11/14/1990 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

e Ms. Ehrman stated that participation in neighborhood organizations should be a qualification for candidates. The council agreed that this was implied. Mr. Rutan wondered if the council wanted to require as a qualification some period of active City involvement in local government or other public ser- vice. He suggested two years. The council agreed to his suggestion. Ms. Schue cautioned the council about making the qualification process so complex that it would be difficult to get enough qualified applicants. Mr. Green asked how the proposed structure might impact those members cur- rently serving on the Budget Committee. Mayor Miller responded that member reappointment would be the same for this committee as for all other commit- tees. Ms. Bascom said it should be made clear that members can only be reap- pointed one time. In response to a request for clarification from Mr. Nicholson, Ms. Ehrman explained that the council had been dissatisfied with the constituency of the Budget Committee and decided on the need to change the lay member appointment process in an attempt to formulate a more cohesive group. Mayor Miller added that by involving the entire council in the appointment process, the council will be assured of having ownership of the entire Budget Committee. Mr. Nicholson indicated that the budget process is one of the council's most important activities. He said that the effectiveness of the member appoint- e ment process is highly dependent on the constituency of the council which makes the appointment. Whereas the proposed process might work well for the current council, it may not work well for a closely divided council because of the potential for disregarding a minority position. Mr. Rutan felt that the qualification of the ability to speak at pubic forums is too subjective and should be eliminated. The council agreed. Ms. Schue warned the council that if it is intent on the need for participa- tion by wards, this should be stated explicitly. Noting that the current constituency of Budget Committee members would quali- fy under the proposed list of qualifications, Ms. Bascom questioned whether the proposed process would be effective in getting at the council's concerns. Responding to a question from Ms. Bascom, Mr. Wong said that lay members would have staggered appointments which would result in a turnover rate of approximately one third per year. Mr. Rutan said that the council agreed to make strong efforts to recruit members from specific wards in the community; it chose not to mandate ap- pointments by wards to give leeway in those instances when there was a lack of acceptable, qualified applicants. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 14, 1990 Page 4