Item 3D: Ratification of IGR Meeting Minutes

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Ms. Bettman said it brought up the issue of whether it was appropriate to bring just one school district along. She averred that if the school district’s objective elevated to the level at which it was the City’s objective as it was with the West Eugene education center this was a different situation. Mayor Piercy observed that the Springfield School District had determined that this was a good way to get some funding for its arts center and its arts program and had experienced success. She said Eugene’s school districts had not really been interested in spending the money to pursue this as an avenue for funding because they did not have a solid objective in mind. She did not believe that the districts opposed Spring- field School District’s participation. She had some concern about this project because of its similarity. She added that she felt it was cheaper to pay for school buses to go to the West Eugene center than it was to develop their own program. Ms. Bettman reiterated that the City of Eugene had presented the West Eugene education center as a multi- jurisdictional regional facility. She said everyone had to agree to support everyone’s agenda. She posited that it might not be the right time to introduce Springfield’s proposal given that all of the pieces were not yet in place for the West Eugene facility. In response to a question from Ms. Bettman, Ms. Wilson affirmed that the West Bank Trail would still be on the list. Mayor Piercy wondered if Springfield was asking for this as a piece of their recreation program. She thought the riparian education project might be more of a Willamalane Recreational District endeavor. Ms. Wilson responded that Willamalane was a partner in it. She noted that she had spoken with a Springfield staff person and he shared concerns about the similarity between the proposals. Mayor Piercy remarked that one of the things that had garnered the interest of the Oregon Senators in the Rachel Carson Environmental Education Center had been its focus on education. Ms. Bettman wondered if there would be a way for the City to fund a representative from the school district for the United Front trip. Mayor Piercy responded that the school districts did not have an interest, though they had the means to do so. She suggested they take letters from the school districts with them advocating for the education center. Ms. Wilson said she would contact the school districts. Ms. Bettman asked who from the City of Eugene would be going on the trip aside from the Mayor and herself. Ms. Wilson replied that she and City Manager Dennis Taylor and Natural Resource Manager Sarah Medary would be accompanying the councilor and the Mayor. 4. Staff Recommendations for Legislation Ms. Wilson pointed to the two memoranda she had included in the packet, one entitled Priority Assignments and the other entitled Recommendations. She explained that the first memorandum was just for informa- tion, but the second memorandum addressed the seven categories for recommendation. She stated that at present there were four main categories and three subcategories. In response to a question from Ms. Taylor, Ms. Wilson stated that the consideration that staff made in making a priority 1, 2, or 3 assignment to support or oppose a bill had to do with financial resources, MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental January 16, 2007 Page 4 Relations