CC Minutes - 10/28/02 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

David Hinkley, 1350 Lawrence Street, commented that the ordinance title was technically legal but noted that the words "gas tax" were not mentioned in the title and opined that this would account for the Iow citizen turn out for the public hearing. Mayor Torrey closed the public hearing. In response to a question from Councilor Bettman regarding the process for public outreach for the hearing, Mr. Carlson said no extra outreach was made but stressed that the hearing was noticed the same as other public hearings. In response to a question from Councilor Bettman regarding how much of the tax would go to the Oregon Department Of Transportation for administrating the tax, Mr. Corey said, based on a survey of other cities and counties that used ©D©T as a collection resource, that the usual rate was in the one-two percent range. He said the City was using four percent for purposes of estimating costs on the conservative side. In response to a question from Councilor Bettman regarding offsetting the transportation system maintenance fee with changes to the way the stormwater fees were administered, Mr. Carlson said a request had come from the Chamber of Commerce to review the issue. He said it would be a policy issue on which the council would have to give direction. Mr. Corey added that there was a staff level review of the current budget status in comparison to the costs of service and services provided. Councilor Meisner raised concern that the title of the ordinance was confusing to the general public and stressed the importance of getting clear information to the public. He said a gas tax was not the sole remedy for finding funding for street maintenance, but that this was not a reason to do nothing. In response to a question from Councilor Meisner regarding a countywide increase in registration fees and the allocation formula for a countywide gas tax, Mr. Corey said the Board of Commissioners had the discretion to establish a formula for how those funds would be used. Councilor Meisner expressed concern over what Eugene's allocation of funding from the County would be. Councilor Kelly reiterated Councilor Meisner's concerns over the allocation the City of Eugene would receive if the gas tax were administered countywide. Councilor Kelly said the stormwater fee revenue was a completely different issue. He said he did not want to wait months for a detailed report when changes might not be needed. Councilor Kelly said a one sentence change in the ordinance was needed before he would support it. He cited Section 3.489(2) which was the description of what the gas tax would be used for. He stressed the importance of narrowing the language so it specifically singled out operations and maintenance of existing roads and did not allow for new roads to be built with its funding. Councilor Pap~ said the ordinance was one leg of the process needed to move forward. He said he would not support the ordinance unless there was participation from nearby jurisdictions. He MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 28, 2002 Page 5 Regular Meeting