CC Minutes - 12/01/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Hamm said, in response to another question from Councilor Pap6, the issue raised had to do with $75,000 proposed to fund the LCARA cattery during the FY04 budget process. She stated that LCARA had provided some figures on a proposal basis, not yet approved by the Lane County Board of Commis- sioners, that were slightly less than that. She added that Eugene accounted for 48 percent of the cat intakes at the cattery. Councilor Pap6 asked how much of the funding came from the City and what it paid for. Ms. Hamm responded that currently the City, in FY04, was providing money for animal enforcement and for sheltering lost and abandoned dogs. She related that LCARA had voiced concern that the amount of money that would be provided for the operation of the cattery, should proposed amendments be passed, would not be enough to maintain operation for six months. She said LCARA would prefer to have an 18-month commitment by February, adding that, in fairness to the agency, it was difficult for them to build a budget without knowing what was coming in and difficult to add staff, as it was challenging to hire staff only to turn around and lay them off. Councilor Pap6 remarked that Saginaw was not a part of Eugene and the closing of the trailer park there was a County responsibility. He opined that the County had money in its budget to address this and simply chose not to do so. Councilor Pap6 asked Airport Manager Bob Noble whether the other three airlines had been contacted regarding the proposal to Delta Airlines. Mr. Noble replied that he had ongoing conversations with all of the incoming carriers over the years and the outreach to Delta Airlines was not a new practice. He said the terms and conditions of the negotiations had not been shared with other carriers as the discussion was more appropriately brought before the council first. Councilor Taylor felt an in-depth discussion regarding animal control was in order. She hoped the council would at least choose to fund the cattery for the next six months in this budget deliberation. She called the issue a community issue. In response to a question from Councilor Bettman, Ms. Murdoch affirmed that $382,795 in domestic preparation grants for specialized equipment included in the police operating budget had been provided through the Homeland Security Act. Councilor Bettman asked if the airport had negotiated with only one air carrier or had it taken bids or put out a request for proposals (RFPs). Mr. Noble replied that no RFP had been put out as the ongoing relationships with air carriers were not conducive to such proposals. He said that Delta Airlines provided a specific service that was strategic for the community in terms of providing capacity to east-bound travel. Councilor Bettman questioned whether Delta Airlines truly was the only carrier that could provide the service. Mr. Noble explained that soliciting an air service was very different from contracting for street improvements. He stated that the airport had held discussions with three different carriers, but Delta Airlines had been the one that had the service that was most in demand in the area. Councilor Nathanson said some of the discussion was toward increasing the number of travelers that fly out of Eugene as opposed to driving to Portland to fly out of there. Mr. Noble affirmed this, adding that Delta provided connectivity with Portland and also with Salt Lake City, Utah. He stated that, with air MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 1, 2003 Page 12 Regular Meeting