Laserfiche WebLink
Mr. Brown objected to using the urban renewal district to fund projects and thought it was destructive to <br />Lane County and did hurt the schools. He asserted that the projects could all be accomplished using <br />existing resources and a revenue - backed bond, which did not have to be referred to the voters. He said the <br />council did not know what, if anything, LCC required for its downtown project. He stated that the other <br />projects could be funded from the money the City would receive if tax increment collection ceased, plus <br />liquidation of the loan program and Facility Reserve. He did not understand the reluctance to use Facility <br />Reserve funds on veterans when it was being used to relocate other first responders like police officers. <br />Ms. Taylor expressed concern about the diversion of funds from schools. She said the VA clinic was not <br />a reality and the focus should be on doing one project at a time; LCC was the urgent project and the City <br />should provide financial assistance if it was required. She was certain that an urban renewal plan <br />amendment would be referred to the ballot and LCC would not have an answer for many months and be <br />unable to move forward with its project. She felt it was possible to fund LCC's needs with existing funds <br />and without continuing urban renewal or raising taxes. She said it was not necessary to move forward <br />with all the projects at once. <br />Ms. Solomon asked when a decision on the VA site location was expected. Mr. Sullivan replied that the <br />VA had received responses to its request for proposals and would be conducting site visits and due <br />diligence over the next several months. He thought a decision could be made by the end of the year, but it <br />was a federal project and he did not have any more specific information. <br />In response to a question from Ms. Solomon, Ms. Cutsogeorge confirmed that use of existing resources for <br />the projects would require reprogramming $450,000 of current General Fund money, which would be <br />permanent cuts in addition to the budget cuts already being made. <br />Mr. Pryor said, from his perspective, the discussion focused on the two funding options that did not <br />increase taxes: use of existing resources or urban renewal. He said the existing resources option would <br />obligate the City to repay indebtedness until 2032; the urban renewal option would result in termination of <br />tax increment financing in 2019. He stressed that no one was advocating for retaining the urban renewal <br />district past that date. He said the City would pay $3 million less in interest with the urban renewal option <br />and those were funds that could be used for other purposes. He felt retaining the urban renewal district <br />long enough to fund the projects was the most prudent choice, but wanted definitive information on the <br />impact to schools. <br />Mr. Zelenka thanked staff for the detailed analysis of funding options. He supported pursuing all four <br />projects as they were catalysts for creating a more vibrant downtown. He said the existing resource <br />funding option was initially appealing, but the need to reprogram $450,000 in the General Fund was of <br />concern because that could mean cuts to many of the services that were important to downtown, such as <br />the library, parks and recreation, fire and police. He said eliminating urban renewal would save the <br />average homeowner $1.65 per year, or about the cost of a soft drink. <br />Ms. Ortiz remarked that the City would not give LCC more than it needed to complete its project. She <br />stressed the importance of having a VA clinic in Eugene and said the City should do everything it could to <br />encourage the selection of the downtown site. She said many in the homeless population were veterans <br />and could benefit from the services a clinic would offer. <br />Ms. Piercy said there was no perfect funding mechanism for the projects, but the recommendation would <br />address many of the council's priorities. She said supporting a VA clinic as part of the package sent a <br />strong message about the community's interest in helping returning veterans. <br />MINUTES Eugene City Council March S, 2410 Page 3 <br />Work Session <br />