07/16/1990 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Ms. Schue stated that many members of the Budget Committee have expressed dissatisfaction with its present level of authority and said that the council needs to discuss what the role of the Budget Committee should be. In partic- ular, many members feel that the council should listen more closely to the committee's recommendations. Mr. Miller said that the role of the Budget Committee is to ensure that the council's budget is in conformance with its policies. The Budget Committee is apparently not satisfied with this role; the council needs to discuss whether the Budget Committee's role should be expanded. Mr. Bennett emphasized that because the members of the Budget Committee are not elected officials, they should not have the same decision-making authori- ty as the council. Mr. Boles agreed that the Budget Committee should not be given policy-making authority, but asserted that the council should listen closely to the advice of the Budget Committee on policy issues. He suggested that the Budget Committee be invited to participate in work session discussions, making it clear in advance that the ultimate authority to make decisions rests in the hands of the council. Mr. Green concurred. The council offered general consensus on the need to schedule a two-hour work session to take place this fall in order to discuss the policies and strate- gies it plans to use to promote long-term financial stability. The council also agreed to invite Budget Committee members to this meeting to observe the e council's discussion on the role of the Budget Committee. Mr. Gleason said he will inform the Budget Committee chair not to form sub- committees until the council has had an opportunity to discuss the future role of the Budget Committee. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Rutan, that the council entertain a policy level debate about its work program and other financial policy considerations before additional subcommittees of the Budget Committee are formed. The motion carried unanimously, 7:0. Ms. Schue noted that as representative of the League of Oregon Cities, she recently received a letter from the State Home Builder's Association indicat- ing its interest in becoming involved in attempts to amend the Oregon Consti- tution to add new construction to the tax base as infrastructure assets. C. GOAL III--Downtown: Review the Downtown Plan and Strategy Ms. Ehrman asked for additional information on the 11th Avenue and Willamette Street development project. Mr. Gleason replied that staff is still optimis- tic that a project will take place on this site, but explained that the mix of parties involved in site development have changed. He noted that housing is being considered as a potential use for this site. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 16, 1990 Page 3 Dinner/Work Planning Session