Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Mr. Cuyler reported that the news from Washington, DC, was not great. He related that there was dissension about efforts to bring a supplemental bill forward. He said so far there was no Secure Rural Schools reauthorization as a one-year effort in the House supplemental bill, but there was a Senate effort to move a bill forward as part of the President’s war funding package. He stated that the President had been adamant about establishing a ceiling for that bill and it did not seem likely that he would actually sign a request for supplemental funds if it were presented to him. Mr. Cuyler expected that this effort would start to move very quickly given the time limits. Commissioner Stewart reviewed the funding issue. He stated that the County was working on getting funding reauthorized by the federal government. He stressed that at this point the only chance the County had to get its budget back in order lay in the emergency supplemental bill for the war funding. He asked County Administrator Jeff Spartz to provide an update on the budget process. Mr. Spartz reported that the current budget was funded at $540 million and the proposed budget for the next year would be for $455 million. He stated that this was approximately an $85 million reduction, but $20 million of this was a change in the way the State funded certain services. He said the effective impact to the County budget was approximately $65 million, with the areas most severely affected being public safety and human services. He listed some of the proposed cuts: ? A substantial cut in the number of jail beds funded ? A reduction in staff and attorneys in the District Attorney’s (DA) office, which would reduce the County’s ability to prosecute serious misdemeanors and a number of felonies ? A reduction in youth services, especially in secure beds and treatment programs ? A reduction in the methadone program ? A reduction in funding for the Buckley House ? A reduction of support for the Human Services Commission (HSC) ? Reductions in the Public Health Department, which will be running at the minimum allowed by State law ? A reduction in veterans’ services ? County extension services would be eliminated ? Funding for animal control services would be eliminated Mr. Spartz stated that this would provide a balanced budget for approximately three years but then the County would face another round of cuts if it could not find additional funding for support services within that time. Commissioner Stewart recommended that the Joint Elected Officials hold a conversation on short-term remedies first and then a discussion on long-term funding strategies. Commissioner Sorenson said it was important to look at the General Fund budget reductions going forward and to think about it as a shared responsibility. He observed that the City of Eugene had planned to transfer $1.5 million from its capital budget to its Road Fund to address its backlog of maintenance and preservation issues and Lane County had money in its Road Fund and needed General Fund moneys. He suggested the two jurisdictions discuss a funds “swap.” He also wondered if the City of Springfield would consider engaging in this kind of a trade. He acknowledged that this would not solve the budget problems. Mayor Piercy noted that the City Council meeting from the previous evening had deliberated over its direction to the Budget Committee. MINUTES—Joint Elected Officials— May 13, 2008 Page 3 Lane Board of County Commissioners and Eugene and Springfield City Councils