11/06/1991 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Cupertino, California, noting that California and ten other states had adopt- ed strict rules and set minimum standards for the use of nonpolluting vehi- cles in the near future. He felt this will invigorate interest by the indus- try. Mr. Boles agreed with Mr. MacDonald and encouraged a more proactive posture by the City. Mr. Jessie summarized his findings, saying sedans and pickups offer the greatest opportunity for alternative-fuel systems. These vehicles account for 46 percent of fleet use and consume 36 percent of the City's fuel. He said patrol cars, fire trucks, and ambulances are exempt from regulations because of their special needs. He said heavy-duty vehicles such as tractors and dump trucks have all been converted to diesel. Mr. Gleason recommended that council authorize the purchase of bicycles and an electric cart and experiment with their use. Mayor Miller thought the motor vehicle industry may be willing to loan the City a demonstration vehicle. Councilors agreed that a cost-benefit analysis, including external costs, should be conducted and that the City should make a small investment in al- ternative-fuel vehicles for experimentation. Ms. Andersen suggested council be provided with a brief report in the annual e budget for Fleet on the vehicles that need replacement. II!. FY93 "PLACEHOLDER" BUDGET Continuing the discussion from a previous meeting, Warren Wong, Administra- tive Services Director, introduced the topic of general capital projects funding. He reviewed three tiers developed by staff on potential resource and requirement adjustments and four budget options, which are distinguished by the amount to fund the Capital Budget (ranging from $500,000 in Option 1 to $2 million in Option 4). Responding to a question from Mayor Miller, Mr. Wong said that the Options all assume a fully funded operating budget. In response to Mr. Rutan, Mr. Wong defined a placeholder budget as one that is a legal document to bring before the council for adoption in June. It can later be amended to implement Eugene Decisions strategies. Mr. Gleason said he held Cash Reserves as a higher fiduciary priority than the Capital Budget because tapping reserves is like "living on borrowed time." Spending reserves is spending income (earned interest on reserves). The price of borrowing goes up and the volatility of other revenues (such as property taxes) have a greater impact, resulting in inflexibility. He noted e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 6, 1991 Page 4