CC Minutes - 02/28/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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and other city partners to form an interim working group to assess and recommend a permanent interjurisdictional entity to assess, build, and operate tourism-related infrastructure. The presentation contained comparisons of existing and planned local hotel and motel space with that of other northwest cities, local economic indictors, data on current room tax revenues, and data on the economic impact of convention and conference centers. Ms. Westlund invited questions. Mr. Kelly thanked the presenters and the task force for all their work. He agreed with them on the significance of the tourism business to the local economy. He noted that at its recent goal-setting session, the council had adopted as a high-priority goal that Eugene establish itself as a city of the arts and outdoors. Mr. Kelly asked about the impact on City resources with regard to money and time from participating in an interim working group. City Manager Taylor anticipated the City would provide a technical staff person to assist in the process. He did not anticipate a heavy resource demand on the Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department or the Planning and Development Department. Mr. Kelly wanted to ensure that neither motion prepared by staff conferred any new budget authority for spending. City Manager Taylor indicated that they did not. Mr. Kelly asked if council approval would be required for the creation of a regional tourism commission, if one were recommended. Ms. Westlund and City Manager Taylor indicated yes. Mr. Pryor said that the issue of tourism was a regional issue and should be approached that way. He said two words came to him when considering the issue: "bold" and "high risk." Just as past ventures such as the Hult Center and Hilton Hotel were high-risk, the City may find itself needing to take similar action relatively soon. He believed that if the City tried to stay where it was and maintain the status quo, it would be moving backward in relation to other communities in Oregon. Tourism was a significant source of revenue and it was relatively clean and low-impact. He said the community needed to act sooner rather than later. Ms. Bettman thought the goal a laudable one for Lane County. She said the City Council had already established a goal related to the arts and outdoors. She believed that the task force was asking for much more than a conceptual sign-on given the desired outcome of building infrastructure and tourist facilities. She did not want to indicate now that at some future point there would be compliance on the part of the City, because she did not consider tourism a high priority for Eugene given its other needs. Ms. Bettman perceived the difference between a full-service hotel and limited-service hotels to be a public subsidy, and she could not make a case for such a subsidy at a time when she was receiving constituent calls complaining about the police response times and drug dealing in the parks. Ms. Bettman said that it was the role of municipal government to set the stage for tourism by providing excellent parks and public safety to create a good environment for tourism to happen. She did not want the City of Eugene to be in the convention and hotel industry. Ms. Solomon did not interpret the task force appeal as a request to become involved in the convention and hotel industry. She believed the request aligned with the council's goals discussion, and that the City needed to be at the table when the interim working group met. To do otherwise would be short-sighted as it meant MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 28, 2005 Page 9 Work Session