River Road/Santa Clara Urban Services Committees Final Report and Recommendations

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C~NINIIT'I'EE STATEIVIENTS o t. I am presently working for the Eugene School District and have done so for the past 24 years. All of my experience with the district has been in the River Road/Santa Clara region, first as a math teacher and later as an administrator. When my husband and I built a home in Santa Clara seven years ago, our property was automatically annexed to the city. We had previously lived within the city limits and had no objection to the annexation. As an educator in the River Road/Santa Clara area, I have had an opportunity to work with most families in the region and as a resident I have become somewhat familiar with the issues facing our community. My concern for potential divisiveness between city residents and non-residents, concern . for the preservation of the neighborhood character, and concern for the quality and efficiency of services were my primary reasons for joining the Urban Services Committee. Although the committee members came from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, it was clear from the beginning that we all wanted to be part of the solution. Information and communication are powerful tools. Throughout our committee work, we had opportu- nities to receive information about the various service providers for the River Road/Santa Clara area and to have quality dialogue around the issues facing our region. We listened intently to each other and to the service providers and had opportunities to explore some strategies for long and short term solutions. The climate of the committee work built trust and open communication. I went from an initial feeling of "you knew you were in the city when you built your home" to feeling that the issues of city residents in the area mattered equally with the issues ofnon-residents. Likewise, I moved from being tired of hearing about the "sewer issues" to understanding why representation is such. a key issue for non- residents. Although most committee members realize that the entire River Road/Santa Clara area will eventually become part of the city, we also know there are examples throughout the country where neighborhoods in cities have preserved their character and strengths. This is important to all of us who have chosen to live in the River Road/Santa Clara area. As we enter this transition period, I would suggest that consideration be given to the model used for our committee. The strengths of the model could be replicated and expanded to open communication among all groups in order to nurture a trust that is presently lacking. Trust is built on a willingness to share all available information as well as open dialogue and active listening. Sensitivity needs to be paid to the equity issues for city residents in the River Road/Santa Clara area and also to the tax and representation issues of the non-residents. Compromises can be reached that will best serve the community and the city, both in the short term and in creating a collective vision for the future. 62