piercy ascertained that there were no objections to taking action at the present meeting. Councilor Solomon, seconded by Councilor Ortiz, moved that the City Council adopt Council Bill 4920, an ordinance adopting Hazardous Substance User Fees. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 7:0. Mayor Piercy stressed to those in the audience that she took full responsibility for combining the three hearings. Mayor Piercy opened the meeting of the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency at 8:45 p.m. The City Council meeting remained open. The following items were combined into one hearing: 6. PUBLIC HEARING: Resolution 4861 Adopting a Supplemental Budget; Making Appropriations for the City of Eugene for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2005, and Ending June 30 2006 7. PUBLIC HEARING: Resolution 1038 Adopting a Supplemental Budget; Making Appropriations for the Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Eugene for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2005, and Ending June 30, 2006 MINUTES—Eugene City Council -- March 13, 2006 Page 9 City Council Meeting