CC Minutes - 07/16/09 Work Session

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swayed to support the measure by the inclusion of a street of interest to them and it was removed later by a future council, Ms. Bettman thought that a breach of trust. She intended to offer the body a motion that provided for a shorter time line with results that could be seen in five years. It reduced the risks of unpredictability as well as the price tag for the bond, which she considered important in tough economic times. She did not want to support an unsuccessful effort. Mr. Pryor expressed appreciation to staff and its attempt to reflect the input of all involved groups. He considered that the bond needed to be simple, affordable, honest, and it must address the issue. He thought simplicity was a key factor to the measure’s package. The measure must reflect a simple logic. He was willing to hear Ms. Bettman’s arguments in regard to affordability. In regard to the issue of honesty, he thought the discussion about adding projects and flexibility was an effort to maintain the integrity of the proposal while still having some opportunity if needed. He supported the proposal for a super-majority to remove a project off the list as a move in the right direction. In regard to changing things around or adding projects to the list, he suggested the measure be made as ironclad as possible, acknowledging that limited flexibility. He said the council needed to have as honest an election as possible, even if it removed an escape clause. Mr. Pryor liked the list and thought its development and prioritization should be the responsibility of professionals, not the council, as long as everything on the list was addressed. He did not want to create flexibility at the expense of perceived honesty. Ms. Ortiz agreed with Mr. Pryor’s remarks, saying he stated the issues very well. She wanted to be clear with the voters and was concerned about the amount of money involved. She wanted to ensure that the projects that were presented to the voters were the projects that were built. Ms. Ortiz observed that many of the projects were in downtown. She did not think downtown was part of south Eugene and did not want to see the bond measure perceived by the public as a bond measure for south Eugene. Ms. Ortiz noted that much of her ward was in the county and many streets were unimproved streets, and she wanted to discuss that issue at greater length at a future time. Mr. Zelenka appreciated the changes made by staff as he thought it reflected the council’s discussion. He reiterated that the proposed measure was part of a larger package and it solved only a part of the problem. He agreed with Ms. Bettman that the package developed by the council subcommittee did not recommend General Fund cuts in order to fund street repairs, although he acknowledged some General Fund dollars had been allocated for that purpose. Mr. Zelenka said the proposed measure was also cheaper and, at his request, Ms. Cutsogeorge explained that normally the City would issue such a bond and borrow the money upfront; in this case, the City would only borrow the money it needed each year, which reduced the cost. Mr. Zelenka appreciated the change. He asked how the project list would be determined. Mr. Corey said the City considered utility coordination, pavement ratings, and attempted to get to those streets that could be preserved with an overlay before they reached a status that placed them in the reconstruction category. Mr. Zelenka suggested that offered additional flexibility. Mr. Zelenka agreed with Ms. Bettman, Mr. Pryor, and Ms. Ortiz about limiting the council’s flexibility to change the list. He asked how many streets were affected by factors such as natural disaster or archaeologi- cal finds. He thought those factors quite rare. Ms. Cutsogeorge said the factors were suggested by bond counsel. She said if one of those circumstances actually occurred, the City would not be able to spend money on other projects unless the affected project could be taken off the list. MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 16, 2008 Page 3 Work Session