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'C011?I~~IITTEE STATEMENTS o <br /> 'ii• i. ~ <br /> Since I joined the committee last year, I have learned a substantial amount about how the different <br /> service areas are provided in River Road and Santa Clara. The take-home message I have extracted <br /> <br /> from these meetings and discussions is that there "needs to be a plan." <br /> Currently, many of the service areas are a patchwork of two or three agencies providing necessary <br /> service. While most of the services are provided satisfactorily at the moment, as the population <br /> <br /> increases the system will begin to break down because there is no active plan. A case in point is fire <br /> service in Santa Clara; the committee learned that as the population has increased, especially near Belt <br /> <br /> Line, it has stretched the volunteer Santa Clara Fire Deparhnent. <br /> I firmly believe that inevitably all of River Road and Santa Clara will be incorporated into the City of <br /> Eugene. The main questions are `how' and `when.' I'll leave the question of `when' to others, though I <br /> suggest any significant annexation occur in or before a year ending in `9', so when ward boundaries are <br /> <br /> redrawn following the United States Census, the new in-city population is reflected accordingly. <br /> So, that leaves us with `how.' There is a vocal minority in River Road and Santa Clara that adamantly <br /> opposes annexation. However, I believe the rest of the residents are either ambivalent or would <br /> encourage annexation. The key is to annex in such a way to not permanently alienate these latter <br /> <br /> two groups. An actively managed transition plan should take these groups opinions into account. I <br /> <br /> recommend a poll of residents to determine the current status of the River Road and Santa Clara <br /> residents' attitudes towards annexation. Many of those opposed to annexation are still angry at the City <br /> of Eugene about the sewer installation in River Road and Santa Clara in the 1980s. One way to diffuse <br /> this anger could be to permit a discount of the city taxes based on their sewer assessment. In other <br /> words, if the homeowner paid $10,000 in sewer assessment fees, they would be exempt for that much in <br /> city taxes over a period of time. Also, I would suggest a stepped increase in taxes over a period of seven <br /> to fifteen years, in order to lessen the increased tax burden on fixed-income residents. Finally, I <br /> recommend against annexation by executive fiat. This would anger many annexed residents for years to <br /> come. A much better alternative is a vote by city and to-be-annexed residents. I suggest that various <br /> inducements be offered such as: a branch library, increased park and recreation service to Santa Clara, <br /> and zoning changes to allow preservation of neighborhood character. <br /> In the end, annexation is some years in the future. How do we get from here to there? Others have <br /> recommended, and I second, a `Transition Manager.' This individual would be a City of Eugene <br /> employee who would act as an ombudsman for service issues and problems in the River Road and. Santa <br /> Clara neighborhoods, as well as actively manage the various service agencies towards the long-term goal <br /> of annexation by the City of Eugene. The current ad hoc methods are working, barely. The Transition <br /> Manager would smoothly coordinate the transition plan of a patchwork of city and county to the final <br /> goal of annexation. <br /> 58 i <br /> <br />