CC Minutes - 10/17/07 Work Session

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M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room – City Hall 777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon October 17, 2007 Noon COUNCILORS PRESENT: Andrea Ortiz, Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor, Bonny Bettman, George Poling, Mike Clark, Alan Zelenka (by telephone). ABSENT: Jennifer Solomon. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. A. WORK SESSION: Fiscal Year 2009 Service and Budget Alignment Process City Manager Angel Jones reviewed the council's allocation of $100,000 to hire a consultant to develop a process that would better inform budget development. She said she was responding to that direction instead of leaving the task to a new city manager and embarking on a process that would result in informed decisions based on outcomes based on the council's vision and goals and community values. She felt the budget development tool would help clarify policy direction, streamline processes and keep the focus on highest priorities. She acknowledged concerns about the prospect of change without adequate process; however, the change was primarily about staff culture and would have little impact on the Budget Committee and City Council. She said the new process would evaluate services from an organizational instead of department perspective and was confident of a successful outcome. Ms. Bettman stated that the council did not endorse the proposal; it had agreed to a prioritization process. She said the consultant did work across the country and in every article she has read, they are all about privatization and outsourcing. She asked if budgeting for outcomes had been discussed with the unions. Ms. Jones said she had a meeting scheduled with the unions. Ms. Bettman quoted the interim city manager of Fort Collins, Colorado, who cautioned that cities should not begin such a process without first committing to systemic long-term changes in the organization. She said she was willing to consider systemic changes, but the proposed process had not been subjected to public comment and City employees were mostly unaware of the possibility of change. She characterized the process as structural re-engineering of the City's service provision and budget, and expressed concern that it was precipitous and could adversely impact recruitment of a new city manager. Mr. Pryor commented that the intent of the change was honorable and based on a desire to budget in a way that was better aligned with goals. He did not perceive it as working toward some other agenda. He said the City currently had budget and goal setting processes that were not in alignment. He said the State required by statute certain safeguards that would remain in place regardless of changes in the process. He antici- pated a budget document that would be very similar to the current one, but with the additional step that would identify the outcomes and goals related to expenditures. He saw the process as making the current MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 17, 2007 Page 1 Work Session