12/08/1992 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Responding to questions from the council regarding the items on the list, Mr. Wong said that, for example, the first item on the list, increased service demand for library circulation services at a cost of $42,000, represented 2.5 FTEs to shelve books. Staff is examining the process currently in use to shelve books in an effort to see if the work could be done differently. Mr. Robinette said that the cost of doing things differently would be appropriate- ly funded by the transition reserve of $1.5 million established by the council. Mr. Wong concurred. Responding to a question from Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Gleason said that staff assumed that the council's direction was that increased demand was a problem the organization was going to have to cope with as long as possible without increased funding. Mr. Boles asked Mr. Gleason if he believed the direction to staff from the council was to "swallow" increased service demand. Mr. Gleason said yes. Mr. Boles said that the City could not absorb demand and maintain a sustainable service system. He added that if the council gave Mr. Gleason that direction, it was in error and should rectify the error. Mr. Gleason agreed with Mr. Boles about system sustainability, but said that staff was not confronted by actual choices until it moved from the planning model to the operational model. He said that it was his judgment not to bring a proposal for addition- al employees without associated funding to the council and attempt to explain why the organization was adding FTEs. Mr. Gleason said that the organization will constrain its operations to the greatest extent possible. If constraint leads to degradation of the service system, it will be necessary to re-examine e the service mix. Ms. Ehrman suggested that it might be necessary to stop certain service components in the Library, such as record check-out, pointing out that the public has not actually experienced any evidence of the City's strained financial circumstances. She said she would like the council to discuss what services may be eliminated in order to address increased demand in other areas. Mr. Gleason said that Mr. Boles raised a legitimate question about system sustainabi1ity. Mr. Gleason suggested that the system was sustainable with a bias toward less cost-increase in the system than occurred in the past. He said he suspected that the circumstances will change, but in the foreseeable future the organization must get smaller in order to make Eugene Decisions work. Responding to a question from Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Gleason said that the budget projections did not include service demand outside of the 3.5 percent infla- tion factor. Additionally, there is $500,000 added each year to accommodate changes in the baseline. Mr. Nicholson maintained that the projections should include service demand and population growth. Mr. Wong said that the finan- cial forecast takes the existing system forward and holds demand assumptions constant. e MINUTES--City Council Work Session December 8, 1992 Page 7 4 p.m.