CC Minutes - 08/11/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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noted the recommendation to reappoint this committee or reform a committee to study the issue through the fall and make a recommendation in time for the May primary. Mr. Kelly thanked the committee for its work and excused it for not coming to consensus given its size and diversity. He expressed concern about reappointing the same committee and having the same result. He said he believed the question of compensation for the council should be left to the voters. Mr. Kelly moved, seconded by Ms. Taylor, that the council place a charter amendment on the May 2000 ballot that calls for compensation for the mayor and city council. The council will appoint a seven-member committee to draft a viable and equitable charter amendment for review and referral by the council. Applications for the citizen committee will be accepted until September 20, 1999. The council will appoint the committee no later than October 20, 1999, and the committee will complete its work and forward a charter amendment draft to the council no later than February 1, 2000. Mr. Kelly said that the idea behind the motion was to refer the issue of council compensation to the citizens. Mr. Meisner expressed support for the motion, agreeing that the question ultimately is a voter decision. Ms. Nathanson said she was hesitant to support the motion, adding that it "not good government to develop new programs or new ideas without adequate time to think about it in the public sphere or at least adequate discussion time." She said the council might consider putting an advisory vote on the ballot, i.e., "Should there be compensation for the mayor and City Council?" or "Should the council appoint a committee to develop a package to refer to the voters?" Mr. Papd recalled that the council decided to fold this into an overall charter review should the committee fail to arrive at a recommendation. He favored convening a committee to do just that. Mr. Farr said he agreed with Ms. Nathanson that further discussion was needed, adding that he was impressed with the diversity on the committee and was puzzled by its failure to reach consensus. He favored leaving the committee intact and having them continue its work on the issue. Mr. Lee said he believed the mayor and council should be paid but not that the system should be changed. He said he would support the motion because it brought him closer to compensation. Ms. Taylor said she believed the entire charter needed review but it should be undertaken separately. She expressed support for the motion, noting compensation was common in communities across the nation. Mayor Torrey said that before he could support the motion, he hoped to place before the voters a charter change allowing for a citywide vote for all councilors. He wondered how a successful measure for citywide elections in May would impact people running for council seats in November. Mayor Torrey said he saw no reason for taking action on the item this evening. Mr. Meisner recalled that the council had agreed to an overall review of the charter had the committee arrived at a "aye" or "nay" recommendation first. He agreed with Ms. Nathanson that the questions of a) whether compensation should be given, and b) how much should be placed before voters. He also agreed that the overall charter review was a different question from that of compensation. Mr. Meisner said the subject was MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 11, 1999 Page 8 5:30 p.m.