CC Minutes - 11/16/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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operation as a separate issue. Mr. Carlson said the library levy currently paid for the branches and a significant portion of the hours at the downtown library. He said staff would bring details to the council when the levy discussion took place. Mr. Carlson said the council could choose to place two library funding questions on the ballot. Mr. Papé said that although three levies had been passed at the same election in the past, he reminded the council that the 1998 election took place during the “go go” nineties, when the community was in better financial shape. Addressing Mr. Pryor’s comments, Mr. Papé said although he appreciated that proceeds from the sales of school property could go to capital purposes, it was a school board policy decision rather than a law. The school board could change its policy and use those funds for operations. He said if the funds remained in capital, those funds could be reinvested to improve insulation or systems so that operational funds for electricity could decrease. He reiterated his wish to have the school board advise the council regarding its intent with excess properties before the council decided to support the levy. Mr. Papé agreed with Ms. Taylor and Mr. Kelly regarding missed opportunities in the area of PROS. He said the PROS Comprehensive Plan committee had completed its work, and the council could not continue to decline to act on the recommendations. Mr. Kelly said that Civic Stadium was periodically mentioned as excess Eugene School District 4-J property. He said the stadium was a valuable community asset, and hoped and expected that any Eugene School District 4-J discussion about disposition of the property could broaden into a community conversa- tion about how use of Civic Stadium could be retained, regardless of who owned the facility. Mr. Kelly said he would not support any new serial levy for any purpose, as proposed for PROS operation and maintenance funding, although he would support renewals of existing levies. He said if the council moved forward with a narrow PROS funding measure in 2006 for time-sensitive acquisitions, there would be little near-term operating and maintenance costs. Mr. Pryor said the PROS Comprehensive Plan was a visionary document with a plan for strategies over a 20-year period, noting that the list of actual capital projects had not been identified. He asserted that it would be some time before the capital projects list would be in a form that would be sufficiently vetted and discussed. A PROS measure in 2006 based upon vision and strategy, without a clear list of capital projects, may not be acceptable to the community, and risked being turned down. He was intrigued by the notion of having something specific to lost opportunities but it would have to be something of a nature that was very specific, clearly identified, and that clearly fell into the category of lost opportunities. Mr. Carlson said one of the uses of the Multi-Year Financial Plan was to remind councilors of similar items already identified. He said several park-related items, such as improvements at both Sheldon and Echo Hollow pools and roof repairs at Campbell Senior Center and the Hult Center, could be included in a bond measure and would not contribute to increased operating costs. Mr. Carlson said the parks systems development charge (SDC) that was not available 20 years ago was a funding source available to purchase land for neighborhood parks. He said the last PROS bond measure allowed the City to do a quick catch-up following a period when neighborhood park acquisitions were not up-to-date. Mayor Piercy solicited a third round of council questions and comments. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 16, 2005 Page 5 Work Session