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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />M I NUT E S <br /> <br />City Council Work Session <br />Eugene Conference Center--Wilder Room I <br /> <br />January 13, 1986 <br />5:30 p.m. <br /> <br />PRESENT: Brian Obie, Mayor; Cynthia Wooten, Jeff Miller, Emily Schue, Richard <br />Hansen, Debra Ehrman, Roger Rutan, Ruth Bascom, Freeman Holmer, <br />councilors; Dave Whitlow, Gary Long, Jody Miller, Elizabeth Cherry, <br />Barb Bellamy, staff; Jim Boyd, The Register-Guard, Jim Smith, <br />Eugene's Washington, DC, lobbyist. <br /> <br />The meeting was called to order by the Mayor at 6:35 p.m. <br /> <br />I. ITEMS FROM THE MAYOR <br /> <br />Mayor Obie distributed illustrated maps of the city from the Chamber of <br />Conmerce. <br /> <br />A memorandum dated January 13,1986, entitled, "Annual Financial Audit, II was <br />distributed. The Mayor stated his intention to appoint Mr. Holmer, <br />Mr. Hansen, and Mr. Rutan to form a three-member audit committee. <br /> <br />II. REPORT FROM LOBBYIST <br /> <br />Ms. Cherry introduced Mr. Smith, partner of Smith/Dawson Associates and princ- <br />ipal on the City's contract. Mr. Smith will be assisting in formulating and <br />implementing the City of Eugene list of Federal priorities. <br /> <br />A. Federal Overview <br /> <br />On the positive side, Mr. Smith's firm, in cooperation with the Oregon Con- <br />gressional delegation, was able to secure for the City a technical assistance <br />grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development for a central- <br />ized retail management program in the city's downtown core. Also, the Contin- <br />uing Resolution Bill, which Congress passed in December, included a provis- <br />ion identifying Mahlon Sweet as a priority project for FAA discretionary <br />funding. <br /> <br />Mr. Smith reported that the Gramm-Rudman and tax reform measures will have <br />negative effects on the City. The Gramm-Rudman legislation gives to the exec- <br />utive branch the authority to cut domestic spending programs of interest to <br />local and State governments. The proposed tax reform bill will put restric- <br />tions on tax-exempt financing for bond-funded City projects. The Gramm-Rudman <br />bill mandates a balanced budget by 1991 and has set a target of $172 billion <br />deficit by the end of FY86. The new estimates indicate that there will be a <br />$20 billion-3D billion higher deficit than previously estimated which will <br />require even larger spend1ng cuts each year. Mr. Smith believes there will be <br />serious consideration for raising Federal taxes, because spending cut <br />requirements will be so drastic. <br /> <br />MINUTES--City Council Work Session <br /> <br />January 13, 1986 <br /> <br />Page 1 <br />