05/18/1987 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Obie recessed the meeting for about ten minutes at 7:50 p.m. ~ II. PROCESS FOR FINANCIAL PRIORITIZATION Mr. Miller said he would like to work with the staff to develop a process that the council could use at its next goal-setting session to establish service priorities. He said the process would be used when the council sets its goals but consideration of the process would not anticipate decisions about goals or budget priorities. Mr. Miller discussed the budget process used in the past and said changes were negotiated by the Budget Committee and City Council after the Executive Budget is prepared. He would like to propose a process for involvement before the Executive Budget is prepared. The process would delineate agreements and identify a negotiating process for disagreements. Disagreements would then be resolved and direction given to the City Manager for use in preparing the Executive Budget. Mayor Obie pointed out that forecasts indicate the City will have a $1.5 million shortfall in FY89. e Answering questions. Mr. Miller said the process he will propose will lead to an understanding of disagreements about the budget, to testing priorities against each other. and to considering the consequences. He said the process would deal with the City's expected $1.5 million shortfall by identifying priorities before the Executive Budget is prepared. The process would enable the council to act instead of react. It might make the financial policies more specific. The process might identify lIpublic safety" and an acceptable service level for public safety and indicate the impact on the system of giving public safety a priority. Other councilors discussed Mr. Miller's proposal for some time. They asked him to work with the staff and present a specific proposal within a month. III. PROPOSAL TO INCREASE ROOM TAX 1 PERCENT Ms. Wooten distributed copies of a proposal to raise the Transient Room Tax from 7 percent to 8 percent. The increase in the tax would provide a revenue stream to repay the bonds for the renovation and marketing of Hayward Field. to develop and market destination point infrastructure and facilities, and to create marketing and program support for the merger and advancement of cultural programs in the city. She said the 1 percent increase in the room tax would generate about $120,000 annually and the goal of her proposal is to increase destination point activities and tourism. Ms. Wooten referred to the proposed .5 percent increase for the renovation of Hayward Field. She said her proposal is a draft and is based on the natural resources, cultural resources. and athletic resources of the community. She said the Cuthbert Amphitheatre is an example of natural resources, the Hult Center is an example of cultural resources, and Hayward Field is an example of e MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 18, 1987 Page 7