Eugene city government will focus on increasing the community’s livability and improving the local environment and economy in 2007, Mayor Kitty Piercy said at the annual State of the City Address.
Out of the 15 proposals Piercy discussed Thursday, 10 were based upon ongoing efforts from 2006.
Those proposals primarily deal with the sustainable development strategy adopted in 2005, which emphasizes maintaining environmental protection and economic development in the city.
Piercy’s five new proposals for the city include working with businesses, creating a downtown planning commission to rejuvenate downtown and attempting to work with regional mayors on mutual problems. She also issued a challenge for neighborhoods to reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent.
Piercy said she would focus more on the downtown area, which has been targeted for economic redevelopment over the last few years.
Citing the Green Guide Institute, which named Eugene the No. 1 Green City in the United States, Piercy also focused on how the city has dealt with maintaining the local environment.
She touted the city’s adoption of a “green building” policy, reduction of carbon emissions by 500,000 pounds, support for environmentally friendly businesses, construction of an education center in the West Eugene wetlands and promotion of alternative transport.
The responsibility falls to local governments and cities like Eugene to “take up the challenge” of dealing with environmental issues because the federal government has been slow to respond, Piercy said.
Other proposals include further development of plans for a new city hall, repairing and maintaining the roads, developing a new full-service hospital to replace Sacred Heart Medical Center and implementing civilian oversight of the Eugene Police Department, which saw the hiring of the city’s first police auditor in October.
At the event, Piercy honored city councilors David Kelly and Gary Papé, who were retiring from the City Council after serving since 1999. Their replacements – Alan Zelenka and Mike Clark – were sworn into office.
Zelenka, who succeeded Kelly as the city councilor for Ward 3, which covers the University area, said he planned to protect the environment and to ensure the city works harder and smarter in creating a livable community.
He will also work for a fair and open city government that “gets things done and puts the people’s interests above the special interests,” he said.
Contact the city, state politics reporter at [email protected]
Piercy delivers State of the City Address for ’07
Daily Emerald
January 6, 2007
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