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Oa L <br /> Fly <br /> CITY OF EUGENE <br /> INTER-DEPARTMENTAL MEMORANDUM <br /> CITY ATTORNEY - CIVIL DEPARTMENT <br /> To: Johnny Medlin, PARCS Date: July 16, 1992 <br /> Subject: Wayne Morse Historical Park Board Public Meeting Question <br /> You asked whether a meeting of the Wayne Morse Historical Park Board (Board) <br /> at which the Board reviewed a draft of the Wayne Morse Ranch master plan is subject to <br /> the public meetings law, ORS 192.610 et seq The short answer to your question is no. <br /> FACTS <br /> The Eugene Parks and Recreation Plan establishes as a policy the expectation that <br /> the City will "prepare general plans for major park land and facilities prior to development <br /> or renovation in order to promote project coordination and to conserve and protect natural <br /> open spaces where appropriate." Plan, p. 12. The authority to adopt the individual park <br /> general plans(also called park master plans) lies with the PARCS Department. As a matter <br /> of past practice, individual park general plans have been developed, reviewed in a public <br /> forum, amended by staff in response to the public comments received, and reviewed in a <br /> second public forum. The general plans are then adopted by the department. The City <br /> Council is not involved in the adoption of the park general plans. <br /> The Wayne Morse Historical Park Board represents a non-profit, private entity. It <br /> is not created by or affiliated with the City in any way. During Fall, 1991, the Board <br /> approached John Etter, landscape architect for the City,with a proposal that the Board and <br /> the City split the cost of hiring a student intern to develop a master plan for the Wayne <br /> Morse Ranch. The proposal was approved by Bob Schutz, the department head. In <br /> November, 1991, the City and the Board agreed that each would contribute $500 to hire a <br /> landscape architecture student to develop the draft of a master plan for the Wayne Morse <br /> Ranch. Neither the City Council nor any advisory board created by the Council were <br /> involved in evaluating or approving the proposal. The intern was to work under the City's <br /> direction, and report his progress monthly to the Board. At a recent meeting, the Board <br /> called an executive session to review the draft master plan for Wayne Morse Ranch, and <br /> excluded the public. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> ORS 192.360(1) provides that, "All meetings of the governing body of a public body <br /> shall be open to the public and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting...." The <br /> definition of"public body" is defined broadly to include private entities that advise a public <br />