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<br /> M I NUT E S <br /> . EUGENE CITY COUNCIL <br /> September 26,1977 <br /> A special meeting of the City Council of the City of Eugene, Oregon was <br /> called to order by His Honor Mayor R. A. "Gus" Keller at 6:30 p.m. on <br /> September 26, 1977 at the Eugene Hotel, Empire Room, with the following <br /> council members present: Eric Haws, D. W. Hamel, Tom Williams, Ray <br /> Bradley, Jack Delay, Scott Lieuallen, Brian Obie~ and Betty Smith. <br /> I - City Council Assistants <br /> A memorandum containing the manager's recommendation and other in- <br /> formation had been distributed to the council members before the <br /> meeting. <br /> The manager noted that the memorandum put forth three alternatives. <br /> He stated there was broad general agreement on the need for assist- <br /> ance to the Council as the volume of business for the council had <br /> burgeoned with the growth of the city. The staff had developed <br /> three options: (A) Would provide increased assistance from the <br /> existing staff, with staff persons available to explore in-depth <br /> alternatives for the council before decisions were made. The <br /> manager's office and the departments would make more people available <br /> to provide better and more complete briefing papers and briefing <br /> sessions. (B) Would provide for appointment of a pool of aides <br /> e selected by the manager and assigned to councilors for a project. <br /> The administrative assistant would be available to attend meetings <br /> on request of councilors, to review problems, and to analyze policy <br /> alternatives put forth by the staff. (C) Would necessitate a charter <br /> amendment revising the section of the charter pertaining to appoint- <br /> ments by the manager of staff persons so that councilOrs could them- <br /> selves appoint assistants to be paid from public funds. <br /> Manager noted that in any of the options not much time would be <br /> saved for the council members. The focus of additional assistance <br /> to the council is to enable council members do a better job, to pro- <br /> vide better access to information. Under any of the options there <br /> would be a need to achieve co-ordination so as not to duplicate work <br /> or engender competition or conflict within the staff. The potential <br /> for conflict was greater in option (C) than in (A) or (B) . The <br /> manager stated that option (C) would be more difficult to handle as <br /> the potential for conflict was greater and it would be more costly. <br /> The manager stated that option (A) would be better probably as a <br /> first step. He recommended adopting option (A) , and then as need <br /> existed adopting option (B), making more people available to assist <br /> councilors on an optional basis. <br /> Mr. Delay presented a memo to the council which he had prepared. He <br /> stated that the idea of council assistants was proposed not because <br /> of dissatisfaction with the current council/manager form of govern- <br /> ment or dissatisfaction with the staff but to provide help for the <br /> e councilors in their individual duties. He stated that the council/ <br /> manager system was adopted to avoid patronage. In options (A) or <br /> (B) a problem would be presented in the councilors' dealing directly <br /> Special Meeting 9/26/77 - 1 <br /> ia,o <br />