CC Minutes - 09/08/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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council's intent. He said it was his expectation that the committee would have a public input process. Ms. Nathanson was puzzled as to why it was necessary to appoint a new committee rather than employ the committee appointed previously. She said the committee had momentum and diversity of opinion regarding the topic. That diversity of opinion was important and made a statement about the council's willingness to hear the committee's recommendations. She pointed out that the committee asked for more time to work on a proposal. Ms. Nathanson questioned why the committee not be reconvened as it had moved a long way toward accomplishing the task envisioned in the motion. Regarding the topic of council pay, Ms. Nathanson said that she had been asked her opinions of the topic and had responded that she believed that the council should be reimbursed at a less than half-time level, adding that she would like to hear references to stipends rather than salary. She believed that a salary implied different expectations from citizens regarding council hours and councilors' presence at City Hall, and also noted concerns expressed by the committee that paying councilors salaries would affect the form of City government. Ms. Nathanson briefly noted her own employment situation, which was a full-time job requiring her full-time attendance. Mr. Rayor said that he also had a full-time job and it was a good perspective from which to serve given that the average taxpayer also had a job. He believed there was a higher calling in volunteering for public service. Mr. Rayor said that the question was difficult for him; he did not want to receive compensation if it changed the public's expectations about what he could and could not do within the existing system. He also did not want voters to construe a vote in support of the motion as supporting pay for himself. Mr. Rayor felt the committee had let him down, because he believed that the committee's goal was to decide on a fair level of compensation. Mr. Johnson pointed out that was not the committee's charge. Mr. Rayor said that the new committee should have that charge to avoid getting into other charter issues, which he was not prepared to do. He believed that serving on the council was hard work and agreed with those who thought offering a modest stipend might encourage others to run. He said it would be useful to have a proposal developed in time to give potential candidates information about what to expect. Mr. Rayor said he would support the motion. Mr. Farr said he also had a full-time job that he believed was more reflective of other residents as he had little or no flexibility in the hours he worked. He said in general, it would be difficult to attract people with his working hours to council service, pay or no pay. Mr. Rayor pointed out that the council had changed its meeting time to reflect working hours. Mr. Fart said that it was still difficult to keep up with City duties outside of work hours. He supported convening a committee with a charge that was to develop a compensation package rather than debate whether there should be one. He endorsed Ms. Nathanson's suggestion that the current committee be retained. Ms. Taylor said that the previous committee was hastily appointed and its charge was different than that represented in the motion. She suggested that those individuals could apply for the new committee. She supported the motion, acknowledging there were some who could never run for the council even if there was compensation. However, some level of compensation might open the field to more candidates. She believed that the level of work required was worth some small amount of money. Ms. Taylor hoped the committee would interview all the councilors as well as MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 8 5:30 p.m.