10/19/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e E. Litter Problem in University Area Ms. Bascom said there is a tremendous litter problem in the area around 13th Avenue and Alder Street near the University of Oregon. She said there are not trash receptacles in that area and asked who was responsible for providing those. Mr. Gleason explained that the City only provides trash receptacles in parks and on the mall (where businesses contribute to the expense); private businesses are responsible for providing receptacles in front of their businesses. F. Use of Retired Police Officers Ms. Bascom gave Mr. Gleason an article about a police department in Cleveland that uses retired police officers to provide extended service at lower cost. She suggested that Eugene explore this option. G. Irkutsk Visit Costs Ms. Schue said there are people in the community who think the City spent a lot of money on the Irkutsk visit. She asked staff to make it clear that fundraising and private donations financed most of the visit. Ms. Wooten said Mayor Obie felt the visit from the Irkutskian delegation was very successful. She added that the Irkutsk Sister City Committee is a committee independent of the City; the committee raised approximately $17,000 e to offset the vast majority of costs associated with the visit. Ms. Bellamy felt this figure probably did not include all of the in-kind contributions. Mr. Bennett asked if the council has a policy regarding things the City should be involved in so that staff has some way to monitor how and where to focus its efforts. Ms. Wooten said she, Ms. Bascom, and Mayor Obie feel there is a major gap in council policy regarding this issue. She said they are appreciative and grateful that staff is flexible enough to respond to projects on a continuous basis but are also concerned about it. Ms. Wooten felt the issue should be a topic of discussion for the new mayor and council at the first quarterly process session. Mr. Gleason agreed that this is a very important issue. He said sometimes the City gets involved in projects by lIacquiescence,lI but once committed to an event, it is essential that it goes well. This sometimes takes a massive relocation of staff effort. Mr. Holmer pointed out the necessity of anticipating the expense before acquiescing to take part in a project. Ms. Wooten said it is often difficult to raise serious questions about the culpability of the City in an event when people are very excited about the event. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 19, 1988 Page 2