07/10/1991 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Mr. MacDonald asked City Manager Mike Gleason to comment on the option nego- tiations between the building owner and the City. In response, Mr. Gleason said that staff is in the process of negotiating the option, and said he is confident that a fair agreement will be reached. Mr. MacDonald asked whether the council might be willing to reconsider its earlier decision and initiate purchase of the Sears building at this time. He said that it is clear from the vote that there is strong community support for a library. The council should not suspend all work on the library until the final Eugene Decisions vote has come before the voters; the two issues could run simultaneously. Mr. Green noted that the City of Cleveland, Ohio, has created its own founda- tion program for meeting various civic funding needs. He suggested that Eugene explore this option for library funding. Mr. Boles expressed his support for fast-tracking the library issue. The City might be ready to consult the voters for a comprehensive decision on this issue in November. He noted it would be irresponsible for the council to separate the overhead and maintenance (O&M) costs from the capital costs. Ms. Bascom said that the library issue should be considered within the con- text of the Eugene Decisions process. She noted, however, that it might be prudent for the council to hold a separate vote on the two issues. e Mr. Nicholson agreed that library O&M costs should be considered concurrent with capital costs. He noted that many different interpretations have been made surrounding the affirmative library vote. He does not believe that the vote was a mandate for a library at the Sears site; it was rather approval of library construction in that general location. Mr. Nicholson said that he believes that it would not be difficult to reaffirm the public commitment for a library in other nearby locations. Mr. Robinette urged the council not to separate the library issue from the Eugene Decisions process and cautioned the council that separating the issues might damage the credibility of the Eugene Decisions process. It would be unwise for the council to prejudge what the outcome of the Eugene Decisions process will be. Mr. Green agreed that decisions on the library should be made in the context of the Eugene Decision process. He believes that a library will come out as a high priority of the Eugene Decisions process. Once a good financial pack- age has been created for the library, the council should initiate purchase of the building immediately. Ms. Ehrman voiced concern with the staffing implications of fast-tracking the library. She said that she continues to support building purchase, but said that O&M costs should not be separated from capital costs. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 10, 1991 Page 6