CC Minutes - 11/12/02 Work Session

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of one major special project per year (.25 FTE); 4) increase work plan to include review of all committees and addition of two major special projects a year (.5 FTE); and 5) assume sponsorship of the Citizen Involvement Strategic Plan review and update, undertake two special projects per year, and provide overall oversight of the City's departments' citizen involvement efforts (1 FTE). Ms. Donahue highlighted the ClC's recommendation that the council adopt Option 3, requiring a staff commitment of .25 FTE annually. The special project could vary greatly from year-to-year, depending on the needs of the community and the City organization. Ms. Donahue noted that the ClC had also discussed alternative approaches to its membership without reaching a conclusion. Planning and Development Department Director Tom Coyle discussed the financial and staffing ramifications of implementing Option 3, saying that staff's recommendation was that resources be aligned with whatever work program met the expectations of the council. Mayor Torrey called for council questions and comments. Ms. Taylor asked if the ClC approved of the committee's make-up, questioning whether there was duplication of membership and room for improvement. Ms. Donahue said that there was always room for improvement. The ClC and staff were open to suggestions. She believed that the dedicated positions from the Planning Commission and Human Rights Commission were valuable and enriched the committee by bringing in another perspective. Ms. Donahue had no specific ideas to offer about membership. She said that the Voter Pool concept, instituted in the 1990s, had brought many new members to the committee with little prior volunteer experience. Ms. Taylor asked if people should be allowed to apply for the CIC as was done for other committees. She suggested that a member of the ClC should serve on the Planning Commission or the Human Rights Commission. Ms. Donahue said that over the years, the ClC had members that had gone on to other bodies. She suggested that the ClC and Neighborhood Leaders Council (NLC) had served as a launching pad for greater participation in local government for many citizens. Mr. Fart determined from Ms. Bridges that the City's current staff commitment to the ClC was four hours monthly. Mr. Fart was inclined to support the recommendation but wanted to ensure that the staff commitment did not go beyond the .25 FTE recommended. Mr. Carlson noted that the suggested motion was to forward a service level recommendation to the Budget Committee. Mr. Kelly determined from Mr. Carlson that passage of the motion would result in the option being listed as a budget add-on or a change to the existing baseline. Mr. Kelly wanted the option to be a component of the baseline budget and indicated he would modify the motion to that effect. Mr. Kelly said that citizen involvement was vitally important to the democratic process. He believed that it was appropriate for Eugene to enjoy a higher level of staff support for the CIC, and while he preferred a higher degree of commitment, he acknowledged the fiscal constraints facing MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 12, 2002 Page 4 Work Session