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e State of the City Address Mayor Brian B. Obie January 5, 1987 This is the third time in two years I have stood before you on the first Monday in January. Today represents the halfway mark for me and four city councilors in this term of office; and, as you have seen, it also represents the beginning of a new four-year commitment for three veteran councilors and a new addition in Rob Bennett. This council in particular and in many ways is much like a second family. They know hard work. They know success. They know defeat. They know achievement. They disagree. They occasionally split. They always care. They are held together with one thread. And that is to act in the best interest of this community. I am sure you join with me in thanking them for the hours, days, months --the life, if you will--that they give Eugene. On behalf of this community, I would like to thank each of them. Collectively they represent what is good about Eugene. They also represent the breadth of its fabric. But as this is the State of the City Address, let me start by telling you that the state of the council is excellent. e You will fi nd in Chapter 3 of our Ci ty Charter that it is the Mayor IS responsibility to stand before you one time each year and report on the conditions of the city, and make recommendations for its peace, health, improvement, and prosperity of this community. As I tried to find the proper yardstick for measuring the condition, I can only tell you that by virtually any yardstick, it appears that we are better off today than we were a year ago--and substantially better than we were two years ago. We suffered greatly, in years past, from the ravages of a national recession and a hard-pressed local economy. Two years ago, we accepted the responsibility of taking charge of our own destiny, and set forth to create our own opportunities and our own success through the Eugene Agenda and a commitment to hard work. In 1986, the results of our efforts began to show. Once again, confidence in our community is growing. A new economic assessment by the Fantus Company showed a greatly improved business environment. And you can take great pride in the fact that "community cooperation" was among the factors that showed significant improvement from four years ago. Eugene saw a rebound of new investment during the last two years. Construction activity climbed by 50 percent. The year ahead promises to be an exciting one! Plans for over $127 million in construction activity have already been announced. That exceeds the construction value of the last two years combined, and, in fact, is a record for this community. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 5, 1987 Page 2