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nity discussion. Mr. McLoud said until the community believes there is a e problem, the committee has two problems. Mr. Boles asked if the committee was prepared to ask the SPC to make a pro- posal reflecting the discussion that had occurred. Ms. Eaton said the SPC will meet after the presentation and committee discussion to prepare a recom- mendation to the full committee. Mr. Perry said he was opposed to Mr. McLoud's proposal because it was merely an invitation to the community to tell the City to cut its staff. He said he preferred the corporate model described by Dr. luke. Mr. Perry said that while the community has been aggressive in describing the city's attractions to encourage people to come to Eugene, he questioned how many residents were aware of all the good things that existed in the community. Mr. Perry said the committee could help to raise the demand for such amenities to generate support for additional revenues to fund those amenities. The Chancellor of Higher Education, for example, has not discussed cutting staff; rather, he is going around the state pointing out to people that they have a great thing going that they do not want to lose, and is asking for $15 million for facul- ty salaries. The Chancellor is not saying "bigger"; he is saying "better." Mr. Perry felt it was important to make people realize that Eugene is a great place to live. Mr. Boles expressed the hope that the SPC could make a recommendation based on the committee discussion. He said a question yet to be resolved was how long such a process should last? It was his sense that the community did not e have the luxury of time that would allow a 15- to 18-month process. Rather, Mr. Boles felt that a 3- to 9-month process was more appropriate. He said that much beyond that time frame, the City will have its decisions made for it, which he wished to avoid. Ms. Eaton agreed. She said if the committee's goal was to impact the FV93 budget, a short time frame was essential. Ms. McMillen said she did not like the idea of going to the community and saying that there is a financial crisis. She believed that would create low morale in the community. Dr. Luke said the group could agree on the scope of the problem, but it will then need to expand that ring of consensus. He agreed with Mr. Gleason that the process was an iterative one. Dr. luke said that the place to start may be with the Budget Committee. The committee can define the problem, deter- mine where it is going given present trends, and agree on threats to the organization. After that, it could decide how to get the information out to the public. He agreed with Mr. Gleason that the public might perceive what the committee does as punitive. He added that the process may be longer than the committee prefers. Mr. Nicholson said that while there has been discussion of downsizing, there was also the alternative of doing things in a more cost-effective way. He said some departments have shrunk through the adoption of more effective ways of doing business. He thought that approach might result in a less painful set of alternatives. e MINUTES--Strategic Plan Committee November 1, 1990 Page 9