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could influence the mix of rental and homeownership ratios in certain neighborhoods as important <br />issues. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly agreed with Ms. Nathanson about the value of the strategic issues document. <br />Regarding Ms. Nathanson's point about the number of goals and associated work load for staff, <br />Mr. Kelly said that staff should not be timid about the impact on resources when the council talked <br />about its goals and priorities. Regarding Mr. Meisner's points about government funding, he <br />agreed that the issue should be a key focus in the next two years. He suggested the council had <br />failed not in setting the goal, but in endorsing the associated work plan without noticing there was <br />not much in it. He agreed with Ms. Taylor another committee was not needed, recommending <br />instead that the staff update the final report of the former Council Committee on Finance for the <br />council's review. <br /> <br />Mr. Fart said that the council's goals could not exclude capital improvements and investments in <br />infrastructure. He said the City should take better care of its infrastructure, even if it mean going <br />to the public for more money. He said that the public does not always say no to City ballot <br />measures. <br /> <br />Mr. Fart was not interested in a new taxing source. He wanted the City to be more efficient, and <br />thought the efficiencies the organization realized since the passage of Ballot Measure 47/50 could <br />continue and more efficiencies could be found. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner said more efficiencies were never going to provide for community growth or build <br />branch libraries. He wanted to replace all or most of the organization's dependence on the <br />property tax with a tax that was fair, equitable, and progressive. He suggested a comprehensive <br />examination of the entire budget, with identification of elements related to anticipated growth, and <br />subsequent identification of a funding source to underwrite those costs. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner did not think the council was clear about what it meant when it discussed goals as <br />compared to the regular budget and called for a discussion of the topic for the council to reach <br />agreement on what it meant. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey said the City should take advantage of the 2000 census information to the greatest <br />degree possible. He said that information was the most valuable planning tool the City had. He <br />asked that a work session be scheduled on "what the census told us." <br /> <br />Mr. Johnson said the goals process was designed to give the council an opportunity to take a <br />longer term view of the community. The process was not the completion of 203 projects, but the <br />change in the direction the community or staff would take in realizing the council's vision. <br /> <br />The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. <br /> <br />Respectfully submitted, <br /> <br />James R. Johnson <br />City Manager <br /> <br />(Recorded by Kimberly Young) <br /> <br /> MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 24, 2001 Page 10 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />