Tuesday, September 16, 6:00 PM Wayne Morse Family Farm Picnic Shelter 595 Crest Drive, Eugene
NOTE: Our start time for this meeting needs to be earlier than we normally meet to accomodate Mayor Knutson’s schedule.
Don’t miss this opportunity to meet our mayor! There will be time to ask her your questions. Spread the word, due to city budget limitations, we are only able to reach neighbors who have provided us with their email address.
October meeting reminder: Tuesday, October 21, 6:30 Community Conversation with representatives from EWEB.
Join us at the next SHiNA Neighborhood monthly meeting on August 19th to hear from Jeannine Parisi, the Resiliency Program Manager for Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB). She will provide a general overview of EWEB and dive into Resiliency and Wildfire Mitigation work especially with regard to power shutdowns and unexpected power outages due to weather events (ice storms). Get a primer on this work by reading this article that EWEB published in 2024.
John Barofsky, our EWEB commissioner has also been invited but we are waiting to hear back about his availability.
SHINA Community Conversation – EWEB Natural Hazard Mitigation August 19, 2025 at 6:30 PM Wayne Morse Family Farm Shelter – 595 Crest Drive
Join City Councilor Matt Keating (Ward 2) for a discussion about the City Budget & other issues
The City of Eugene solved the budget shortfall for 2025. Neighborhood Associations, Amazon pool, the library and more will be funded through the next year. Our city counselor, Matt Keating, will come to answers questions about the budget crisis or other questions neighbors have. Please come for this chance to chat informally with our city counselor.
Tuesday, June 17, 6:30 p.m. Wayne Morse Family Farm 595 Crest Drive, Eugene
If you are unable to attend in person and would like to view the meeting online, click on this link: https://tinyurl.com/3v2dmav8 or this QR code.
SHiNA Board Chair Chris Jockheck welcomes neighbors & introduces panelists at the 4/15 neighborhood meeting
On Tuesday, April 15th, about 40 neighbors gathered on a beautiful spring evening in the Pavilion at Wayne Morse Family Farm (and on zoom) to hear from four speakers about the proposed Eugene Fire Services Fee and the related referendum that halted its implementation. Some SHiNA Board members commented on the discouraging irony of gathering in a beautiful, publicly funded parks facility while learning about potentially devastating budget cuts that our city faces to parks, public safety, and other valued services.
The speakers – City Councilors Matt Keating (Ward 2) and Eliza Kashinsky (Ward 1), Chamber of Commerce President Brittney Quick-Warner, and Eugene Budget Committee Chair Tai Pruce-Zimmerman – discussed the process and facts that led to the proposal of a Fire Services Fee in early 2025 as a method of responding to budget shortfalls as well as their perspectives on the fee itself. The fee was the subject of a recent referendum by voters which now requires it to go to a ballot if City Council wishes to implement the fee. Currently, City Council is discussing other ways to gain revenue in order to avoid an $11M cut in this budget. The City’s budget website is located here: https://www.eugene-or.gov/106/Budget
At the meeting, we learned that the City of Eugene has struggled over many years to keep up with rising costs associated with city services while increases to property taxes have been limited by Measures 5 and 50 since the early 1990s. You can view a very informative presentation by the City’s Senior Financial Analyst Mauricio Bottalico about the impacts of Measures 5 and 50 here on our community’s tax structure from the February 12, 2025 Budget Committee meeting, here.
Many neighbors had questions and comments including neighbors who run organizations and services that will be impacted by City budget cuts if the Fire Services Fee does not move forward. The SHiNA board recorded the zoom meeting, which can be view in a series of three videos on the SHiNA Youtube channel, here.
It was an interactive, informative, and meaningful event during which we heard from our fellow community members who are coping in different ways with upcoming budget shortfalls in the City. We also got to catch up with neighbors and our City Councilors over delicious cookies and tea provided by the SHiNA Board.
The SHiNA Board encourages every SHiNA neighborhood member to stay engaged in the City’s Budget process so that you are aware of the impacts of these budget issues and the potential revenue sources that City Council may consider to bridge the funding gap. Comment on this post with your own questions to our neighborhood board – and thanks to everyone who attended the meeting.
SHiNA will hold a community conversation with City Councilor Matt Keating, Budget Committee Chair Tai Pruce-Zimmerman & Chamber of Commerce President Brittany Quick-Warner who will explain the issue. The Fire Fee Referendum may be on the ballot for a special election in August. Come and find out what this means for the community. Q & A to follow.
TUESDAY, APRIL 15 at 6:30 PM Wayne Morse Family Farm 595 Crest Drive, Eugene in the Shelter (weather permitting) OR ZOOM: https://tinyurl.com/3hya8xpc
In May, 2024, the City of Eugene adopted a new Neighborhood Organization Recognition Policy (NORP), which guides the City’s 23 official neighborhood associations. This new policy requires that SHiNA review and implement updates to our Neighborhood Association Charter and Bylaws. The proposed updates are primarily administrative, but there are a few highlights listed below:
The City Council-approved model charter provides a more succinct description of the purpose of the neighborhood association (Article III).
Charter includes a more robust equity statement approved by City Council (Article III, Section 2).
Establish a minimum number of board members as 5 and proposed change of voting on board members to once every 2 years rather than every year. (Article VI, Section 1).
Description of board positions, board election process, meeting quantity and schedules, and other general board business is moved to the SHiNA Bylaws (Article VIII).
The SHiNA Board and Membership (any resident, business owner, or employee within the SHiNA boundary) will vote to approve the updates at our October 15th General Meeting to meet the City of Eugene requirement that we complete this work by October 31st.
A Community Conversation about Reducing Wildfire Risk and the SW Hills of Eugene
SHiNA General Membership Meeting Wednesday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m. Free and open to the Community
Hilyard Community Center 2580 Hilyard Street, Eugene
Please join us for the second in our series of Community Conversations on Emergency Preparedness on the topic of wildfire relative to the South Hills Neighborhood Association. A major part of being prepared is learning about what steps we as a community can take to reduce the opportunities for wildfires to start and spread. This meeting will feature representatives from local agencies speaking from each of their unique perspectives within their roles and organizations to provide insight on better adapting to the risk of wildfire in the South Hills area of Eugene. Handouts available.
Presented/Facilitated by Ian Appow, ECO System Solutions
Panelist from Eugene Springfield Fire, Oregon Department of Forestry,Eugene Parks and Open Spaces, City of Eugene, Northwest Youth Corps
Join us to hear about City Council Candidates, 4J Bond, and STAR Voting on April 16th
April General Meeting Tuesday, April 16, 6:30 p.m Wayne Morse Family Farm Living Room 595 Crest Drive
It has been nice to be able to meet in the living room at Wayne Morse Family Farm, after years of ZOOM meetings during the pandemic. Please join us to meet the candidates and hear about the measures we will be voting on in May. This is an opportunity to ask questions and get informed before voting.
Candidates for Ward 2 City Councilor, Lisa Warnes and Matt Keating, will present their views.
A representative from the “Yes for 4J Schools” Campaign will explain the renewal of the 4J Operating Levy. This would raise about $22m a year that goes directly into the classroom to benefit children by paying for staff (teachers, educational aides, etc.). They want voters to be aware and informed about what it does and what it costs.
A representative of Star Voting will explain the benefits of this type of voting. If you are unable to attend the neighborhood meeting, an explanation can be found at: https://youtu.be/aiQ9Z5sME00?feature=shared
Also on the agenda will be a discussion of SHiNA’s future meetings and activities. We hope to see you there!
Southwest Hills Neighborhood Association Meeting Tuesday, January 23 at 6:30 p.m. Wayne Morse Family Farm Living Room 595 Crest Drive, Eugene
We extend this invitation to residents of the Southwest Hills Neighborhood (SHiNA). At our November meeting we entertained board nominations. It was moved that our current board, plus three new interested neighbors would be nominated for our 2024 board.
Candidates for board positions: Chris Jockheck, chair Clay Neal, secretary Bev McDonald, newsletter
At large board members: Rita Fiedler Carolyn Hintz Ralph McDonald John Rogers Deb Rogers
Our January meeting will include: • Voting on our new board • Preparing for our upcoming General Membership meeting on Defensible Space • Annual Food For Lane County Food Drive • SHiNA communications, responding to citizen requests, how we inform our members. We need help in this area. If you are interested in helping your neighbors stay informed and communicating with neighbors on important topics and issues, we welcome your input, advice and energy!
If you would like to get to know your neighbors and help with these activities, we encourage you to attend the January 23 meeting. Refreshments served.
SHiNA 