Item 6 - Ratif.IGR Comm.Actions - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Heuser anticipated that the legislature would work first on what he characterized as "low hanging fruit" related to the ballot measure. He believed a repeal of local real estate transfer taxes would then be considered by the legislature both to support the cost of processing claims and to pay compensation in some cases. Ms. Taylor believed that the committee needed to talk to Mr. Klein. Ms. Bettman requested that staff solicit a memorandum from Mr. Klein regarding his role in the legislative session, how that interfaced with his role as the City Attorney, and if he recommended the City take a stand on a possible solution to the issues related to the measure. Mr. Heuser emphasized that Mr. Klein's role was informational, and he had no role as a lobbyist. Mr. Pap6 questioned whether the legislature would actually do anything in regard to Ballot Measure 37. Mr. Heuser said he would know more before the committee's next meeting after he had discussed the issue with some of the State legislators from rural areas. Ms. Bettman asked if the League of Oregon Cities intended to address any of the issues related to Ballot Measure 37. Mr. Heuser said that the City of Portland had some interest in specific remedies, and he believed Eugene's interests had more in common with the interests of Portland than those of the league. Ms. Bettman agreed. Mr. Heuser anticipated a short legislative session because the last one had been so contentious and had taken so long to complete. Legislators had no stomach for another such session. However, Mr. Heuser thought the City had an opportunity to work with the legislative leadership to pass some bills important to Eugene. He said that the Republican leadership had indicated no support for new revenues and it was likely the party would use any Democratic proposal for new revenues as a campaign issue against Democratic candidates in vulnerable districts. The governor was making it easy for the Republicans to execute that plan because his budget included no new revenues outside lottery revenues and he had spoken of the need for the State to live within its means. 7. Expectations oflGR Team and Coordinators In regard to the information provided to the committee, Ms. Bettman said that she would appreciate knowing the reasons legislators were for or against a bill. Ms. Taylor indicated bigger print information would be nice. Mr. Pap6 overviewed the process used by the committee to evaluate the priorities assigned by staff to the various bills introduced in the legislature. Mr. Heuser emphasized that the staff recommendation was only that, and he encouraged committee feedback on staff positions. Ms. Taylor encouraged staff to attempt to reduce the number of bills the committee was required to review, noting that in many cases bills did not fit with City Council policies and the council had no basis for its positions. Mr. Pap~ assured her that the committee had frequently eliminated bills from consideration MINUTES--Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations January 4, 2005 Page 3