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MINUTES <br /> <br /> Eugene City Council <br /> McNutt Room--City Hall <br /> <br /> April 13, 1998 <br /> 5:30 p.m. <br /> <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: Pat Fart, Tim Laue, Bobby Lee, Scott Meisner, Nancy Nathanson, <br /> Laurie Swanson Gribskov, Betty Taylor, Ken Tollenaar. <br /> <br /> I. CALL TO ORDER <br /> <br />The adjourned April 6, 1998, Eugene City Council meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m.; His <br />Honor Mayor James D. Torrey presiding. <br /> <br /> II. MULTI-YEAR SERVICE AND FUNDING PLAN <br /> <br />Mr. Tollenaar, chair of the Council Committee on Finance, provided background information, <br />calling attention to the charts on the wall identifying the multi-year financial plan objectives and <br />service initiatives previously adopted by the council. He identified the budget shortfall and <br />reviewed page 9 of the meeting packet. He noted the committee's suggestion that voters be <br />asked to approve a personal income tax and a business tax and indicated that affordable housing <br />was one of the items to be addressed more in the off years rather than immediately. Mr. <br />Tollenaar asked for the council's direction before refining the approach. <br /> <br />Mr. Fart expressed disappointment that affordable housing would be addressed later, adding that <br />it is part of the public safety problem. He said he could not support any measure that did not <br />address affordable housing. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson said it may be feasible to do a transportation utility fee (TUF) for the metro area, <br />noting that people often do not live close to where they work and that contributes to the demand <br />for maintenance and improvements. She asked staff to study the trend away from traditional <br />employment and its effect on a personal income tax, particularly the reporting of income. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey announced that the three jurisdictions will hold a discussion on the TUF on April 28 <br />and invited those interested to attend. <br /> <br />In response to a question from Mr. Meisner, Mr. Tollenaar said a tax based on gross receipts was <br />unfair to those businesses with high costs. <br /> <br />Ms. Swanson Gribskov said she needed a picture of what the various taxes mean to the average <br />household. <br />Mr. Laue said he did not expect to adopt a plan tonight. Addressing Mr. Fart's concern with <br />affordable housing, he suggested land banking as a way to address the problem in the short- <br />term. He expressed support for a broad-based business tax--not any that targeted a specific <br />group, e.g., a restaurant tax. <br /> <br />Minutes--Eugene City Council April 13, 1998 Page 1 <br /> 5:30 p.m. <br /> <br /> <br />