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e - e Mr. Obie was not sure the council could develop a consensus. He was hesitant in having the council interject too strongly in the process at this point for fear of being part of the problem rather than part of the solution. He said it is council IS responsibility to keep the school board up to date on the policies of the community and to audit the activities to see that those policies are being considered. He saw no indication that those policies were not being considered. He was not in favor of being involved officially at this time. He said it is very important to keep the politics as far away as they can. Ms. Smith did not see how a task force made up of City Council, school board, and Planning Commission members, could hurt the situation. She shared Mr. Obiels concerns about taking over the role of the school board; however, the decision the school board makes will affect Eugene. Because of communication problems, nothing could be lost by having that kind of task force appointed with the understanding that it is the school board's responsibility but that the City wants to be more closely involved. Mr. Obie replied that if they did that, he would want to be on the task force to be sure that his ward was represented and that is the point that he was trying to make. Ms. Miller thought a joint effort would be more successful than harmful. She supported the effort. She was not happy with the lack of citizen input in the task force process. She felt that the basic assumptions of the task force have not been the subject of public testimony. The City Manager suggested a methodology. He thought the process was "shifting gears" and input would not be constructive currently. The school district has made a two-pronged overture: 1) it would decide when input was strategic, and 2) they will get reactions to a model. Mr. Gleason said there is real jeopardy for the City Council, which Councilor Obie alluded to. The council will have difficulty with speaking on school decisions with one voice as these decisions will affect each ward in a different fashion. There will be pressure to enter that environment. He suggested letting the situation crystallize. Staff will bring it back in the context of the municipal interest and try to steer away from the parochial solutions. Because of policy considerations, community interest, and long-range goals, council cannot afford to walk away from the subject. Members of the City Council agreed with Mr. Gleasonls statement. Ms. Schue hoped that the concern of the Citizen Involvement Committee could be conveyed to School District 4-J. Mr. Gleason drew a consensus that: 1) the City wants to intervene from the standpoint of goals and data of the City and that should be made clearly under- stood at the school board leyel; 2) there is some concern with regard to citizen input and the City should very tactfully attempt to be constructive; 3) the City will wait until there is something clear to make suggestions about after the recommendation is made by the task force. The City will work with the school board in developing a proper format for that. Mr. Gleason thought it was appropriate for him to talk to Dr. Dorland and to get Dr. Dorland's reaction. He would communicate back to the council. Mr. Chenkin agreed and added that his impression was that whatever the task force would come up with, the board will think about their recommendations very seriously. The board's final decision is not scheduled to be reached until the end of the summer. There should be ample opportunity for the City to deliberate and get involved. MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 15, 1981 Page 10