The following was presented to more than 100 people who joined us for the...

Citizens State of the City Presentation

Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at 12 Noon, at Eugene, Oregon

by Citizens for Public Accountability and Friends of Eugene

Introduction
Bob O'Brien

On behalf of Citizens for Public Accountability and Friends of Eugene I would like to welcome you to the second annual Citizens' State of the City Address.

Today's address will examine some of the major issues that face our community as we try to maintain and enhance its livability

Twenty-two years ago my wife (Mary) and I were deciding where I might teach and she might pursue her own career. We wanted a place to rear two young sons, a place with a wonderful environment, a place with a real community feeling, a place where we would live long-term. We had visited Eugene - so we knew what it was like. I applied to only two universities - and fortunately was hired by the University of Oregon.

Perhaps 18 years latter, I was considering a position at another university. When I mentioned it to Mary, she looked at me as said "and leave Eugene."

Eugene is a special place to live.

It is my pleasure to introduce to you some people who work to keep Eugene a special place

Kitty Piercy: Former state legislator and now PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD and current chair of the Lane County Commission on Children and Families. She will talk about education and social services.

Jan Spencer: Muralist who founded Green Eugene, participates in WETLANDS, and serves on the Steering Committee of Citizens for Public Accountability. He will talk about land use and planning.

David Monk: Former building contractor and now director of Oregon Toxic Alliance. He has served on the Board of Friends of Eugene and on the Steering Committee of Citizens for Public Accountability. He will talk about civic participation.

Lisa Arkin: Former Associate Professor of Performing Arts at the University of Oregon, member of the Citizen's Task Force on Sustainability, Administrative Coordinator for the Oregon Toxic Alliance, and Citizen for Public Accountability Steering Committee member. She will talk about jobs, the economy and sustainability.

I also want to thank Kevin Matthews, President of Friends of Eugene, who has put together our slide show and helped coordinate the diverse topics that will be presented today.

Schools and Social Services
Kitty Piercy

Just like a healthy environment and economy, high quality schools and a strong social service safety net are part of what makes a successful community. All of these things enable our citizenry to lead successful productive lives. All of these attributes attract jobs and contribute to the livability of our community.

Our city council took the first steps toward ensuring a living wage for it employees. It successfully led an effort to raise funds for some school programs. It has supported the development of a new community library. All of these efforts support schools and families

However, our state budget crisis has had a huge impact on our local community. This has been painfully illustrated through cuts to valued services that have already been implemented and those will be enforced if Measure 28 fails to pass.

Our community has historically been rich with a wide range of social services that have supported the elderly, the mentally ill, those with disabilities and those living in poverty. These services have allowed thousands to live in dignity and independently who would otherwise require more expensive emergency services.

In our community,we have a talented non-profit sector funded through grants, donations, and state allocations. They care for our kids, our parents, and our most vulnerable citizens with great dedication and modest compensation. We get a great deal for this investment and it reflects much about the caring community we want to be.

All this is in grave danger. Our social service system is experiencing enormous cuts and all those they serve suffer with cruel reductions in services. In Eugene will our grandparents and neighbors with disabilities be able to maintain independent, sustainable living situations? How many of the people we love who suffer from mental illness will find no place of refuge short of jail?

Many of those who need the social service system live in poverty. It is important for our city to encourage and maintain jobs with livable wages and benefits, not those that exploit their workers such as Walmart.

For a decade our public school system has been eroded and our children have found crowded classrooms, fewer teachers and fewer course options while higher requirements for achievement have been put in place. Parents are forced to wonder how long they will be able to keep their children in our public schools or whether those children of lower income families will be doomed to an inferior education that ill prepares them for a successful future. Our institutions of higher education become more expensive and less available to our children to the point that they can hardly be called public schools.

It is important for our community leaders in this time of state budgetary crisis to take on a larger role. While it is certainly worthwhile for them to spend time with our children and attending events in support of non-profits, it is perhaps even more important they be looking for ways to work with the state legislature to develop a resolution to our state's long term funding problems. Not in every county in the state as Mayor Torrey has suggested, but here in our own backyard.

Governor Kulongoski has said that he expects solution for these problems to come from the grassroots, to come from out of communities. Our city council should be a significant part of engaging our community in that discussion, perhaps in conjunction with the Lane Board Of County Commissioners, Lane County Commission on Children and Families and other groups that bring community members together to address issues of concern

One step would be to join with Citizens for Oregon's Future to look at Oregon's tax structure, to educate the public about that structure and to help Oregon provide a stable, adequate and fair tax system.

Building our community trust in Government is key. Community conversations and building support for solutions is an important role our local government has in strengthening our community and our hopes for a better future.

Jobs and Business
Lisa Arkin

At a time when Oregon is experiencing some of the highest unemployment in the country, we can look to pioneering economic models to give us new tools to address economic growth. The old model that emphasizes unrestrained industrial and commercial growth has noticeably collapsed around us.

We need only look at the closure of HMT, the downsizing and economic woes of Symantec and Hynix for examples of businesses that fail to meet their stated employment goals. Yes, these companies were heavily courted by our city leaders, and even romanced with tens of millions dollars of tax cuts and subsidies. Hynix continues to apply for corporate welfare; and while this international corporate giant has already received an estimated $50 million in property tax breaks, funding for our schools and social services are severely cut. Under the state tax system, about 48 percent of the lost revenues would have gone to city services, 41 percent to public schools and 11 percent to the county budget.

The result is that these types of industrial enterprises drain the local economy, not build it up. The type of "business-friendly" vision that has been touted by our Mayor undermines our environmental and social objectives, and this leaves our community unbalanced and wanting. We stress that, - and contrary to the mayor's claims, the progressive community is quite friendly to business ventures, but we discern between businesses that consume more resources than they contribute, cheapen the labor market with underpaying jobs, and defile Eugene's unique natural beauty. The progressive community goes on record for supporting stable, diverse, and equitable businesses that protect our public air, water and land and are responsive to the community's well being.

Yes, there are examples of local businesses that are working models of sustainable economic practices - they provide profit, living wages and tax revenue for our city without depleting our natural resources. We would like to see our City officials recognize local businesses that have taken responsibility to operate and prosper within a sustainability framework. For example, why not reward business practices that are environmentally sensitive and tax those that harm human health and the natural resources of our city.

I would like to take the opportunity to describe a few local businesses that contribute uniquely to our community's vision for economic stability.

Living Tree Paper Company is an example of a business that has stepped out of the box to apply renewable technologies to manufacture paper. The goal of Living Tree Paper is that no new trees are cut. To accomplish their goal, paper is made from post-consumer recycled waste and non-wood fibers. This local company supplies environmentally-sound paper that is cost-competitive. Their clients include Staples Office Supplies, Nike, Mitsubishi, and the University of Oregon, and many others.

Paradoxically, the city is not purchasing any paper from Living Tree, despite the company's local presence and their adherence to Eugene's Sustainability goals. The City purchases paper from Boise Cascade Corporation, the nation's largest logger of public lands, and who was recently fined almost 4 and a half million dollars in penalties for harmful air pollution by the federal government. Certainly one easy way the City can promote its own Sustainability principles, and lead by example, is to purchase products from local companies that embody sustainable business ethics. Why not start with the purchase of tree-free city stationery? Let's follow the lead of the University of Oregon who has already stepped forward to make the commitment to put principle into practice by purchasing renewable paper products from a local business.

If the City is looking to attract businesses to locate to Eugene, why not look for ventures like Oregon Research Institute. Founded in 1960, ORI is a leader in conducting socially relevant research. ORI currently employs 300 people and has an operating budget of $15 million. A clean and healthy environment is a primary value for the Institute and, in searching for a site for its new building, it has made a conscious decision to remain in an urban setting. Eugene can continue to benefit from the presence of the University with its impressive pool of scientists, educators and graduate students by seeking out businesses that focus on research and social services. With a business like Peterson Pacific, Eugene has an example of how an established company can diversify to take advantage of the new sector of reclamation and recycling. Peterson Pacific has 180 employees in West Eugene and originally built logging equipment. Starting in 1991, they began to build industrial chippers and shredders to prevent yard debris from going into landfills. Peterson also builds machines for shredding old asphalt shingles which are then recycled and reused. This local company sells to Rexius and Lane Forest Products and businesses throughout Oregon. Products manufactured and sold locally translate to a resilient economy because the revenue cycles back into our regional community.

Another opportunity to advance public policy in economic development is the new Federal Courthouse. This complex will determine a weighty portion of our urban landscape and the health of the local economy and the environment. As with our new library, the Federal Courthouse area can be the pride of Eugene, and an external commitment to clusters of small businesses and recreation services.

Eugene is one of a number of Northwest cities that are revising city policies to follow new economic models that focus on livability and resource conservation. In fact, the City Council has already set forth principles of sustainable economic development by adopting the Sustainability Resolution, and the Growth Management Policy. The leadership and citizens of Eugene can look directly to both resolutions for the criteria that should shape our future economic development. In a nutshell, these policies direct our city leaders to:

"Focus efforts to diversify the local economy and provide family wage jobs principally by supporting local, and environmentally-sensitive business."

In the objectives of these two policies, we are reminded that the quality of the environment and the health of the economy are interdependent. These resolutions provide the roadmap that would move our city towards economic stability, and steer us away from "business as usual." When our City leaders stand by these adopted policies, as they should, we will have the ability to create constancy for our future economy growth.

However, the City adopted these principles three or more years ago, and most citizens are not aware that they even exist. It is time for both our elected officials and the city staff to commit resources to implement existing city policies on sustainable economic development and growth management.

In August of last year, the City Council allocated $50,000 to assess sustainable economic development and to set project priorities. The Council acted correctly to allocate seed money, now they must follow through to ensure that the funds serve the purpose of integrating principles of sustainability into City planning.

The best way to achieve this goal is to create a Commission on Sustainability and Environment, following the example of other Northwest cities such as Portland and Seattle.

We invite Mayor Torrey, and the City Manager, to sit down with business leaders in both traditional and sustainability sectors, representatives from the University of Oregon, and non-profit and citizen advocacy organizations to bring sustainable economic practices to fruition. The first goal of these discussions should be to create the suggested Commission.

Eugene does best with a diversified economy based on businesses and companies that are accountable to the community, and comply with the Resolutions on sustainability and growth management. City leaders should never again ask citizens to close our eyes to the damage wrought by the Walmart-ization of our economy and our land. Sustainability can guard against such short-sightedness.

Land Use and Transportation
Jan Spencer

The urban landscape is the stage that frames a good deal of our personal and community lives. What parts of that landscape would we like to see more of in the future and what parts less?

Our community has devoted a great deal of time and effort answering those questions. Indeed, Eugene has a well articulated set of documents that provide us with a variety of sensible and popular goals and policies. Here are several quotes from those documents.

Development shall be required to pay the full cost of extending infrastructure and services. [Sustainability Resolution 4618]

The City shall encourage in-fill, mixed-use, redevelopment, and higher density development. [These and 16 other policies from Growth Management Document, Resolution 4554, from Growth Management Study]

The City shall protect and improve air and water quality and protect natural areas of good habitat value,, [Resolution 4554]

Let's take a look at several locations around town.

First, let's visit the periphery, those areas currently spreading out towards the Urban Growth Boundary, mostly in north and west Eugene. This kind of development is expensive. Systems Development Charges collected by the city do not cover the entire cost of new roads, schools, utilities and city services. The citizens of Eugene end up paying the difference, in effect, a double jeopardy public subsidy for poor land use.

Eugeneans are looking at a new taxes because the city budget is biased towards new road construction for spread out style development at the expense of maintaining what we already have. This map shows us in general, that the farther away from central Eugene one lives the more they use their cars. Spread out development, dependent on automobiles, is less favorable to public transit, distant from where people need to go and is the primary cause of congestion and pressure to build even more roads. That's why reducing the need for single passenger auto use is a primary goal for the entire Sate of Oregon.

Efforts to address the problems of congestion and costly infrastructure focus on concepts such as infill, mixed use and nodal development. More compact and mixed use design offers many benefits. It costs less per residence, locates goods and services closer to where people live, makes transit more convenient and can create economic opportunities compatible with neighborhood values. Neighborhood organizations could be partners to insure local participation with [local] redevelopment.

By popular consensus, Eugene's downtown core needs to provide expanded residential opportunities for both rental and ownership. Redeveloping downtown will take pressure off the Urban Growth Boundary and return much of Eugene's center of gravity to where it belongs. The new Courthouse area needs to be a part of a downtown renewal that is welcoming to pedestrians and celebrates our natural endowments. A central Eugene location for Peace Health Hospital would be most welcome.

St. Vincent de Paul's new project at 11th and Oak is a perfect role model for infill. The 5 story building will include 54 affordable housing units, 70,000 square feet of commercial space and geothermal heating. The site is also a reclaimed brown field. There are literally acres of space in our central core with "improvement value" that could benefit from St. Vincent's example.

Another concept, little known but more relevant than ever is Block Planning [see www.efn.org/~spencerj select Block Planning]. If a group of neighbors and non resident property owners of a residential block agree, the entire block can be redeveloped as a single unit, not as common property but as an integrated whole.

With Block Planning, normal regulations become much more flexible and this advantage facilitates a more productive use of space. Cluster parking, for example can free up driveways and garages for better use [such as gardens or granny flats.] Increased density by way of Block Planning can lead to more open space, neighborhood scale economic development, walkable neighborhoods and better transit.

[This paragraph reworked a good deal.] We would be wise to revisit west Eugene. The West Eugene Parkway is a dinosaur. An alternative plan is currently in the works for west Eugene based on improved transportation choices supporting a more thoughtful mix of employment, commercial and residential redevelopment while more effectively using existing roads.

[This added and important] The Mayor's lament about needs to increase capacity on congested Beltline, costing millions, is ironic because the funding to do just that has been hijacked for the Parkway, the Mayor's pet pork project.

Within the city limits, there are many natural areas that refresh our energies and contribute immeasurably to our quality of life and economy. Trees, wetlands, savannas, waterways, wildlife all deserve our respect. Eugene is overdue to complete its Goal 5 Inventory of Natural Resources that will help preserve natural places.

City function would benefit with several new tools, such as an independent perfor- mance [manager a better word than auditor?] and whistle blower protections for city employees. Many people with first hand experience would love to see a performance based process in Planning and Development that does not frustrate innovation, perhaps including some kind of staff "innovation advocate" who would help move good ideas forward. [Finally,] improved cross jurisdictional collaboration between cities, civic organizations, schools, the county and other government agencies offers many potential benefits to our entire region.

We should recognize several examples of forward movement this year in Eugene such as the Skinner Urban Farm, new additions to the bike system, Fairgrounds water quality improvements, Oregon's newest and largest photo voltaic installation, the new Library and new park acquisitions.

Eugene has much to gain from a thoughtfully re designed urban landscape and the entire town needs to be involved in the venture. New perspectives gained along the way will lead to new kinds of cooperation and new opportunities of many kinds. The city, media and citizens all should collaborate more effectively to discuss and inform our community of these important issues. Global trends strongly suggest we make much better use of assets closer to home.

Public Process
David Monk

As both Jan and Lisa have indicated, Eugene has a number of innovative policies and resolutions that have come about through extensive citizen involvement. We are so fortunate to have so many committed and intelligent people in our community who give of themselves daily because they share the belief that together we can create a more tolerant, humane and democratic society.

Some in our community, however, claim that democracy has run amuck here in Eugene, that public involvement in developing city policy impedes the realization of our collective goals. A majority of the City Council apparently agrees. They recently voted to shorten the public forum segment of their meetings. They've also minimized minority concerns by requiring five votes rather than three to place issues before them. Citizens who take the time to offer their opinions and insights to the council are doing so out of a desire to improve their community. When their input is undervalued and their expertise disregarded, democracy fails.

The predominant development model that this city has followed for the last half century has created many of the problems we now face and will certainly not produce the community we desire.

We already have good policies in place that are supported by a majority of Eugene's citizens, and yet our local government continues to seek and subsidize the very kind of development that we know will compromise the quality of our lives. Why are we expending scarce resources to accommodate unsustainable development when essential public services go under funded?

The reason this is happening in Eugene is the same reason it is occurring all over this country. Our local government is corrupted by the influence of money. Those individuals and corporations that control critical sectors of the economy continue to push for more public investment in the kinds of development that benefit them financially. And it is everyday working families who pay with increased taxes and depleted city services. If we want to retain the quality of life most of us came to Eugene for, we can't continue to accommodate this kind of development. The constraints of present day reality require a different path.

We must either create a dialogue with those who control the economy here in Eugene or defeat them at the polls. Our hope is that we can work together to create a community that sustains us all without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. We believe that this is the best means of moving toward our vision. We have to convince those who profit from unsustainable development that they can make the transition and continue to prosper. But, if we are unsuccessful at working together, we must be prepared to fight for our vision.

Those of us who believe in this vision have to become more actively involved in the political process. We have to go beyond our attempts at influencing council decisions to becoming part of the council itself. We have to articulate our goals in a way that will speak to the concerns and aspirations of a larger segment of the community. We have to find ways to work with those who do not yet share our vision but hold positions of power in our community.

We need to direct our resources toward progressive politicians and to those issues that we consider most urgent by creating political action committees. We must invigorate our volunteer organizations through a commitment to hiring staff and, as Kitty said, paying a living wage.

When we organize on a grassroots level, we identify our common interests. There are thousands of us who care and contribute in countless ways to making Eugene a more livable community. Reach out to one another, stay focused on our common goals and believe in our collective ability to realize our dreams.

Conclusion
Bob O'Brien

Thank you David, Jan, Lisa, and Kitty. Diverse topics but clearly connected.

Decisions on how we grow and develop, the location of a hospital, the building of a library, subsidizing large non-local businesses, investments in public transportation, impact the lives and well being of people in our community. Support for education, centrally located low cost housing, living wages, protecting civil rights, and citizens' participation in planning and decision making will effect how we develop.

There is much to do - but there is a will in this community to do it, and I might add working with concerned citizens, creates community, friendships and good laughs.

We invite you all to join with us in these efforts. It really is rewarding work.

This work has helped make Eugene a special community. It will help maintain Eugene as a special community.

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Produced by Jan Spencer, Kevin Matthews, and Cary Thompson

For more information please contact:
Jan Spencer, CPA
541-686-6761
or
Kevin Matthews, FoE
541-345-7421