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Mr. Papé supported the butterfly site. He argued that the costs projected did not include the costs of <br />“organizational turmoil” and inefficiencies related to staff moves. He asserted that the 10 percent cost <br />differential between sites could easily be consumed in two years from “operational inefficiencies related to <br />organizational dispersal.” He asked the council to think about what kind of civic contribution it could make <br />to the community if it built a new city hall on the butterfly lot. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz said the issue for her was what the taxpayers were willing to pay for. She said the direction the <br />council took could influence the voters. She preferred to stay at the current City Hall site because while it <br />could cost money to move, City staff was a “hardy group” and the council was talking about building for the <br />long-term. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor noted her agreement with Mr. Papé’s remarks. She thought there was a value to eliminating the <br />butterfly lot and doing something else with that space. She hoped through getting rid of that lot, the City <br />could do something to enhance the Farmers Market. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor was skeptical about the need for future City Hall expansion as she anticipated that in the future <br />more people would be working from home. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy said she thought she could make a good case for either space, but was persuaded that if the <br />City worked at it, it could find some cost savings related to the butterfly parking lot. She thought that the <br />community needed to be excited about a new City Hall and was persuaded the council had the biggest <br />chance of exciting the public with the butterfly lot. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman continued to be concerned about the parking and how it was configured. She suggested that <br />some of the suppositions in the Agenda Item Summary (AIS) were used to minimize the value of selecting <br />the Rock ‘N Rodeo/butterfly lot site and maximize the value of selecting the current City Hall. She thought <br />those were simply assumptions that could be “negotiated away.” If she had to choose between the two sites, <br />she would select the Rock ‘N Rodeo/butterfly lot site. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman wondered whether the butterfly lot would have been one of the two final sites if anyone had <br />identified the issues related to it earlier. She felt manipulated by staff. She thought that if staff determined <br />the lot was not for sale and would cost extra money, it should have been “off the table” at that point or <br />considered in light of those issues. When the council talked about saving money by building on a City- <br />owned site, there was the Sears site, which was supported by many people at the public forums. Perhaps the <br />council would have taken a closer look at that site, which she preferred to the current City Hall site. She <br />thought the butterfly lot was a good location because it was in a part of town that needed redevelopment. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly responded to concerns about the butterfly site, suggesting that the average voter would consider <br />an $80 million bond measure in the same light as a $90 million bond measure. They were both big <br />measures. Regarding the need for a separate police facility, he pointed out to Ms. Solomon those costs were <br />included in both options so his was an “apples to apples” comparison. Speaking to the suggestion the <br />County was not a willing seller, Mr. Kelly believed that the County was a willing seller. The issue for the <br />County was price. <br /> <br />Regarding the potential for future expansion, Mr. Kelly did not think the public would support removing a <br />much-loved park or plaza after a period of time had passed. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 11, 2006 Page 5 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />