CC Minutes - 10/27/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Torrey closed the Public Forum and invited comments from councilors. Councilor Meisner requested that staff provide to the City Councilors a list of staff and FTEs provided and paid for by the Stormwater Fund. He wanted the council to be aware of how much of parks planning and maintenance were paid for by the Stormwater Fund. Regarding the cattery, Councilor Meisner noted Councilor Nathanson's intention to present a supplemental request for one-time bridge funding to pay the City's share of restoring the services. He asked staff to provide the council information on the contractual agreement made with the Greenhill Humane Society. He wondered if, as an option, the City could include in its contract with Greenhill the type of cattery service LCARA would provide. Councilor Taylor expressed appreciation for all of the people in the community who care about issues and come before the council to speak on them. She applauded the dedication exhibited by the supporters of funding for the LCARA cattery. She supported the request for one-time funding for the service. Councilor Taylor called Mr. Farley's comments very important, stating that nothing was more important than preserving the quality of the environment and the stream corridors. She noted the fee had passed but had not been implemented before the council had rescinded it. She conveyed her hope that supporters of the fee would exhibit the same tenacity the supporters of the cattery had demonstrated. Regarding Mr. Vishanoff's testimony, Councilor Taylor admired his dedication. Councilor Taylor agreed with Mr. Brown that all citizens should be able to march in the streets without having to pay to do so. Councilor Bettman thanked all those who spoke at the Public Forum. She said the City's legal counsel and the police chief were looking at the permit issue. She suggested the council may want to explore options on whether or not such fees should be implemented. Councilor Bettman, noting she had not voted for the reduction in the stormwater fee, opined the situation was worse than it had looked. She stated that there was already a $2 million deficit in the budget and the budget was slated to increase by $2 million, adding that this could translate to a $4 million deficit should it remain unaddressed. She asserted that the improvement in the level of cleanliness of the river was an indication that the program had been working. She said the program was for water quality of the community in the future and whether the water would continue to be ;;drinkable, swimmable, and fishable." Councilor Bettman expressed admiration for the persistence of the people who supported the cattery. She wished the same kind of constituency would show up to solicit support for Station 7, which provides aid to homeless youth. Councilor Nathanson concurred with the points raised by Councilor Meisner. Councilor Kelly thanked participants for taking the time to speak in the Public Forum. He echoed Councilor Bettman's response to Mr. Brown's testimony. He suggested staff provide in a memorandum options as to how to best balance free speech issues, remuneration issues, and staff cost issues. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 27, 2003 Page 3 Regular Meeting