07/08/1991 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Reverend Patricia Adams, 3345 Chambers Street, testified against the parking proposal. She cautioned the council that the downtown area can not be resus- citated after it has been destroyed. Issuing parking tickets for the privi- leged of parking downtown would be counter-productive and would encourage people to shop in malls where parking is free. There being no additional requests to speak, the public hearing was closed. Mayor Miller informed the public that the council would be making a decision on this issue when councilors Rutan and Green could be present at the July 17 council meeting. Mr. Bowers provided a staff response to public testimony. He said that it would be possible to provide free parking on Saturdays, and agreed to provide the council with the fiscal implications of such an option. He said that the 8th and Pearl parking lot was not originally included in the program because there were not enough spaces on that lot for short-term parking; he agreed to provide the council with financial estimates of that proposal. Regarding those who indicated a willingness to pay an increased gross receipts tax, he said that staff has conducted financial estimates on that possibility; in order to provide the existing service mix with the existing gross receipts base, downtown property owners would have to pay $7.20/$1000--a significant increase from the present $2.80/$1000. Mr. Bowers said that staff could run a variety of parking rates for the program; the existing rate model is break- even for the City. e Responding to a question from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. Bowers said that staff could provide the council with an estimate of what the gross receipts tax would be for downtown property owners if they were willing to pay for parking services only. The costs would exceed the existing $2.80/$1000 rate. In response to testimony, Ms. Ehrman said that she believes the lot at 11th Avenue and Oak Street is monthly parking. Mayor Miller asked staff to pro- vide the council with information on the current status of that parking lot. Mr. Boles requested that the council be provided with a report on the propor- tion of property owners agreements that have be signed with DEI, its proposed budget, and the proportion of signed contracts representative of the proposed budget. Mr. Nicholson asked what percentage of the downtown merchants support the proposed option. In response, Mr. Boles said that a comprehensive survey was conducted of the downtown property owners. Only 29 percent responded. Based on the 29-percent respondent rate, Mayor Miller asked for statistics about the number of property owners who support the proposal. Mr. Nicholson suggested that the City contact those property owners who pay into the tax now to determine how many would prefer an increase in the gross receipts tax as opposed to this proposal. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1991 Page 6