Item 3F: Ratification of IGR Minutes of October 21, 2009

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to restore trails in another one. 8. Items from the Committee and Staff Ms. Wilson said the next CCIGR meeting time would be based on what would happen with staff working on additional United Front projects and what Smith Dawson & Andrews had to say about them. Ms. Taylor ascertained that this would be after the middle of November. In response to a question from Ms. Taylor, Ms. Wilson stated that the United Front trip was scheduled for March 4. Mr. Poling expressed concern about the amount of money that the City spent on the United Front. He questioned whether it was beneficial to send councilors and whether the one-on-one contact made a difference. Ms. Wilson responded that because they were asking the City’s congressional delegation to “lift” for it, it was important for elected officials to be there to say that something was important enough for them to be there to ask them to do it for the City. She said the amount of money for the printing of the books, the reception, and for her travel had come to $4,050 for the last United Front trip. She would recommend that the elected officials do go. She cited a couple of instances during the previous trip when it had been beneficial for staff to be present to lobby for certain things, most notably that she had been able to make a call to Rep. DeFazio’s staff based on information she had learned regarding the Forest Legacy and ultimately the first phase of the Forest Legacy work had been funded. She believed that the cost for the trip was worth every penny. Mr. Poling wanted to ensure that they could justify the expenditure of every penny because they were being closely watched by citizens. Ms. Wilson noted that they had taken steps to reduce the costs. She related that they had discontinued the practice of holding a big reception, for instance. She declared that anything they could do to cut down the amount the effort they were doing cost they would do, but what they could not cut down on was the effort itself. Mayor Piercy recommended that they give a “heads up” on who the delegation would be comprised of. Ms. Wilson said she would do so. She related that the Town of Cottage Grove had just announced that they would not participate in the next United Front trip because they could not afford it. Mayor Piercy commented that it was very useful for her to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors, but she had not gone last year and had no plans to go this year because of budgetary concerns. She thought it would be helpful to discuss and understand the balance they were trying to reach. She did not want to cut off the City’s interests in having those relationships. She was especially conscious of the fact that, when they were asking the City’s employees to make sacrifices, though what the councilors did might not add up to much it was at least a demonstration of the belt tightening that everyone had to do. Ms. Taylor adjourned the meeting at 2:35 p.m. (Recorded by Ruth Atcherson) MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations October 21, 2009 Page 7