CC Minutes - 09/19/01 Work Session

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B. Work Session: Funding of the Long-Range Downtown Space Plan Assistant City Manager Jim Carlson joined the council for the item. He noted the distribution of information regarding the staff recommendations related to the agenda item. Mr. Carlson reviewed the information, which identified funding sources to underwrite the cost of constructing new City facilities, summarized the services and buildings involved in staff-recommended Scenario C, provided details of the Downtown Space Plan time line, identified the total funding available and the funding gap that needed to be filled, and outlined options for filling the gap. Those options included: 1) asking for voter approval of general obligation bonds; 2) contribution of ongoing General Fund resources of $5.5 million annually; or 3) a combination of the above two approaches. Staff recommended the third option. Mr. Carlson reviewed next steps in the process, which included budgetary adjustments in Supplemental Budget #1 to implement a market-based rent concept, a request for council approval of the land purchase for Fire Station 1, and council review and adoption of implementation plans for Police Special Operations and Fire Station 1. Mr. Carlson called attention to two suggested motions in the distributed information. He noted the inclusion of the council's goal related to Effective, Accountable Municipal Government. Mr. Johnson called the council's attention to the decision steps outlined on page 40-42 of the meeting packet. Ms. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Kelly, moved to direct staff to develop Downtown Space Plan projects in the recommended priority order, with Police Special Operations and Fire Station #1 in order of completion. Responding to a question from Ms. Taylor regarding the amount of funding immediately available, Mr. Carlson indicated it was approximately $3 million; a downtown fire station would cost $5.5 million. Ms. Taylor said she preferred to build a fire station first because she thought that was most urgent. She suggested moving Police Department staff in the City Hall basement to that facility on a temporary basis. She thought it was important to get the fire equipment out of City Hall as she understood it was damaged being taken in and out of the structure. Ms. Taylor asked if charging market rents to City services was not just taking money from one place and putting it in another place. Mr. Carlson said that the City has existing dedicated moneys going to the Facilities Reserve, and staff was proposing that those moneys be translated to rent to show the full cost of the services provided in the different facilities. By doing that, the City could also charge rent to such non-general funds as the Wastewater and Stormwater funds for the space their staffs occupied, for example, at 858 Pearl Street. Ms. Taylor said that would take money from those funds that could be used for something else. Mr. Johnson said that what the staff was presenting was the beginning of a ten-year program; this was one step in that program. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 19, 2001 Page 9 Work Session