03/04/1992 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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. e - capital budget. A larger budget would allow for enhancing the quality of services. He said that currently the City is addressing facility health and safety needs. He said that maximizing preservation and allowing for enhanc- ing the quality of services are not included on the current list of policies. Ms. Bascom asked what budget amount would be needed for a maintenance level. Mr. Gleason explained that the original $2.5 million figure was based on how much of the Federal Revenue Sharing funds the council was willing to allo- cate. He said that subsequent analysis revealed that $4 million is needed for a maintenance level. In response to a question from Ms. Bascom regarding Policy 6.5., the proposal to charge services using City-owned buildings an in-lieu-of-rent charge, Mr. Gleason said that the City has not been able to establish a system whereby City-owned buildings receive the maintenance they require to maximize their life. He said that the General Fund has not been able to support this ex- pense. He said that in order to maximize asset life, building maintenance should occur on a regular basis, rather than waiting until a particular structure needs repair or replacement. In response to a question from Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Gleason said that staff is preparing an analysis which will demonstrate the cost savings of such a system. Mr. Nicholson wondered how long it would take before the savings were realized, since a large investment is required initially. Mr. Gleason said that savings would most likely be realized within ten years. He cautioned that the building inventory will increase over time because the population will increase. Mr. MacDonald pointed out that the word "incremental" in the description of service level 2 priorities implies that the services will be improved. As an example of the implications of this, he said that enhancement to a park would occur before investment in affordable housing. Mayor Miller stated that the council must decide on whether it wants maintenance and enhancement of only those services that are related to health and safety. He wondered whether the description of service level 2 priorities should conclude after the word "facilities" in the first sentence. Ms. Bascom said that it is important for service levels to be flexible, in order to account for the unknown. Mr. Boles suggested adding the phrase "so as to optimize their life" after the word "facilities" in the first sentence. Mr. Rutan said that if the council is faced with reducing the budget by $8 million, the City will be merely surviving, and will not have adequate funding for improvements. He expressed hesitance about including the word "enhance.1I Mr. Gleason said that after the Eugene Decisions process, some services may be eliminated, some services may remain the same, and some services may be increased. He said that the council will need to develop a budget that will reflect the adopted outcome and that the Financial Management Goals and Policies is an instrument which will guide this process. Mr. Boles suggested moving the sentence "when required for the preservation of health, safety, or quality of life in the community or community demand for incremental services, develop or enhance the fixed asset inventory" to the end of the description of service level 3 priorities. MINUTfS--fugene City Council 5:30 p.m. April 6, 1992 Page 4