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<br /> e Ms. Schue felt the council must be very careful not to repeat the <br /> circumstances surrounding the Hult Center. She stressed the need for the <br /> council to be honest with the public and make certain they know there will be <br /> continuing operation costs associated with the library. Ms. Schue said money <br /> for operating the library must come from somewhere, and it is wrong to think <br /> that it can be extracted from the budget in a mysterious way that will not be <br /> felt. <br /> Mr. Bennett felt the library is important and the City should pursue its <br /> development. He favored the consideration of tax increment funds as one <br /> possible funding source. Mr. Bennett said he supports using tax increment <br /> flow to develop the library because the project would probably make a large <br /> contribution to the perception of downtown Eugene as the center of the <br /> community. In addition, he feels the project would serve as a catalyst for <br /> other project developments in the vicinity. <br /> Mr. Bennett did not feel it would be prudent to look for the funds in the <br /> existing capital and operating budgets. He felt the council should see how <br /> the public feels about the library when they understand it will require a new <br /> revenue source. <br /> Mr. Bennett noted that while all the councilors want to operate an efficient <br /> city, it is not necessary or reasonable to identify and use every dollar in <br /> every corner of the budget in the operations of the City. <br /> Mr. Holmer said he believes .in the need for a new library and would like to <br /> e make certain a ne~ 'library is built. He pointed out that the operations of <br /> the library amount to only .2 percent of the General Fund. Mr. Holmer felt <br /> it is possible to find that amount of money in the existing budget. He added <br /> that he does not want to present the public with a new revenue measure as the <br /> funding source for the proposed library if it kills the project. <br /> tMayor Obie summarized the direction of the council saying a majority of <br /> councilors have reservations about using General Fund resources to support <br /> the library, while two councilors feel the use of General Fund resources is <br /> imperative. He said the CCLF would prepare a proposal reflecting this <br /> position) <br /> Martha Rice, Library staff, reported that she had talked with eight people <br /> about the possibilities for private fund-raising for the library. The <br /> consensus among these people was that it is unrealistic to expect <br /> contributions as high as $2 million; one very large donation (of at least $.5 <br /> million) would have to be received to accomplish this goal. Ms. Rice said <br /> her sources felt it would be possible to raise money for improvements and <br /> operations of the library over the course of two or three years with the help <br /> of a professional fund-raiser. <br /> e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 30, 1988 Page 10 <br />