CC Minutes - 01/13/10 Work Session

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Ms. Wilson hoped that additional funding for the projects under consideration might become available once the Federal Transportation Reauthorization bill currently under a continuing resolution was formally passed. Ms. Wilson described the updates and programmatic requests included in the federal priorities project list and noted that those items were intended to provide information for the congressional delegations on the various funds that had already been committed. She noted that the updates also provided an opportunity for the United Front partners' congressional delegation to provide policy input on those projects funded with federal dollars. Ms. Wilson provided information and updates regarding the various FY 11 Appropriations Requests and Reauthorization Requests included in the federal priorities project list. She noted that the Reauthorization Requests which had concerned certain area transportation projects had been carried over from earlier federal funding efforts from December of 2007. Ms. Wilson noted that a late addition appropriation request which had not been listed in the agenda item summary materials concerned a request for $750,040for teen courts in Lane County. She noted that that request had garnered strong support from all of the United Front partner agencies. Ms. Piercy expressed the City and the council's appreciation to the congressional delegation for their work in facilitating federal funding for local improvement projects. She hoped that the general public could be made better aware of the complicated nature of the federal funding mechanisms that affected the aforementioned projects. Ms. Piercy asked if Ms. Taylor, in her capacity as Chair of the IGR Committee, had any additional comments or perspectives to provide regarding the federal priority project lists. Ms. Taylor responded that Ms. Wilson had provided sufficient information regarding the project lists and that no further comments were necessary. Ms. Ortiz stated that Ms. Wilson's explanation of the various areas of the federal priorities project lists had been very well articulated. She further thanked Ms. Wilson for her explanations of how the United Front partner agencies had contributed to the aforementioned projects. Mr. Poling asked how much it cost each year for the City of Eugene to participate in the United Front's congressional delegation efforts. Ms. Wilson replied that it had cost the City $4,050 the previous year for her travel expenses, to print and ship the information packets for the congressional delegation, and also to hold a reception for Representative Peter DeFazio. Ms. Wilson noted that the return on investment was substantial and gave as an example that the City of Eugene received a $154,000 earmark last year for a regional simulator training center. Mr. Poling expressed that the City's financial investment in the United Front process was relatively minimal particularly when considered in relation to the benefits which the United Front process had yielded. Ms. Wilson, responding to a question from Mr. Poling, commented that the federal priorities project list had been developed with the assistance of City of Eugene staff and in conjunction with reviews of the capital improvement project (CIP) list. MINUTES Eugene City Council January 13, 2009 Page 4 Work Session