Contentious annexations axed.Byline: Edward Russo The Register-Guard CORRECTION (ran Jan. 27, 2007): Eugene City Councilor coun·cil·or also coun·cil·lor n. A member of a council, as one convened to advise a governor. See Usage Note at council. coun Bonny Bonny (bŏn`ē), town, SE Nigeria, in the Niger River delta, on the Bight of Biafra. In the 18th and 19th cent., Bonny was the center of a powerful trading state, and in the 19th cent. it became the leading site for slave exportation in W Africa. Bettman on Wednesday offered a motion that would have prevented the city of Eugene from adding requests for public street annexations in River Road/Santa Clara to annexation annexation, in international law, formal act by which a state asserts its sovereignty over a territory previously outside its jurisdiction. Many kinds of territory have been subject to annexation, chief among them those inhabited by settlers of the annexing power, requests by private property owners. The motion would not have ended the city's ability to request street annexations on its own in the area. A Thursday City/Region article on page E1 incorrectly described Bettman's position. Wanting to build trust with residents, the Eugene City Council on Wednesday told the city staff to back off a controversial annexation practice for the unincorporated areas In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality. To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, i.e., a city or town with its own government. of River Road and Santa Clara Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. . Councilors unanimously directed the staff to end their advocacy for annexing county streets in River Road/Santa Clara if the annexations would lead to the possibility that residents' property could be brought into the city without their consent. More than a dozen River Road/Santa Clara residents attended the council meeting at City Hall. "I'm not sure this motion goes all the way to alleviating the problem of mistrust and removing peoples rights to self-determination self-determination Process by which a group of people, usually possessing a degree of political consciousness, form their own state and government. The idea evolved as a byproduct of nationalism. , but it buys us some breathing room to create a collaborative process (with city officials) to move forward," said Kate Perle, a board member of the Santa Clara Community Organization. Unincorporated Adj. 1. unincorporated - not organized and maintained as a legal corporation unorganised, unorganized - not having or belonging to a structured whole; "unorganized territories lack a formal government" county residents live side by side with city residents in River Road/Santa Clara, a crazy-quilt district where many properties remain outside city limits and others have been annexed into the city. Many River Road/Santa Clara residents who have not been annexed into the city worry about so-called island annexations because if they become surrounded sur·round tr.v. sur·round·ed, sur·round·ing, sur·rounds 1. To extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle. 2. To enclose or confine on all sides so as to bar escape or outside communication. n. by city property - which can include streets - it raises the possibility that their properties one day might be annexed into the city without a vote of those affected. Some residents in unannexed areas are fiercely opposed to being annexed into the city, where they would be subject to city codes and have to pay higher property taxes. The River Road/Santa Clara area is within Eugene's urban growth boundary "UGB" redirects here. UGB may also refer to Unión de Guerreros Blancos (White Warriors' Union), a death squad founded to repress leftist elements in El Salvador. An urban growth boundary, or UGB , and the city sets development policy there. The city does not force River Road/Santa Clara residents to become part of Eugene, but the city does require that residents who build on or subdivide TO SUBDIVIDE. To divide a part of a thing which has already been divided. For example, when a person dies leaving children, and grandchildren, the children of one of his own who is dead, his property is divided into as many shares as he had children, including the deceased, and the share their property must annex an·nex tr.v. an·nexed, an·nex·ing, an·nex·es 1. To append or attach, especially to a larger or more significant thing. 2. into the city. During the past six years, about 125 properties have been annexed in this way. State law gives cities the ability to seek annexation of county property without a vote of residents. To follow this procedure - for so-called island annexations - city property, which can be streets, must surround the county properties to be annexed. Annexations must be approved by the Lane County Boundary Commission. City staffer Jim Carlson told councilors that the city has never carried out an island annexation in River Road/Santa Clara. But the city has requested annexation of county streets to comply with a 1993 policy approved by the City Council meant to provide efficient government services, he said. In some cases, the county and city own different sections of the same streets, Carlson said. That means the Lane County Sheriff's Office or the Eugene Police Department could respond to auto accidents on the same street, he said. Giving the city control over the entire street would eliminate potential confusion on the part of 911 dispatchers, he said. After much debate, most councilors appeared sympathetic to residents' concerns about island annexations. At one point, Councilors Bonny Bettman and Andrea Ortiz advocated the end of all street annexations in River Road/Santa Clara. Some neighborhood leaders, such as Rob Handy, chairman of the River Road Community Organization, favored that idea. But councilors weren't willing to go that far. Councilor Betty Taylor proposed that the city continue favoring favoring an animal is said to be favoring a leg when it avoids putting all of its weight on the limb. A part of being lame in a limb. street annexations unless they lead to the island situations - where county properties are surrounded by city property or streets. Councilors George Poling, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka and Mike Clark voted for Taylor's amendment. Voting against it were Bettman, Ortiz and Councilor Jennifer Solomon. Councilors then voted 8-0 on the directive to city staff. "I think its a tortured but good step toward rebuilding faith and trust between the city and these communities," Handy said. |
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