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Continuing, Mr. Heuser discussed local transportation financing options. He noted that there was <br />potential that someone would introduce legislation that would provide for a five-cent gas tax <br />statewide that would be shared with local governments, but would preempt local authority to enact <br />additional gas taxes. He advocated for opposition of legislation that would remove local control of <br />a gas tax. <br /> <br />Mr. Heuser noted that every phone bill has had a 75 cent charge to cover the Public Safety <br />Answering Points (PSAP) or 9-1-1 Centers. He explained that there are large PSAP funding <br />discrepancies from county to county and the funds dispersed have not been enough to operate the <br />PSAP in Lane County. He said that if the one percent floor for the minimum amount of funding <br />that counties were allocated was eliminated, there would be ample funding for every PSAP in Lane <br />County. He stated that the City would be working with its government partners, other <br />municipalities, and the League of Oregon Cities to track that legislation and work toward a more <br />equitable distribution of those funds. <br /> <br />Regarding the transient lodging tax, Mr. Heuser said that these funds had been used in the City of <br />Eugene toward debt retirement from the commitment to Hayward Field renovation that had been <br />made several years ago. He reported that this funding could be preempted and that the purposes <br />for which the funds could be used could be so narrowly drawn that the City could only use the <br />funding for tourism, such as only for billboards to advertise the area, and that this debt retirement <br />would no longer qualify for the funding. <br /> <br />Mr. Heuser discussed local telecommunications authority. He noted that during the last few <br />legislative sessions, local right-of-way authority had been under attack. Ms. Nathanson added that <br />several states had passed legislation that gave telecommunications authority to the state. She felt <br />that there was a possibility that there could be a proposal at the State level for authority over <br />telecommunications that would be promoted by industry and that this could look very enticing in <br />the immediate future, but that it was important to think about how the shift in authority would <br />impact the City two years down the road. Mr. Heuser reiterated the importance of maintaining <br />right-of-way authority for local governments. <br /> <br />Mr. Heuser stated that the railroad transportation budget had been saved by ODOT for the present <br />and had not been tremendously impacted. He added that the federal government was considering <br />the future of passenger rail in this country and may redesignate which rail corridors were of <br />importance to the country and a state that did not show commitment to passenger rail could be <br />lower in "the pecking order." <br /> <br />Regarding the potential reform to the State tax structure, Mr. Heuser discussed the issue of shared <br />revenues. He said that the State had done a "good job" of not diminishing local shared revenues, <br />such as the tobacco tax. <br /> <br /> MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 25, 2002 Page 6 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />