Item 2A - Minutes Approval - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Kelly commended the increasing number of City applications that were now available on line and the progress that had been made toward e-government. Regarding the list of proposed telecommunications projects, Mr. Kelly noted the development of criteria guiding expenditures in 1997, and said while the list of projects was good, he proposed that the council revisit the criteria soon given the amount of money in the Telecommunications Fund and the time that has passed. He asked when that discussion could occur. City Attorney Glenn Klein recommended that the council await the outcome of the petition for reconsideration made to the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Qwest v. Portland case. That could happen in the next two or three months. If that happens, the case would be returned to the courts. He recommended the council discuss the criteria in the spring. Mr. Kolb noted that staff supported a council review of the criteria. Mr. Kelly asked if the criteria were adopted by the council. Mr. Klein recalled that the criteria were staff- proposed and reviewed and approved by the Council Committee on Telecommunications. Ms. Nathanson concurred. Mr. Klein said the criteria were developed in conjunction with the telecommunications ordinance because of a need to create a nexus between the funding and the projects, as required by Ballot Measure 47/50. Mr. Kelly said he had heard a constituent complaint that different areas on the web site have different designs and navigation styles. He asked if there was a project underway to change that. Mr. Kolb said yes, the City was conducting a Portal Project to achieve a more uniform look and feel. Ms. Solomon suggested the potential of having bi-weekly polls on various City issues on the City's web site, noting there were mechanisms to prevent double-voting. Mr. Kolb said that the City's portal would be capable of hosting such polls, and agreed there were ways of guaranteeing people only voted once. He said he would follow up on the suggestion with staff. Ms. Taylor asked if the telecommunications tax revenues could be transferred to the General Fund. Mr. Klein indicated there were restrictions on the funds, but he would have to do more research to answer fully. Ms. Taylor asked about the relationship of the telecommunications project list to the Capital Improvement Program, which was listed on page 33 of the agenda packet as an origin for projects on the list. Mr. Kolb said staff reviewed various plans to determine where needs might exist, and that included the Capital Improvement Program. He cited undergrounding of utilities as an example of such a project. Ms. Taylor wanted to transfer some of the revenues from the Telecommunications Fund to the General Fund so they could be used where most needed. Ms. Taylor asked if the Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department voice response system would mean the elimination of all human contact. Mr. Kolb said no, it would merely serve as another avenue for patron access. Patrons would have an option as to how they wished to reach services, whether in person, on the web, or over the telephone. The choice was the patron' s. Ms. Taylor said it appeared to be another way of irritating people. Ms. Bettman agreed with Mr. Kelly about the need for the council to reconsider the criteria. She said the project list contained many valuable projects, but she believed there were one or two projects on the list that did not meet the criteria, such as the selective undergrounding of utilities. She also opposed the City's new cable program, "Working City," which she termed an "unentertaining commercial" for the City MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 25, 2004 Page 9 Work Session