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said the intergovernmental agreement appeared to "cost the City" and "irritate" the residents. He addressed the assumption of annexation and said it was not the City's goal and it seemed unlikely, given the cost implications. He said he anticipated that this subject would be a future council work session topic, followed by a joint meeting session with the Lane County Board of Commissioners. F. Washington Lobbying Trip (Continued) Ms. Nathanson reported on her role on the delegation to the capital, saying that her responsibilities were to: 1) explain the wetlands program and the acquisition request; 2) explain a request for a demonstration funding for a metropolitan integrated water resources study, a wetlands education center concept; and 3) explain the City's desire to participate with the fFederal government in planning for the new downtown federal courthouse and invite their participation in the North End Scoping Group. Ms. Nathanson described her itinerary for the period and elaborated on the Metropolitan Integrated Water Resources Study, saying she explained it as having three different federal mandates, each with separate agency rules and requirements: The Clean Water, Stormwater Management, and the Endangered Species acts. She called the study a prime opportunity to develop a demonstration project to address on the federal mandates in a comprehensive manner within an urban metropolitan environment focusing on results rather than just meeting the letter of the law. Ms. Nathanson said she "pitched" it by referring to the City's past successes. Referring to the City's interest in the new federal courthouse, she indicated the primary message was that "we want to see a project that builds on the successes and enhances the downtown, and contributes to the vitality of the area. We think it really can turn out that way, and what we don't want to see is a project that ends up creating an unfriendly environment for pedestrians and that is unwelcome for civic and commercial activities; therefore causing a decline in pride of ownership, a decline in interest in visiting the area and ultimately leads to deterioration." Ms. Nathanson reported on her activities with regard to Telecom, saying she would distribute a written report as well. She indicated that she was now on the Policy Committee as well as the National Steering Committee for Information, Technology, and Communications. She said she raised issues in the areas of official municipal policy, taxation, and the bundling of services. Ms. Nathanson explained what she believes is happening within the National League of Cities and Eugene's role in it, saying that the City was part of a game that was happening in many cities and states across the country as well as in Congress and in some boardrooms. Ms. Nathanson said the stakes were huge and the potential impacts to citizens and neighborhoods that get bypassed was only now being recognized as a problem. She commented that the stakes for players in the industry was also great because of increased competition for customers. She argued against myths promoted by the industry: fees were a barrier to entry; right-of-way fees should only represent cost recovery; that the concept of "rent" is inappropriate when players within the industry use it to charge each other. She emphasized the importance of the topic for the National Minutes--Eugene City Council March 10, 1999 Page 3 11:30 a.m.