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<br />- <br /> <br />but he was ready to go with the implementation proposal if a new revenue <br />source could be identified. <br /> <br />Mr. Miller said he felt the information provided a beginning. He said he <br />shared the concerns about capital projects, and he favored looking at <br />revenue sources, because he thought that would drive further decisions. <br /> <br />Ms. Ehrman agreed with concerns about capital projects. She said she <br />favored examining a combination of cuts and revenue, and she was <br />committed to looking at another revenue source. Ms. Ehrman said she felt <br />that two of the tax proposals, the real estate transfer tax and the <br />utility tax, were too similar to property taxes, and she was not <br />interested in those. She said she favored a restaurant tax as affecting <br />those with a choice and expendable incomes, and she would favor an <br />alcohol tax if it were across-the-board. Ms. Ehrman asked when specific <br />cuts should be addressed. She noted that she had missed the second <br />meeting of balloting and decisions, and she was concerned about the <br />tendency to move ahead without the details. She said she felt that mall <br />maintenance, for example, was a substantial impact, and she wondered <br />about alternatives. <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />Ms. Wooten asked how the cuts for various years had been chosen. She <br />said the impact statements still were unclear about staff and program <br />reductions, but she did appreciate the information. She said original <br />votes had been taken without the benefit of that data, and she now would <br />vote differently. Ms. Wooten said she believed modifications would be <br />made, and some items above the line should be considered, perhaps with <br />another ballot. She said she was uncomfortable committing to a strategic <br />financial plan without some agreement on revenue sources. Ms. Wooten <br />said she did not think the service fee or a tax on alcohol would be <br />plausible or efficient, and she continued to support a real estate <br />transfer tax, but she primarily supported a restaurant tax, which, if <br />implemented by January 1, would be a certain income factor against the <br />cuts. <br /> <br />Ms. Schue said she agreed with many of the concerns, but alternatives <br />needed to be considered. She said she also had been frustrated about the <br />lack of information when balloting, and she therefore was willing to <br />allow staff flexibility in making actual" cuts. Ms. Schue said she was <br />very interested in new revenues, and some cuts, such as mall maintenance, <br />presented problems. She also noted that the library would be another <br />factor to consider along with major capital projects on which <br />preliminary work has already been done. She added that she agreed with <br />the need to make a decision on the restaurant tax soon. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Mr. Rutan said he, too, was interested in looking at new revenues, and he <br />thought it was important to look at general criteria such as costs of <br />administration, revenues generated, affected population bases, equity, <br />etc. He said the budget did represent growth in government, and he noted <br />that total costs in year six were substantially higher than total costs <br />in year one. He said he thought cuts were difficult but were the <br />responsibility of the City Council and were healthy because they <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council <br /> <br />February 1, 1988 <br /> <br />Page 9 <br />