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e e e similar results. Mr. Weeks discussed the extent to which respondents relied on additional revenue and on service reductions, saying most favored a combi- nation of approaches emphasizing revenue raising as opposed to service reduc- tions. This process is exaggerated in the workshops. Turning to the findings on service reduction, Mr. Weeks noted the extremely high degree of consistency, with a correlation coefficient of .92. A rank- ordered list of programs along with the average amount of reduction showed services such as public safety and library at the top, with cultural services at the bottom. Mr. Weeks said there was an important distinction in the average amount of reduction for programs. Displaying a list of the 15 pro- grams most often cut, he said only 10 percent of the respondents eliminated any program. Mr. Weeks said the problem is that the costly programs are the popular programs, and the programs that are reduced result in much less money saved. Though there seems to be general agreement to produce significant savings through reduction of services, there is no consensus on reductions that produce that amount of money. He noted that eliminating all the pro- grams chosen by the respondents would still produce a budget shortfall of 25 percent. Mr. Weeks revealed a similar dilemma on service enhancements. There is great consistency throughout the instruments. Mr. Weeks introduced the topic of revenues with a discussion of general tax- es. He noted that a recurring theme is broad support for balancing the budg- et through raising a general revenue. But there is no general support for any single revenue source. He said the most popular revenue sources tend to produce the least amount of revenue (with the exception of a restaurant tax), while the least popular sources yield more revenue. Mr. Weeks summarized his discussion saying that respondents seem to balance the budget by a combination of approaches, placing greater weight on addi- tional revenue. There is recognition that significant revenue will have to be generated through service reductions, but there is not full support for reducing services that will yield the amount needed to reach that budget target. There is wide support for using additional revenue to balance the budget, but not agreement on what revenue sources to use. The rank-ordered list of programs reveals broad public support for Public Safety, Library services, and programs that serve special populations for which there is not broad support for the use of user fees. There is also broad public support for services that respond to important community social issues. Mr. Weeks said the information in the report should be used with caution. He said the report is a "snapshot" of public opinion about services. There are other important reasons to make a decision about expansion, maintenance, or reduc- tion of a program beyond simply public opinion. Other considerations include public health and safety, contractual agreements, State mandates, and inter- nal management and operational considerations. Mr. Weeks said the information was useful to identify programs with such broad support that reduction is unlikely. The information also gives an indication of the kinds of policies the City might pursue in developing solu- MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 13, 1992 Page 3