01.22.20 City Council Work Session Minutes

Home Browse Search

Councilor Taylor -asked what "every effort" means; says she objects to saying councilors have to make every effort. Councilor Clark- said "whenever possible" helps the idea of no surprises and gives people time to think about it; said he will vote in favor because the motion also includes "practicable," noting that it may be politically impractical to give notice in advance and the way the motion is worded still provides flexibility. VOTE: PASSED 6:0. MOTION: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to update Section 10.03 Local Expenses to reflect the current bicycle mileage reimbursement rate of $.26/mile. Councilor Semple - said she thinks alternative methods of transportation deserve a reimbursement and that the intention is to encourage alternative forms of transportation; said without including the alternative forms, there is an incentive for people to drive. Councilor Clark- offered a friendly amendment to update Section 10.03 Local Expenses to reflect that alternative forms of transportation, including walking and biking, have a mileage reimbursement rate of $.26/mile (friendly accepted). Councilor Zelenka - asked for clarification about how the mileage rate is determined. Councilor Yeh - asked about bus transportation; said councilors already get a free bus pass and it wouldn't be right to also get paid to ride the bus that they're riding for free. Mayor Vinis - suggested using active transportation, which would cover biking and walking, instead of alternative forms of transportation. Councilor Clark - said he was not okay with active transportation wording because it leaves out a few modes of transportation; proposed language that says reimbursement for alternative forms of transportation that are not otherwise subsidized or reimbursed. Councilor Semple - said she thought it was appropriate to explicitly exclude buses from the original motion. Councilor Evans - asked for clarity on how the rate per mile amount is calculated and if it is tied to the federal rate for automotive transportation and if cost of living is built into it; asked if the IRS has a standard for bike mileage. Councilor Semple - noted that the bicycle/walking rate had not been adjusted for years like the automobile rate, so the big jump reflects this gap. MOTION (with friendly amendments) AND VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to update Section 10.03 Local Expenses to reflect that alternative forms of transportation, including walking and biking and excluding buses, have a mileage reimbursement rate of $.26/mile. PASSED 6:0. MOTION: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to update Section 10.04 Spouse/Guest Expenses to replace all references to "spouse" with "partner." Councilor Taylor - asked what current expenses are covered for spouses; suggested it say companion instead of partner; said there are many things that are not fair to single people. Councilor Semple - asked how this would be interpreted without a definition for partner; said she thought it would be more appropriate to say guest. MINUTES - Eugene City Council January 22, 2020 Page 3 Work Session