CC Minutes - 07/28/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Mr. Dwyer thanked the council for the opportunity to speak to the topic. He reviewed the personal/corporate income tax approach, calling it a progressive tax that did not add an additional burden to property owners. He discussed the concept of creating a "system balance reserve fund" to meet public safety unforeseen/unmet needs that would be available to all communities. Mr. Dwyer expressed the County's willingness to work with Eugene and the rural communities to ensure the success of the measure. Mr. Green added that the matters of rate administration and collection had not been decided but the council will be apprized of progress in that area. The logical service provider, he said, was the State but it could not provide the service at this time. Mayor Maine said she was interested in what this council had to say and relay that to her council at its August 2 meeting. Mr. Kelly said he was pleased with the proposed measure, particularly the revenue-sharing aspect, which he called "the difference between success and failure" at the polls. He appreciated that there was a provision for review by the PSCC but program flexibility for the individual jurisdictions. He opposed setting a sunset date for the measure at this time. Mr. Kelly expressed concern about the proposal to delete the phrase "but not limited to" in the document alluding to the types of programs covered. Mr. Rayor asked for more information on tax collection and more specifics on what the measure covers. Mr. Green invited Mr. Rayor and other with concerns and questions to submit them to the PSCC for responses. Mayor Torrey said the council's August 11 meeting would provide more information. Mr. Meisner described the proposal as fair and said he was disappointed that the State was unable to handle tax collection. He agreed that the sunset was too early, preferring none at all but at minimum an 8- to 1 O-year sunset. He commended the PSCC for its work. Ms. Nathanson said the question of delaying the measure to the spring has surfaced but she believed the time was right to do something collectively this fall. She described the scale of the proposal as reasonable and doable. Mr. Pap~ commended PSCC Chair Mayor Maine and Former Eugene City Councilor Ken Tollenaar for their work. He agreed with others that the sunset was too short. Mr. Pap~ asked what strategy would be use to sell the measure. Mr. Farr said he was not a supporter of new taxes, particularly at the local level, but he would support the measure because of the benefits it holds for all the jurisdictions. Addressing Mr. Papa's question, Mr. Farr said the measure could be successful by selling its benefits. He predicted resistance from employers. Mayor Torrey expressed support for the 45/55 percent split and the concept of a reserve fund, adding that he believed the latter could be developed above the pooled funds. He said outcome measures were key and would need to be reported and justified to the public. Mr. Green encouraged communication from the council on the measure. On a related issue, Mr. Green said he followed the council's July 12 discussion on public safety substations and asked what the council hoped for as an outcome. He noted that a study conducted by the National Institute of Justice has shown that substations do not reduce crime. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28, 1999 Page 4 5:30 p.m.