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Ms. Bettman thought the issue a very big deal, and said it was scary to her that the manager was not informed. <br />She requested a memo regarding where the fracture in communication had occurred and how it occurred. She <br />wanted to see some accountability. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner agreed with what had been said. He was concerned by what seemed to be a change in policy in <br />terms of staff openness. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson had nothing to add in terms of what had been said. <br /> <br />Mr. Rayor questioned how staff could have reached the recommendation it had on the tax exemption when it <br />was aware of the appeal. <br /> <br />Mr. Pap~ concurred with the comments of other councilors. He appreciated the City Manager's <br />acknowledgment of the problem and his willingness to take responsibility. He wanted to know what occurred <br />in terms of accountability. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey said that the council and manager were doing what they ought to be doing in the conversation. <br /> <br />B.WORK SESSION: Funding for Transportation System Maintenance <br /> <br />Kurt Corey, Public Works Director, joined the council for the item. He noted that staff from the City of <br />Springfield was also present to answer questions about where Springfield was on the topic. Mr. Corey <br />reminded the council of the $67 million in maintenance backlog needs, and its direction to the Budget Citizen <br />Subcommittee to make a recommendation on the topic, which it had presented to the council in October 2001. <br />He said that the council requested additional detail regarding a combination of a local fuel tax and a <br />transportation utility, amounting to a total of $9 million annually. The council also directed staff to work with <br />Springfield on the gas tax option, and on a public outreach program to help the public understand the issue. <br /> <br />Mr. Corey noted the recent adoption of the modified transportation systems development charge (SDC) and <br />the anticipated contribution from the SDC reimbursement component to maintenance funding (about $700,000 <br />annually). <br /> <br />Mr. Corey reviewed the contents of the meeting packet related to the item, noting the inclusion of a <br />memorandum from Becky Koble with information about a local option gas tax, information about a potential <br />transportation system maintenance fee (TSMF), a memorandum from Larry Hill and Fred McVey with <br />information about a methodology to implement that fee, and a memorandum from Eric Jones summarizing <br />public education efforts. <br /> <br />The council viewed an eight-minute video on the issue of City road maintenance that had been prepared by <br />MetroTV. <br /> <br />Mr. Corey indicated staff was not requesting action at this point other than endorsement of the public <br />information plan. <br />Mr. Meisner commended the presentation and said that education was very important. Given that not all <br />residents had access to cable television, he suggested that the video be shown in different areas of the <br />community. He had found the tour the council went on to be very informative. Mr. Meisner indicated some <br /> <br /> MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 24, 2002 Page 2 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />