07/16/1980 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . by staying put in a city for sixteen and one-half years. Also, we do not intend to migrate from Eugene after five and one-half years as we have too many qood e friends here in this very special community. On the other hand, most people, including myself, do not relish toiling in the municipal or any other fields at a faster and more furious pace than ever at age 60. Besides, this business is beginning to interfere with my downhill skiing program. This means a new manager for a new council in 1981. "I wi sh to say that I have enjoyed a strong sense of accompl i shment and appre- ciate deeply the fine cooperative team work of a very able staff, two dedicated mayors and councils, and a supportive community. I do not wish to bore every- body more than I already have in the past by pridefully pointing to the lonq list of our staff accomplishments enumerated on the status reports of our priority work programs. Besides, that type of good news never seems to make the news. For me, however, those lists represent many positive work experiences and I hope lasting contributions by staff, starting in my case with the City Charter overhaul of 1975-76. I could also produce a list of non-successes and frus- trations, many of which are churning around in intergovernmental forums today. Even there, we have met with some recent successes; namely, the creation of the convention bureau, which followed an unwanted attempt by the County to levy additional room taxes to perform this function. Also by way of mini-successes, Stan Long and I were able to peddle off to the County a piece of the old jail after years of hassling. "Before closing, I really only wish to remark briefly on just two other categories of activities which have been providing me with a good bit of psychic income or satisfaction, as well as travail. e "During the past year, under somewhat adverse conditions while being short of staff and funds, I am proud to have played a role in firmly establishing and beginning the implementation of the "Eugene Plan." For the first time in recent history, the city will have a reasonable and logical process for developing its budget and an assurance of funding for basic city operations, and they are very basic. Important groundwork for the eventual adoption of the pl an started with the notorious mid-year budget cutbacks, followed by the genesis of the concept by Councilors Delay and Obie, its adoption by voters on May 20, and I hope eventual approval of Tier 2 by the voters in September. Although I have taken some brickbats during this process and on past financial practices, which are steadily being improved (not the~brickbats), no city in Oregon has done a better job with its financial problems. We perce ived and acted on our fi sc al crisis well ahead of all other jurisdictions. "Finally, it has been my pleasure and responsibil ity to put together and to assist the staff teams which are overseeing the planning, construction, and operation of the Performing Arts Center and the Hotel-Conference Center. With respect to the former, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Gus, Les Anderson, Maurie Jacobs and others in nursing this project into reality, starting with the negotiations with the Auditorium Association. With respect to the Hotel- Conference Center, although Charlie Kupper, I, and others have experienced many disappointments over several years in meetings with potential hotel developers, the recent council approval of the conference center contract with the developers e 7/16/80--2