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Home My WebLink About220411 MTGMINUTES Eugene City Council Meeting Eugene, Oregon 97401 April 11, 2022 7:30p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Matt Keating, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Randy Groves, Claire Syrett, Greg Evans Mayor Vinis opened the April 11, 2022, meeting of the Eugene City Council in a hybrid in- person and virtual format. 1. CEREMONIAL MATTERS Mayor Vinis read proclamations recognizing Fair Housing Month and House America. 2. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST ■ Councilor Syrett-shared information about the United Front trip to Washington D.C. ■ Councilor Groves -shared information about the dangers on the 500 block of Pearl Street; said he supported making improvements to the street to create a safer environment for pedestrians and bicycles. MOTION: Councilor Groves, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Obie Development to allow for the City's contribution of $209,000 for Obie's privately engineered public improvement project in accordance with Eugene Code 2.1430 and to reconcile any needed budget action through the supplemental budget process. Council Discussion ■ ■ ■ ■ Councilor Semple -expressed concern that this proposal represents half of the MUPTE dollars and she would rather use the money for 6 th and 7 th avenues; asked what pool of money the funding will come from. Councilor Zelenka -stated he is not comfortable with this unexpected quarter million- dollar request with no discussion and said there should be a public discussion before funding. Councilor Syrett -shared she has more context on this issue because she met with Brian Obie and Public Works Director Matt Rodrigues to discuss it; said she can understand some of the hesitation from other councilors; stated there is an acute need in this area because of the commercial activity that is being generated and this project can alleviate some of the danger; stated she looks forward to having a discussion about improving 6th and 7 th with two-way traffic flow. Councilor Clark -asked if an affirmative vote would direct the City Manager to bring details back to Council for discussion. ■ Councilor Keating -said he recognizes the acute need to increase public safety; shared some other areas in town that have emerging safety needs and supported considering other projects to increase safety. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Meeting April 11, 2022 Page 1 ■ Councilor Groves -shared there is time-sensitivity for the construction timeline; shared his experience with vehicle and pedestrian accidents and said this is an opportunity to take action to make the public safer in a vulnerable high foot-traffic area. ■ Councilor Evans -said this is an example of a rare private and public partnership opportunity that offers public benefit, noting that getting the City of Eugene, Lane County and Obie Companies to work together is a positive; stated there needs to be a clear, safe path to the riverfront development from downtown and the Fifth Street Public Market. ■ Councilor Zelenka -stated this is a poor public process and Council should reconsider taking a vote on a quarter million-dollar issue that the public just heard about. VOTE: PASSED 7:1, Councilor Zelenka opposed. 3. CONSENT CALENDAR 1 A. Approval of City Council Minutes ■ October 11, 2021, Council Meeting ■ October 25, 2021, Council Meeting ■ November 8, 2021, Council Meeting ■ November 17, 2021, Council Work Session ■ November 22, 2021, Council Work Session ■ December 13, 2021, Council Work Session ■ January 5, 2022, State of the City ■ February 9, 2022, Council Work Session ■ February 14, 2022, Council Work Session ■ February 14, 2022, Council Meeting 4. PUBLIC FORUM 1. Jeff Althouse -said banning new fossil fuels will have unintended negative consequences. 2. McKayla Capage -asked Council to do more to create a livable environment for residents. 3. Eloise Parish-Mueller -stated that natural gas companies are not reliable as climate partners. 4. Samantha Roberts -asked Council to act quickly to create climate policy. 5. Sam Tyler -said he has seen the effects of climate change and climate anxiety firsthand. 6. Dylan Plummer -encouraged Council support for renter protection and climate policy. 7. Suzanne O'Shea -shared information about emergency preparedness and upcoming summer events. 8. Brian Stewart -stated that building electrification makes buildings and homes safer and cleaner. 9. Todd Miller -stated that banning natural gas hookups is a short-sighted goal. 10. Gretchen Miller -stated it is important to move the climate ordinance forward with alacrity. 11. Timothy Morris -stated he supports a fossil-free Eugene and opposed false ads from NW Natural. 12. Lyn Woodrich -stated it has become clear that the City needs a health overlay zone policy. 13. Danny Noonan -said Council needs to take urgent actions to reduce building emissions. 14. Paige Hopkins -urged Council to act on requiring all new construction to be electric. 15. Joanne Shotola -supported renter protections that are doable; shared landlord experiences. 16. Nicole Noceto -urged Council to prioritize the city's transition away from gas and fossil fuels. 17. AndyVobora -stated the proposal to ban new gas infrastructure will negatively impact businesses. 18. Alexander Miller-said building electrification has a significant positive impact in reducing emissions. 19. David Zupan -supported urgent action to address climate crisis for his grandkids' protection. 20. Bethany Cotton -supported ordinance language requiring electrification of all new buildings. 21. Randal Berzier -voiced concern about renter protection proposals like debt-to-income ratio. 22. Alex Stabin -asked Council to draft ordinance language requiring building electrification. 23. Nicole Langpop -asked Council to draft ordinance language for building electrification. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Meeting April 11, 2022 Page 2 24. Pam Waddell -responded to councilors' comments on Middle Housing during earlier work session. 25. Peter Dragovich -stated that many cities that have electrified have not repealed their decision. 26. Noelle Studer-Spevack -stated the decision for Eugene to require electrification is inevitable. 27. Mike Gamble -said regulations on landlords impacts the availability and affordability ofrentals. 28. Jacob Trewe -supported fossil-free coalition and said NW Natural Gas is spreading misinformation. 29. Eloise Navarro -said the elimination of fracked gas infrastructure will honor indigenous residents. 30. Tomoko Sekeguchi -stated a move to building electrification is urgently needed. 31. Jim Neu -expressed concern about waiting too long to have a smooth transition to electrification. 32. Kathryn Dunn -asked Council to schedule at least two dialogue sessions with landlords. 33. Debra Hughes-Sudyka -stated she is a property owner who has switched from gas to electric. 34. Peter Reppe -said the statement that heat pumps do not work when it is cold is false. 35. Fred Mallory-shared that 40 percent of carbon produced in Eugene is from transportation. 3 6. Clay Skurdall -asked if the infrastructure is in place to transmit energy with current the load. 37. Glen Gillis -asked Council to immediately draft an ordinance requiring building electrification. 38. Brittany Quick-Warner -said she is concerned about how Council is addressing the climate crisis. 39. Katherine Williams -said that NW Natural Gas shares the City's goals for decarbonization. Council Discussion ■ Councilor Syrett -appreciated the counterpoints to the misinformation about the electrification work session and what Council will be considering; stated it is disappointing that NW Natural Gas is taking out ads and sending mailings to customers that misrepresent their efforts and ability to achieve decarbonization of their products; shared details on what Council is proposing in building electrification and that the first work session is nearing; encouraged public input. ■ Councilor Semple -expressed gratitude for those who were not able to speak at the public forum and encouraged them to send emails. ■ Councilor Groves -stated everyone's voice matters and it is important for Council to hear the community members' thoughts and concerns; encouraged people to contact Council by email because there are a lot of big issues being discussed. ■ Councilor Keating -stated that "push-pulls, rate hikes and misinformation" do not allow for collaboration; stated he looks forward to having conversations with constituents in his ward in group and one-on-one settings. ■ Councilor Clark -commented that 75 to 80 percent of community members do not want Council to ban the use of natural gas; stated the City of Eugene has acted in bad faith with NW Natural Gas in this negotiation. ■ Councilor Syrett -corrected a comment made by a colleague; stated she was on the steering committee that worked in good faith for many months to try to come to an agreement with NW Natural; said that NW Natural was the culprit in moving the goalposts, not the City of Eugene. ■ Mayor Vinis -stated this is the first of many conversations about how to implement the climate action plans and that building electrification is one possible strategy; said it is important to remember that there will be a public conversation and that work will be done collaboratively to gather the needed information; reminded everyone that the goal is to respond responsibly to the impacts of climate change. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Meeting April 11, 2022 Page 3 The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, /A- Brooke Freed AIC City Recorder {Recorded by Niyah Ross) Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here. MINUTES -Eugen e City Council Meeting April 11, 2022 Page 4