01/20/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Mayor Obie called for another straw vote to determine whether the council or the Manager should determine if a voter pamphlet is warranted. Ms. Ehrman said she would prefer that the council have that authority because it concerns an election ballot. The council voted 5:3 to change the ordinance so that the council determines if the impact of a ballot measure is substantial enough to warrant the expense of publishing a voter pamphlet. Ms. Wooten said she would like to insure that initiative as well as referred issues are included in the pamphlet process. Mr. Holmer said the ordinance is explicit in the fact that it applies to both processes. Mr. Sercombe recommended that under 2.993 (b) the council retain the City Manager1s publishing and distributing responsibilities. Ms. Wooten asked if consideration was given to including city-wide or special district candidates. Mr. Rutan recommended that the council not include those candidates because of the cost and the fact that such a forum is already provided at the State level. He added it would also be difficult to determine which local candidates to include. Ms. Ehrman asked about the Statels interest in participating in the pamphlet. Mr. Holmer said there is a mechanical problem of distribution because State and county election districts don't always conform with city boundaries. e Ms. Wooten said the voter pamphlet should proceed on a trial basis and the council should reconsider the issue in a few months. Mr. Holmer suggested the council should pass a resolution to reconsider the issue to avoid having to re-enact the ordinance at a later date. Mayor Obie asked if the committee considered funding the pamphlet with outside funds. Mr. Holmer said the committee discussed commercial advertising but decided it would not be appropriate for the pamphlet. Mr. Bennett said he is concerned about making the pamphlet readable for the general public. Mr. Holmer said the material is limited to words and numbers. Mr. Bennett said the pamphlet should be a marketing piece for the City that is fun to read. Ms. Schue noted the State has made an effort to include cartoons and other graphics. She asked if the council should consider that type of approach. Mr. Miller said the first pamphlet should be simple. He said he would not like to see staff invest a great deal of time and money until the council decides to continue the pamphlet. Mayor Obie instructed staff to draft a proposal for a voter pamphlet. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1988 Page 10