CC Minutes - 06/23/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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days. She said permits were funding 96 percent of the cost of the PIC. She said if there was another cut, the customers would be paying a higher price for poorer service. David Hinkley, 1350 Lawrence Street, urged the replacement of neighborhood newsletter funding and the addition of funding for staff service for the Citizen Involvement Committee. He urged the council to receive public input before the budget direction was established in the fall. James Cunningham, 1190 West 26th Avenue, urged the restoration of neighborhood newsletter funding to its former levels. He said the key to a democracy was the ability for its citizens to communicate with each other. He opined that there was leeway in neighborhood matching grants to restore some of the cut funding. Cary Thompson, 966 Jackson Street, thanked the council and the Budget Committee for maintaining the funding for the Trude Kaufman Senior Center. Mayor Torrey closed the public hearing. Councilor Pap~ noted that the budget process was long, tedious and contentious. He complimented staff and the Budget Committee Chair and Vice Chair for their role in managing the process. He maintained that there was much public involvement although there were tough decisions to be made that, by their nature left some participants unhappy. He noted the Budget Committee had eight lay members who represented the public throughout the year. In response to a question from Councilor Kelly regarding the term "reserve for encumbrance," Mr. Carlson said it was an annual item containing carry-forward funds for contracts or obligations that had been entered into but for which not all resources had been spent. Councilor Nathanson reiterated the comments of Councilor Pap~. She stressed that there had been a high level of public involvement. She noted that each committee meeting had a public comment period and that decisions had been made and changed based on that public input. Councilor Pap~, seconded by Councilor Nathanson, moved to approve Resolution 4761, amended according to staff recommendation, adopting the budget, making appropriations, determining, levying, and categorizing, the annual ad valorem property tax levy for the City of Eugene for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003, and ending June 30, 2004. Councilor Kelly, seconded by Councilor Bettman, moved to amend the motion by restoring the cut of $41,500 for neighborhood newsletters on an ongoing basis, offset by a reduction in the Reserve for Revenue Shortfall. Councilor Kelly said newsletters were a cheap way to get information to citizens. He noted that there was a council policy to have active neighborhood associations. He said that more people read neighborhood newsletters than used the City's website or watched Metro Television. He added that there was funding available in the Reserve for Revenue Shortfall. Councilor Nathanson stressed that sharing public information was critical. She noted that some newsletters were more helpful than others. She said Mr. Cunningham was an ideal advocate for the public on the issue. She suggested that service organizations, leadership groups, scout MINUTES Eugene City Council June 23, 2003 Page 4 Regular Meeting