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· There was value in growing the property tax assessed value over time through <br /> such tools as the Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption as those properties come <br /> back on the tax rolls after ten years <br /> <br />Mr. Prichard suggested Eugene faced what he termed a "melodrama" problem in its approach to <br />public issues. He cited as an example a headline from the Eugene Weekly regarding the <br />transportation project associated with the courthouse project that read "Ducks Versus Trucks." <br />Mr. Prichard said that embodied everything idiotic about Eugene to him, because the community <br />needs both ducks and trucks, but continued to allow the debate about public issues to be framed <br />in terms of "good guys against bad guys." He believed the City Council needed to embrace the <br />controversies as they arose, define the issues involved, and frame the debate for the community. <br />Mr. Prichard said that would help avoid the melodrama. <br /> <br />Mr. Prichard believed communities could have both a strong environmental business ethic and <br />strong intellectual orientation toward solving problems as well as financially viable enterprises. <br />He said that one did not have to be either for ducks or for trucks. <br /> <br />Mr. Wanicheck arrived. <br /> <br />Mr. Korth said many of the capital projects that had occurred over the past years had been as a <br />result of nonprofit organizations such as the University or hospital. He was concerned about the <br />amount of property in the community that was tax-ex6mpt. He asked the presenters to comment. <br />Mr. Prichard said he believed the future would include more collaborative projects between <br />nonprofits and the City. He said the City was not improving its property tax base and he thought <br />that would continue to worsen. Mr. Bowers agreed. He said the public sector drove the local <br />economy to a greater degree than the private sector. He pointed out that the public sector also <br />created opportunities the community could not ignore.' Mr. Johnson said every dollar of taxable <br />value in Eugene added to the City's General Fund, which the council might not realize to the <br />degree it ought. <br /> <br />Mr. Bowerman asked how the Portland model addressed the'issue of community polarization. <br />Mr. Bowers said Portland did a good job of that. He said Portland was willing to place resources <br />into development and had a history of projects to build. 'While people might not like one project, <br />there was probably another one that they did support. Portland was willing to engage in <br />public/private ventures. Portland citizens were willing to acknowledge that businesses created <br />jobs and were not offended by the idea that a developer would make a profit. Mr. Bowers said <br />the debate in Portland was less polarized. The extremes "were well represented in Portland but <br />there were more representing the "middle ground." Finally, Portland institutions have embraced <br />the environmental ethic and they were profiting from it. <br /> <br />Mr. Proudfoot noted that the Portland Development Commission took an equity position in <br />projects, and "green" assistance was a part of its technical assistance program. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Mayor's Committee on Economic Development April 20, 2004 Page 8 <br /> <br /> <br />