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called for making the neighborhood a better and safer place to live. He suggested the council <br />have a more comprehensive discussion of the West University area at a future meeting. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey questioned whether the percentage increase proposed for the downtown district <br />was fair. Mr. Brink pointed out that the increase was the first in over six years, and the board <br />was seeking to fund other programs that would benefit downtown. Mayor Torrey supported the <br />assessment to City government and hoped other governments downtown would also contribute. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner concurred with Mayor Torrey's final comment, although he was not hopeful that other <br />governments would contribute. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner said if the City Council choose to go forward with a rate based on square footage, it <br />should be conscious of the impact of that approach as new facilities, such as the library, was <br />built. He said that a flat payment of $12,000 was one thing, but he did not want to have to seek <br />additional library funds in the future to pay those costs. Mr. Johnson acknowledged Mr. Meisner's <br />remarks, and clarified that the proposal submitted by Mr. Brink did not increase because of the <br />new library. <br /> <br />Responding to a request for direction from Mr. Johnson, the council agreed that staff could draft <br />language including nonprofits in the rate base for further consideration. Mr. Kelly asked for <br />information on how many nonprofits were affected. <br /> <br />Mr. Lee left the meeting. <br /> <br />C.Work Session: Yard Debris Collection Rate <br /> <br />Mr. Pap8 recused himself from the agenda item and left the meeting. <br /> <br />Nancy Young, Planning and Development Department, provided a presentation on a proposal for <br />a regular curbside yard debris program. She reminded the council that it had discussed such a <br />program in November 1999. Such a program would reduce the waste stream going to the local <br />landfill, as yard debris constituted approximately ten percent of all disposed waste. Ms. Young <br />referred the council to the program options included in the meeting packet for yard debris <br />curbside collection, including program funding and proposed exemptions. She reviewed the staff <br />recommendation, which was for a regular curbside yard debris program with exemption by use of <br />a 21-gallon refuse container. She further recommended that customers pay $2 for the service, <br />and that the balance of the funding come from an excise tax on commercial haulers. <br /> <br />Ms. Young noted that the City's consultant, Scott Hobson, of the firm Hilton Farnkoff and Hobson, <br />was also present to answer questions. <br /> <br />Responding to questions from Mr. Rayor regarding the haulers' rate of return, Mr. Hobson said <br />that not all haulers report the same rate of return, but with the exception of one smaller hauler, all <br />those providing commercial service generate sufficient a level of profits that would allow the City <br />to implement the excise tax and reduce rates while still generating profits. Ms. Young said four of <br />the five haulers could meet the threshold. <br /> <br />Mr. Rayor said that the $2 fee for customers seemed reasonable. He noted that the 21-gallon <br />service was a weekly service that cost about $7 monthly. His can was a 32-gallon can and he <br />had service once a month at a cost of about $5. Mr. Rayor believed that more work needed to be <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 24, 2000 Page 6 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />