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Mr. Kelly noted that the mayor's position was mentioned in the motion. He suggested that the appointment process would be similar to any other committee convened by the council. Mr. Torrey proposed that Mr. Kelly's statement be considered part of the motion. There was general concurrence. Mr. Torrey referred the council to a memorandum he had distributed regarding the manner in which councilors were elected and suggesting that the new committee be charged to look at a proposal for elections outlined in the memorandum. He also suggested the council hold a work session on the proposal. He noted that any three councilors can request that an item be placed on an upcoming agenda and said he hoped he could find three councilors willing to do so because he would not schedule it on his own or ask the City Manager to schedule it. Mr. Torrey said that councilors had received input from the Friends of Eugene suggesting his proposal had no merit, and he disagreed with that input. He pointed to population increases in the size of several City wards and said that the council should have the discussion if for no other reason to prepare for ward reconfiguration following the 2000 census. He believed that wards 4, 5, 6 and 8 had been under-represented for several years because of the population growth they had experienced. Mr. Torrey believed a committee evaluation of the proposal would be very useful. He said that the current ward approach meant that councilors did not have the benefit of input from all citizens. He believed citizens were interested in the views and votes of councilors in other wards. Mr. Torrey stressed the importance of having the discussion he advocated for to reduce the level of citizens' sense of disconnectedness from City government. He believed the public should make the final decision, not just small interest groups that provide continual input to the City. Mr. Kelly called the question. The motion passed unanimously, 6:0 (Mr. Lee having left the meeting). Mr. Kelly advocated for discussion of Mr. Torrey's proposal as part of a charge given to the charter review committee envisioned in the council's two-year goals. Ms. Nathanson read a suggested motion for future consideration: That the council schedule a work session to consider appointing a citizen committee to study the issues of population change and representation for City wards and potential redistricting as a result of the next census, Mr. Fart indicated he would be willing to second such a motion. Ms. Taylor advocated referring the mayor's proposal to a charter review committee as suggested by Mr. Kelly. Mr. Fart agreed that the proposal was an appropriate issue for a charter review committee, but that would be a longer term process, and he considered the issue somewhat time-sensitive because of the ward reconfiguration question. Mr. Meisner agreed that the mayor's proposal should be folded into the charter review process. He was not interested in a separate committee. He disagreed with Mr. Fart regarding the issue of timing, pointing out redistricting would not be effective until the elections of 2002 MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 10 5:30 p.m.