12/06/1989 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Ms. Schue commended Mr. Gleason for his work on the council's goals and agreed that he should check back with the council on sensitive issues, particularly those with budgeting implications. Mr. Green observed that the council needs to be very clear in its direction to the manager, and he also supported more frequent checks for council direction as issues emerge. Ms. Bascom referred to urban renewal as an example of an issue coming back to the council for reaffirmation of direction. Ms. Schue commented that as the council changes and new members are elected or appointed, old issues need to be revisited to ascertain whether they still have council support. Mr. Boles said that Mr. Gleason is very capable of reading the center of the council, but sometimes the council is fairly evenly divided over an issue. In these situations, the majority decision on how to proceed may put the manager in a somewhat precarious position. Responding to questions from Ms. Schue, Mr. Gleason said that animal control and building permit enforcement are typically among the most difficult issues faced by city managers. Recently, the number of permit-related complaints have decreased, the City's relationship with the building community has improved, the workload has increased, and Mr. Gleason felt that progress is e being made. Ms. Ehrman said it is difficult for councilors to evaluate Mr. Gleason1s administration of policy at the department level and she urged that an appearance of departmental favoritism be avoided. Mayor Miller asked councilors to consider Mr. Gleason's administration in those areas in which there is no adopted council policy for him to enforce. Ms. Schue said she was comfortable with Mr. Gleason's design of specific implementation for general policies. While Mr. Boles considered public safety a council goal, he criticized the creation of the Community Response Team (CRT) as a large-scale program in the midst of a budget cycle. He was particularly concerned about the allocation of $100,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds for the program, which he said came before the Community Development Committee unexpectedly. He suggested that proposed work plans should be discussed by the council before actual work plans are developed. Other councilors recalled that the Crime Action Task Force and discussions of community policing provided the policy foundation for the CRT before Mr. Boles joined the council. Ms. Ehrman wondered whether recent clearing of vegetation along the Willamette River, which councilors appeared not to know about in advance, was a policy issue or an administrative activity. Mr. Gleason pointed out that the Joint Parks Committee had reviewed a vegetation master plan for two e MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 6, 1989 Page 3