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Mr. Pryor maintained that Chief Groves had made a strong case for the consolidation of core services for <br />the cities of Eugene and Springfield. <br />Mr. Pryor believed the functional consolidation would ultimately result in better service, increased <br />accountability, and significant cost savings. He further suggested that the Eugene and Springfield City <br />Councils would need to carefully consider the opportunities that came out of the fire department <br />consolidation. <br />Mr. Poling believed that the timing and financial considerations for the functional consolidation were <br />ideal. He hoped that the Eugene and Springfield organizations would continue to work closely with one <br />another in order to determine the best possible solutions regarding funding and governance. <br />Mr. Brown expressed that the projected savings from the functional consolidation were very attractive. <br />Chief G roves, responding to Mr. Brown's comment, briefly reviewed and detailed the projected savings <br />from the consolidation that had been enumerated thus far. <br />Mr. Brown asked if there was any significant difference in the pay scale for the f ref ghter unions for <br />Eugene and Springfield. Chief Groves responded that the compensation packages for union members <br />from each municipality had evolved over time and were ultimately "not that far apart." <br />Mr. Brown referenced Chief Groves' earlier comments regarding the Livermore and Pleasanton fire <br />departments and asked if the proposed consolidation might involve a similar joint powers authority (JPA). <br />Chief Groves responded that the Eugene and Springfield fire departments did not have the authority to <br />form a JPA as part of the functional consolidation although most of the functions of a JPA could be <br />adopted under ORS 193. <br />Chief Groves, responding to a request from Mr. Brown, noted that he could send the council members a <br />link to the Livermore and Pleasanton fire department website if they so desired. I Ie further noted that site <br />visits to that department and the Tualatin valley Fire and Rescue District for interested parties might be <br />possible. <br />Chief Groves briefly referenced the growth management concerns of Eugene and Springfield and, <br />maintained that a municipality that tended to grow upward instead of outward generally demanded more <br />resources with respect to fire safety and emergency response services. <br />Ms. Piercy agreed with Chief Groves' comment and further hoped that the council's conversations <br />regarding the proposed consolidation would continue to be respectful of the policy differences and public <br />concerns of both Eugene and Springfield. <br />Mr. Zelenka appreciated the collaborative nature of the consolidation efforts. He was concerned that the <br />cost savings, while real and appreciable, did not appear to be very large. <br />Mr. Zelenka asked if the consolidation would send a merged fire department into a new group of wage <br />comparables for department personnel. Chief Groves responded that the market that the Eugene and <br />Springfield fire departments currently occupied was similar to many of the same jurisdictions they would <br />be compared to as a merged organization. He noted that Senate Bill 750 had resulted in certain <br />restrictions on public collective bargaining processes and that the Eugene and Springfield departments <br />were limited in the number and nature of markets to which they could compare themselves. <br />MINUTES Eugene City Council January 20, 2010 Page 3 <br />Work Session <br />