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These emerging industries owe much of their growth to connections with the University of Oregon. Many owners, <br />employees, and researchers of these businesses have ties with the university. Some have worked there; others <br />have attended. The symbiotic relationship between the university and research and support industries has helped <br />these industries grow and produce or contribute to the success of many new and innovative businesses. Health <br />care and business/professional services job creation will also continue positive growth in the coming years. <br />Long-term Financial Planning <br />The City of Eugene recognizes the importance of strategic long-term financial planning. Each year, forecasts are <br />prepared to estimate the financial health of each major fund out over the next six years. These forecasts are <br />included in the published budget document. The City also utilizes three additional important planning documents: <br />theCapital Improvement Program, the Multi-Year Financial Plan and the Debt Affordability Study. <br />In February of 2009, the City Council approved the Capital Improvement Program for FY10 to FY15. The Capital <br />Improvement Program (CIP) forecasts the City’s capital needs over a six-year period based on various long-range <br />plans, goals, and policies. The underlying strategy of the CIP is to plan for land acquisition, construction, and <br />major maintenance of public facilities necessary for the safe and efficient management of City assets. A critical <br />element of a balanced CIP is the provision of funds to preserve or enhance existing facilities and provide new <br />assets which will help the City respond to changing service needs and community growth. The program serves as <br />the basis for the capital budget and is updated every two years. The FY10-15 CIP totals about $178 million in <br />projects with funding secured or identified from a variety of sources. <br />Transportation is the largest CIP category with over a total allocation of $68.4 million, of which $52.3 million is <br />dedicated towards pavement preservation, and another $16.1 million for other transportation projects. Airport <br />capital improvements, including new airport fire rescue station, terminal building expansion and preservation and <br />maintenance projects, will account for $44.6 million. About $29.6 million for public buildings will primarily be <br />invested in preservation and capital maintenance of existing City facilities. Improvements to preserve and <br />rehabilitate the City’s wastewater system will be funded with $13.2 million. Under the City’s stormwater program, <br />stream corridor acquisition, bank stabilization and stream restoration, and system upgrades and capacity <br />enhancements are to be funded at $12.7 million. Approximately $9.4 million in anticipated capital spending will <br />be for parks and open space projects. <br />In January 2009, the Mayor and members of the Budget Committee reviewed the Multi-Year Financial Plan for <br />FY10 to FY15. The Multi-Year Financial Plan (MYFP) is an annual compilation of significant but unfunded <br />challenges and opportunities that are likely to occur over the next six years. It serves as a strategic planning tool <br />and helps address Council’s goal for “Fair, Stable, and Adequate Resources.” It provides an important means to <br />improve the City’s ability to link the Council goals process, the Capital Improvement Program, the General Fund <br />Six-year Financial Forecast, other project or service specific strategic plans, and the annual budget process. A <br />wide range of unfunded needs, challenges and opportunities, are included in the MYFP. The MYFP includes <br />General Fund and other current service funding shortfalls, preservation and maintenance of existing City assets <br />and facilities, and implementation of adopted plans or policies. The plan also identifies important emerging issues <br />that may have a financial impact on the City. <br />The FY10-15 MYFP identified a total of about $527 million in unfunded challenges and opportunities that may <br />occur within the next six years. Of this amount, $373.4 million is for unfunded capital projects, $11.4 for facility <br />operating costs and $142 million is for program operating costs. <br />City also <br />With the significant amount of future capital projects, as well as identified unfunded needs, the <br />recognizes the need to be thoughtful and deliberate in planning future debt levels. As a result, the City has <br />developed a Debt Affordability Study that is updated every two years in conjunction with the CIP update. This <br />study looks at not just the legally allowable level of debt, but the level of debt that the community would consider <br />to be affordable, given the ability of the community to pay for that debt. The Budget Committee adopted a debt <br />policy limit of net direct debt of no more than 1% of real market value of property. The Debt Affordability Study <br />measures future debt plans against this debt policy limit to determine whether those plans are considered <br />affordable and those results are included in the CIP. As of June 30, 2009, the City’s net direct debt to real market <br />value is 0.19%. <br />