Laserfiche WebLink
MINUTES <br /> <br /> Eugene City Council <br /> Work Session <br /> McNutt Room, City Hall--Eugene, Oregon <br /> <br /> September 6, 2000 <br /> 5:30 p.m. <br /> <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: Bobby Lee, Betty Taylor, Nancy Nathanson, Scott Meisner, Pat <br /> Fart, David Kelly, Gary Rayor, Gary Pap~. <br /> <br />CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION <br /> <br />A. Items from Mayor, Council, and City Manager <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor raised the issue of a contingency fund request to underwrite the costs of a City Councilor joimng a <br />sister city delegation on an upcoming trip to Kathmandu, Nepal. She indicated interest in going on the trip if <br />the council decided an official City representative should accompany the delegation. <br /> <br />Mr. Fan: indicated support for Ms. Taylor's request and said he thought it was appropriate that Ms. Taylor <br />accompany the delegation as the official council representative. He asked about the cost of the trip. Ms. <br />Taylor said it was approximately $3,000. Mr. Fan: thought that was reasonable. City Manager Jim Johnson <br />indicated that the funding would like be allocated from the contingency fund. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner objected to the expenditure due to budget constraints. He also did not think that the expenditure <br />was related to the council's goals or financial policies. He thought it more appropriate that the cost be <br />underwritten by private fund raising. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner noted that candidates for office, once elected, can use campaign funds for official travel. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly supported the Sister City Program and thought some level of official participation was appropriate; <br />however, he was sensitive to the budgetary situation. He suggested that the City could provide a portion of <br />the needed funds. <br /> <br /> Mr. Kelly moved, seconded by Mr. Pap~, to dedicate up to $1,500 in contingency funds <br /> for elected official travel with the Nepal delegation, with the balance to be raised from <br /> other sources. <br /> <br />Mr. Papd called for future council discussion of sister city travel, the future of the Sister City Program, the <br />budget for the program, and the number of sister cities that Eugene supported. <br /> <br />Mayor Ton:ey indicated his support for the motion and said he was glad Ms. Taylor was willing to go. He <br />said that if the City had sister city relationships, it was important a City representative accompanied <br />delegations. He believed that not to send such a representative was a snub to the sister city. <br /> The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 6, 2000 Page 1 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />