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Mayor Torrey solicited a bullet round of council comments. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson was prepared to support an option to send to the voters. The council should <br />provide the voters with a good plan and let them decide. She emphasized the importance of the <br />equity issue to her, saying up to one-quarter of the children and families who would benefit from <br />an improved school and service environment would not be paying to support it. She thought that <br />a very significant issue, and said something must be done to address it. Ms. Nathanson <br />appreciated the staff commitment to a long-term solution and suggested an education service <br />district might be one option. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson wanted the districts to explore ways that they could help the City improve the <br />environments around schools to address their impacts on neighborhoods. Residents frequently <br />complained about litter, noise, and mischief, and often those problems were the result of open <br />campus policies or truancy. She asked the district representatives to consider creative <br />approaches to those problems that involved students. <br /> <br />Mr. Rayor was not prepared to support any option. He did not perceive the proposal as funding <br />service gaps for the City. Mr. Rayor reviewed and then circulated his tax statement, noting that <br />School District 4J received about $800 of his $2,200 tax bill, and the amount would increase with <br />the bond next year. He said that the real issue in terms of school funding was the schools' <br />unfunded pension liability cost. He objected to the fact the school districts had not been proactive <br />in attempting to address the issue and had not joined with the City in its attempt to fight the Public <br />Employees Retirement System (PERS) Board. Mr. Rayor said that public employees have <br />become a "privileged" class and it was time for the taxpayers to act. He termed the proposal a <br />terrible idea and said the City would join Ashland as the only other community in the state to take <br />such an action. <br /> <br />Responding to a question from Mr. PapS, 4J School District Superintendent George Russell said <br />that Governor John Kitzhaber's actions regarding the budget were unknown at this time. If the <br />governor vetoed certain elements of the budget, it would have a serious impact on the local <br />school districts. He had the sense that the governor wanted to veto several of the budget-related <br />bills passed by the State legislature. <br /> <br />Mr. Pap8 was very concerned about the issue of equity. He wanted a better way of making sure <br />Eugene tax dollars benefit Eugene citizens. He was sorry for children who lived outside the city, <br />but he was adamant on the topic. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly said that all three options before the council renew some aspects of the current youth <br />levy, and while he thought the services funded by the levy wonderful, the council told the voters <br />that the levy would be a one-time levy in effect for two years, during which time staff was to find a <br />long-term sustainable funding source. That source had not been found, but he thought it <br />important the City keep the faith with the voters. He acknowledged that legally, a portion of the <br />levy must be for City services, and for that reason he would support Option 3, the option with the <br />lowest amount going to City services. <br /> <br />Speaking to Mr. Rayor's remarks, Mr. Kelly noted that Portland was also providing its schools with <br />financial assistance. <br /> <br /> MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 24, 2002 Page 2 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />