CC Minutes - 04/27/09 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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guaranteed profit. She said it felt somewhat like double taxation on haulers. She also wanted a Budget Committee discussion of a gas tax as some people had indicated they would support a gas tax in lieu of the surcharge. Councilor Pryor indicated he wanted to have a more extensive discussion of the surcharge and the broader issue of the City’s position with respect to transportation funding. He said there needed to be a consistent set of values, direction and priorities upon which to build a budget. He said the deferred maintenance backlog resulted from a systematic lack of consideration for transportation funding over many years. Councilor Clark emphasized that there had to be a larger discussion of City priorities. He said fixing the transportation system was one of the highest priorities, second only to public safety, but felt the surcharge was an inappropriate way to fund it. Councilor Ortiz expressed her disappointment that the ordinance did not pass. She asked if reducing the budget by $900,000 would result in employees being laid off. Mr. Ruiz said the result was a $900,000 gap in road operations and the maintenance budget, but was not certain if that would result in layoffs. Mayor Piercy summarized that councilors had not rejected the concept of a garbage hauler surcharge, but wanted to have that discussion within the budget process. Councilor Zelenka asked that Budget Committee members be provided with a copy of the Council Committee on Transportation Funding Solutions report. He hoped the budget discussions would also include a street utility fee, one of the funding recommendations that he had supported. He said that streets had to be repaired and if no other revenue sources were available, that meant massive cuts to other services the City provided and the community valued. Councilor Clark stressed that public safety—fire, police and emergency medical services—was his highest priority for the City; transportation and appropriate funding was his second highest priority. He said the public expected the council to make hard decisions about priorities within the framework of available funds. Councilor Poling reiterated his opposition to a garbage haulers tax. Councilor Pryor remarked that it was a momentous decision that directly addressed community values and priorities. He said councilors would approach the matter from their individual perspectives and it would be a difficult discussion, but that was what they were elected to do. Mayor Piercy encouraged councilors to be respectful of each others’ values and priorities during the budget process. 7. ACTION: An Ordinance Concerning Wastewater and Stormwater Service and Amending Sections 6.411 and 6.421 of the Eugene Code, 1971 Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved that the City Council adopt Council Bill 5000, an ordinance concerning wastewater and stormwater ser- vice. Mr. Klein clarified that the ordinance Section 3 transferred funds and sections 1 and 2 were forward-looking and put into place the ability to use the funds in the same way in the future. MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 27, 2009 Page 9