CC Minutes - 01/19/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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council to take a long-term examination. In regard to the actions taken by other Lane County cities, he said that most had enacted a local option gas tax. Ms. Solomon reminded the council that nine other cities in Oregon had transportation utility fees. She acknowledged the lack of council support previously shown for the idea, but suggested that the council discuss it again. She encouraged other councilors to work together to get the County to work with Eugene. Mr. Poling said he had informed Commissioner Bobby Green that if the County did not assist in a solution, the City was likely to revisit the TSMF. He believed the funding problem was a countywide problem, and was disappointed by the County's lack of effort in helping to solve it. He was willing to meet again with the County to discuss the issue as he thought the problem bigger than Eugene alone, and a permanent solution was needed to fund it. Mr. Poling questioned whether a two-cent gas tax increase would make much difference, given the wide variance in gasoline prices among gasoline stations located in the same area. He noted the letter to the editor written by resident Art Farley in support of the increase, which suggested that residents would pay only $20 more annually. Mr. Poling suggested that the countywide discussion also include representatives from cities outside Lane County. Ms. Bettman said she would support the gas tax if the City was using all the money available for mainte- nance and preservation for that purpose, but it was not. She regretted the council considered the issue in a vacuum and was not considering the issue in the context of other funding issues. She criticized the allocation of flexible dollars that could be used on preservation, such as the Surface Transportation Program-Urban (STP-U) funds, to projects such as the Monroe-Friendly bicycle project and the Chad Drive extension, which could be funded by other sources. Ms. Bettman thought the City was wasting money in how it prioritized what it spent its money on. Until the City consolidated and dedicated those funding sources to preservation and maintenance, she was not willing to consider an increase in the gas tax. Mr. Pryor said he was willing to seek additional funding from the County as long as the City could actually claim a need for the funds. Mr. Pryor said the maintenance needs were huge, and it was clear the City was getting to its major streets first. It was currently doing triage, and that would continue in the absence of a solution. He suggested a connection between residents and the City about the nature of their repairs and suggesting a cooperative approach. He recognized that few would want to do that, but maybe some people felt their streets were in such bad condition they were willing to fund a solution. The City could then focus what money it had on its highest priority projects. Mayor Piercy said she heard a desire to take a look at the City's transportation and maintenance priorities in a larger context. She asked how that could occur. City Manager Taylor said that he hoped the council would discuss a comprehensive approach. The gas tax increase did not preclude changing federal allocations for the region, discussions with the County, or reconsideration of the transportation maintenance fee. He emphasized that some progress had been made, but there was no single solution. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 19, 2005 Page 7 Work Session