CC Minutes - 09/24/01 Work Session

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much time discussing small requests as it did on large policy issues, and she preferred to give the time to large policy issues. Ms. Taylor said she supported many of the funding requests included in the list when they came up and doubted they would have been funded through the regular budget process. She suggested that the services overseen by the HSC should be eliminated from council consideration, and concurred with Mr. Meisner's remarks regarding the element of emotional blackmail involved. She thought the programs seeking funding did good work, but they should not be financed from the contingency account. Ms. Bettman was not sure how she felt about the issue because she had not seen enough requests to reach a conclusion during her tenure on the council. She said there was ambiguity about the human services-related requests, but suggested that could be remedied by asking them to go the HSC and get a recommendation from that body about the request. Ms. Bettman liked the idea the council could leverage small amounts of money with big results. Referring to the issue of emotional blackmail, she said that such requests were not the only occasion the council had to make hard choices; she believed if it considered the requests in light of the criteria, the outcome would be a good one. Ms. Bettman was not prepared to act on the issue tonight. She suggested the possibility of incremental adjustments to the process, but generally thought it a good process. Mr. Meisner noted that several of the requests funded by the council might have been eligible for funding through the Neighborhood Matching Grant Program, and asked for staff follow-up on whether that was the case. Mr. Meisner had mixed feelings about an HSC review of funding proposals. He was concerned that the HSC would always indicate that the City should approve such funding proposals because that would allow it to direct its dollars to other purposes. He thought an emergency funding program and the regular budget process could be used effectively to address the need that existed. Ms. Bettman clarified that she was proposing that the City seek input from the HSC about why a funding request made to the City was not funded by the commission during its regular budget process. Mr. Meisner did not want to create an additional burden for HSC members in having to justify why each rejected request was not funded. E. Consent Calendar 1. Approval of Minutes July 25, 2001, Work Session August 12, 2001, Work Session August 22, 2001, Work Session August 29, 2001, Work Session 2. Approval of Tentative Agenda MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 24, 2001 Page 12 Work Session