06/24/1991 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e II. PUBLIC HEARING: ORDINANCE ADOPTING CITY OF EUGENE FY92 BUDGET Assistant City Manager Linda Norris introduced the topic. Administrative Services Director Warren Wong summarized the Budget Committee's recommenda- tions for the FY92 budget. He noted that the Budget Committee recommended the following modifications to the executive budget recommendation: the addition of $10,000 for the youth work program; $65,000 for the performing arts; and $339,000 for the opening of fire station 6 (of which $289,000 is to be used for operating expenses and $50,000 for capital expenses); and the reduction of $25,000 from the Metro Partnership contract. Mr. Wong said that in addition to the Budget Committee's recommended changes, modifications have been made to the sewer budget as a result of the adopted Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) budget. Also, adjustments have been made to the budget for the reserve for encumbrances (outstanding purchase orders) and capital projects that carryover from this year to next. Final- ly, the property tax levy has been adjusted for annexations approved by the Boundary Commission. Mr. Wong pointed out that the proposed General Fund Contingency is $380,000-- the lowest level of General Fund Contingency that the City has started its budget year with for over a decade. Mr. Wong noted that it is normal to have a marginal beginning working capital as a part of the audit process and add that to the General Fund Contingency. Mr. Wong noted that the Budget Committee has recommended that the resources e needed to reopen fire station 6 come out of reserve funds that have been set aside as a contingency for Ballot Measure 5, reducing the City Manager's recommendation for the contingency from $2 million to $1.67 million. He also warned the council that the House of Representatives is considering legisla- tion to reduce the state subvention of alcoholic beverages tax moneys for Oregon c it i es. In response to a request from Mr. Rutan, David Whitlow, Public Safety Direc- tor, addressed a perception that the closure of fire stations 6 and 10 has placed the residents of those neighborhoods at risk for medical care. Mr. Whitlow compared the level of services that Eugene citizens are currently receiving to the level they received in 1981 (when the city was still being served by Medical Services, Inc.), and said that the quality and availability of medical care in 1991 far exceeds the quality that was provided a decade ago. Mr. Whitlow explained that the improvements in medical care can be described by three indicators: the number of trained personnel in the system, the clinical sophistication of the service, and emergency response times. Since 1981, the number of Emergency Medical Technicians 4 (EMT4), the highest level of certification available, has increased from 5 to 44. This means that a reserve medic unit can be staffed very quickly, if necessary, and that the first responder to a medic call will often have an EMT4 on the crew. Regard- ing response times, he indicated that when MSI was providing service, 15- to 20-minute response times were not uncommon. Now that the City is providing e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 24, 1991 Page 2