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Ms. Groza said that the mayor of Irkutsk had likened the relationship between the two cities as a <br />marriage, and she did not know how Eugene "could explain a divorce, particularly since we <br />haven't had a fight." <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor said she would like to ask the council to direct staff to return with options for funding <br />and staffing for the Sister City Program. She expressed gratitude to the volunteers of the <br />foundation. <br /> <br />Mr. Lee said many Eugene residents were from other countries, such as himself and Mr. Fart, <br />and represented a diverse group of people. Residents' natural origins were part of what they <br />brought to the community, and he believed that should be considered as the council looked at <br />funding options. Responding to a question from Mr. Lee about next steps, Mr. Johnson referred <br />the council to the options included in the agenda packet and indicated staff was seeking direction <br />from the council refining and narrowing those options. He added that the annual budget process <br />was beginning, and the council might wish to consider referring the issue to that process. Mr. <br />Lee indicated his interest in the "backup" and "growth" options (4 and 5). <br /> <br />Responding to a question from Mr. Torrey, Mr. Johnson confirmed that the City's agreement with <br />the foundation corresponded with the end of the fiscal year. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson noted her own involvement in sister city activities, including authoring a <br />guidebook for visitors from other countries that she regretted no one had taken greater <br />advantage of. She recollected that funding for the program had been gradually eliminated and <br />transitioned through an agreement between the foundation and City to nonprofit status following <br />the passage of Ballot Measure 5. Ms. Nathanson said she was unaware of any commensurate <br />increase in contributions from other organizations, such as corporations, to replace lost <br />government funding. She had hoped that the agreement between the foundation and the City <br />included a commitment from the foundation to such fund-raising. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson wished to know how the City could support its commitments to its sister cities <br />while not providing all the funding for the foundation. She said if the point was to increase <br />understanding between peoples, the program's benefits could not be limited to those few people <br />who could travel to the community's sister cities. She asked how the City could assist with news <br />coverage of sister city visits, and questioned if statistical information regarding residents' <br />awareness or participation in program activities was available. Ms. Nathanson said that such <br />information could be used as a benchmark to gauge the effectiveness of the program in future <br />years. She suggested that the City could serve as a facilitator and safety net of support for the <br />program. <br /> <br />Ms. Swanson Gribskov valued the work of the foundation and believed that international <br />exchange and understanding was important. She said that the issue facing the council was the <br />City's limited resources and service priorities. Ms. Swanson Gribskov did not favor the growth <br />option discussed in the staff notes but rather supported maintaining the contract at current levels. <br />She supported Mr. Johnson's suggestion to refer the issue to the budget process so the <br />program could be considered with other service priorities. She agreed with Ms. Nathanson's <br />remarks regarding other funding sources. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 12, 1998 Page 2 <br />5:30 p.m. <br /> <br /> <br />