02/22/1984 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e e - Councilor Holmer asked if the Financial Management Policies acted on last year by the council were dated. He stated that he would prefer not to act on any new set of policies, adding that he felt the concerns acted to obscure the policies. Mr. Wong responded that the policies adopted were not time-limited. He explained that the policies were presented to the Financial Planning Committee to obtain a reaffirmation of the direction to the City Manager for the preparation of next year' s budget. Councilor Hansen said the Budget Committee has raised some issues and that the council should accept the report without any formal vote reaffirming the previous policies. Councilor Ball felt the questions raised, especially with regard to the Municipal Service Priority System, are valid. He stated that he is still unclear of the priority system. He stated that he would not support the policies as a priority list to be submitted to the public. He said the Budget Committee has raised the question of how firm the priorities are and he feels that it deserves an answer. Councilor Schue said she is interested in the same topic as Mr. Ball. She hoped that everyone understands the priority system. Ms. Schue said she is not committed to the priority of some items but is willing to accept the report as a general planning document, subject to change by the Budget Committee and the City Council. She did not feel the issue was a basis for rejecting the entire report. In a question to Mr. Hansen, Councilor Wooten asked what difference any vote would make on the status of the policy concerns. Mr. Hansen responded that the document was submitted by the Budget Committee to reaffirm the council's previous position. He said the Budget Committee has raised some issues and he believed that a future council session on finances should address these concerns. Mr. Hansen felt the council should accept the presentation in good faith and consider the issues. Ms. Wooten said she also believes that the council should view the Financial Planning Management Policies as a guideline rather than as a strict interpretation of line item placement. Councilor Obie said the point raised by Mr. Holmer creates the question of why the council should again adopt the policies. He said that the guidelines might change in any given year and that the council can facilitate the budget process by adopting the policies. He stated that some change will probably occur within the priority system as the council goes through the process. Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Wooten, to adopt the recommenda- tion of the Financial Planning Committee relative to the Financial Management Committee. Several councilors questioned whether it was appropriate to adopt the recommen- dation. Mr. Obie said the Financial Management Policies are still intact from last year and that the Budget Committee was recommending issues to be discussed rel ative to those pol icies. The motion failed for lack of a second. Ms. Wooten moved, seconded by Mr. Holmer, to receive the report of the Budget Committee relative to their concerns regarding the Financial Management Policies. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1984 Page 7