Eugene council directs one-year Vehicle Navigator pilot to help people living in vehicles

The Eugene City Council voted 7 to 1 on June 9 to direct the city manager to establish a one-year Vehicle Navigator pilot program aimed at helping people who live in vehicles obtain legal ownership, registration, insurance and driver’s licenses.

The pilot, as described by Jeff Petrie, Curbside Admin Services Director, would fund a contracted navigator working roughly 20 hours per week and is estimated to cost about $35,000 for one year. The navigator would help clients with Department of Motor Vehicles processes, insurance questions and documentation needed to make a vehicle legal to operate on city streets. Petrie said the navigator could be housed in the provider room at Community Court and at other provider locations across Eugene.

Council members said the program responds to issues that surfaced after the council adopted parking-related code amendments in 2024. Those amendments removed a meter cap hourly rate, raised the parking fine schedule and clarified rules meant to reduce repeat parking violations, Petrie said. Under the time-limit change, a vehicle that leaves a limited-duration zone must generally wait until midnight the next day before returning to the same zone; larger vehicles parked in places of sleeping accommodation may be subject to impoundment if they commit the same violation within 90 days. Petrie told council staff have not needed to use the new impoundment authority frequently and that much of the repeat-violation problem involves turnover rather than the same vehicle repeatedly staying in place.

Petrie also described a small set of sample programs around the country when the council discussed possible responses. He cited Hennepin County as an example of a jurisdiction that has funded vehicle-repair supports (noting a $75,000 program referenced in staff materials), and cited other programs that offer repair assistance up to $2,000–$2,500 through local partners such as United Way in Stark County, Ohio. Petrie said nearly all programs reviewed required legal ability to operate the vehicle—ownership, current registration, insurance and a valid driver’s license—so the proposed navigator focuses on those administrative barriers.

On data and costs, Petrie said expired-tag citations are a common enforcement item—about 100 to 150 such citations per month in the last year—and that towing/cleanup for larger vehicles can cost the city or contractors between roughly $700 and $1,800 per vehicle depending on size and hazardous-material handling. He said the city’s contract arrangements mean the city typically pays for larger-vehicle tow fees but does not pay storage fees; if a vehicle goes unclaimed, the tow yard may take ownership and arrange disposal through hazardous-waste contractors when necessary.

Councilor Leach said she voted against the 2024 amendments because she worried easier impoundment could simply move people around without addressing root problems, and asked staff to return with more data on tow and storage costs. Leach said she supported the navigator idea if staff can provide further cost and outcome information.

Councilor Groves supported the pilot but urged adding a safety-inspection component after sharing examples of visibly unsafe loads and vehicles. Petrie and city legal staff said the navigator role is intended as an administrative facilitator and not an inspector; adding vehicle safety inspections would require a separate, certified-inspector component and additional funding beyond the $35,000 navigator estimate.

Councilor Keating pressed staff on differences between right-of-way enforcement and regulation of private property. City staff and legal counsel said the proposed pilot and the 2024 code changes apply to the city’s right of way (public streets); regulation of vehicles stored long-term on private property would be a separate policy discussion and would require separate code changes.

Councilor Yeh asked whether the city would solicit a partner; Petrie said the city would run an RFP and that the homeless services team would begin work quickly if funding were available. Several councilors described the pilot as a low-cost, preventive measure that could reduce enforcement burdens and help people access employment and services by resolving administrative barriers.

The council motion, moved by the council president, directed the city manager to establish a one-year pilot program for vehicle ownership navigation services. The motion passed on a voice/hand vote, 7 in favor and 1 opposed.

Next steps described by staff include preparing an RFP to contract a navigator, identifying provider-space placement such as Community Court, and returning to council with implementation details and any budget needs. Councilors requested follow-up data on tow/storage costs, the frequency of impounds, and options for adding safety-inspection services if the pilot is expanded.