Council approves 2025 state and federal policy documents; staff highlight shelter, Clear Lake infrastructure and behavioral health funding requests

Ethan Nelson, the city’s intergovernmental relations manager, asked the Eugene City Council on Jan. 22 to adopt the city’s 2025 state and federal policy document and a companion list of state priorities. The council voted to approve the documents by a recorded voice vote, five in favor and one opposed.

“Today, we will walk through the IGR program goals, the IGR process, the 2025 policy framework, our 2025 state priorities,” Nelson said during the presentation, summarizing the package staff recommended the council approve.

What the council approved: Two documents — the 2025 Eugene state and federal policy document (the policy framework for the city’s positions on bills) and the 2025 Eugene state priorities (six proactive funding and policy asks) — were presented by Nelson and recommended by the city’s Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) committee. The IGR committee operates under guidance in Resolution 5387 and includes Councillors Evans, Groves, and Yeh; the mayor serves ex officio.

Priority requests and details highlighted by staff: - Shelter and emergency placements: Nelson summarized a multi‑partner work group that proposed expanding allowable program funding to cover “Safe Temporary Emergency Placement” (STEP) sites, including safe-vehicle and parking-spot programs and alternative shelters. The work group recommended that funding be channeled through a regional partner (likely Lane County). - Clear Lake industrial infrastructure: Eugene requested $10.5 million in state funds to construct the first phase of wastewater collection infrastructure in the Clear Lake industrial area (phase 1 items listed as roughly $8,000,000 for a pump station and conveyance on Enid Road and $2,500,000 for wastewater pipes on Enid and Airport roads). Staff said the city plans to pair about $2,000,000 in local system development charges (SDC) funds and that state lottery funding would lower the city share. - Behavioral health stabilization center: Nelson said Lane County seeks authorization and funding reauthorizations to advance a roughly $31 million behavioral health stabilization center. Nelson described about $15.5 million already secured for the project and a requested reauthorization of $7.5 million in state general funds plus an additional $7.5 million being requested from previously allocated but unspent funds. - Public-safety and statute priorities: Staff identified support for Senate Bill 473 (criminalizing threatening a public official) and the reintroduction of HB 2007 (allowing local government buildings and adjacent grounds to prohibit firearms) as priority policy positions. Nelson also described supporting refinements to ambulance/EMS reimbursement through an EMS 2.0 omnibus effort supported by the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association.

Council discussion: Councillor Clark asked why housing infrastructure requests were not more prominent among the state asks, given that lack of utility connections makes many city lands unbuildable. Nelson replied that housing infrastructure was part of the broader housing-production efforts and that the governor’s proposal this session emphasizes a programmatic statewide approach rather than a long list of discretionary local asks; Eugene will continue to advocate within that framework and for programmatic funding. Councillor Clark also raised concerns about potential competition with Lane County for shelter funds; Nelson said the work group recommended routing funds to a regional entity (likely Lane County) to create a coordinated regional approach rather than a zero-sum competition.

Vote and motion: A motion to adopt both the 2025 Eugene state and federal policy document and the 2025 Eugene state priorities was moved and seconded on the record. The council voted in favor (five yes, one no) and the motion passed.

Other notes: Nelson said staff will provide weekly priority-bill updates during the legislative session and noted contracted support at the Capitol from CFM Advocates; he also previewed the city’s planned United Front delegation week in April to pursue federal requests tied to body/dash cameras, airport capital projects and urban forestry/wildfire resilience.

Ending: With council approval, city staff will proceed with the legislative agenda, begin weekly legislative updates to council, and continue coordination with Lane County and regional partners on shelter and behavioral-health funding requests.