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The income from the revenue source should naturally grow with the growth of the City without the <br />need for a rate adjustment, corresponding to the additional need for services. <br />Review existing fees for services regularly and make predictable, periodic adjustments to reflect the <br />increased cost of doing business. Some revenue opportunities might be worthwhile, but by <br />themselves would not be sufficient to fill the entire General Fund revenue shortfall. <br />It may not be possible to get all the way to a sustainable new revenue source immediately; a strategy <br />that uses a local option property tax levy might beappropriate as a bridge until the new revenue <br />source is in place. Any new revenue measure needs a comprehensive campaign designed to give <br />voters a complete understanding of why the money is needed, who will pay the tax, fee or charge and <br />what it will buy. A list of cuts in services that would be made if no new revenue source is identified <br />should be provided. <br />Options <br />Restaurant Tax – This tax is paid by residents of Eugene as well as others who use City services but <br />do not live here. Since the payer of the tax can afford to eat out, this tax may not be considered as <br />much of a burden. A tax of 3 to 5% would generate approximately $8-$14 million and would be a <br />small addition to a restaurant bill. <br />While a Restaurant Tax is the recommended option for new revenue, the Task Force also identified two <br />other options that might be further considered. The Task Force felt these alternatives are of interest but <br />problematic and would require more thorough and careful examination. <br />Utility Consumption Tax – This is a tax that would be paid by both individuals and businesses. A tax <br />of 1.5% would generate at least $2 million annually after administrative costs and adjustments for <br />low-income and high volume users. It would be optimal to work collaboratively with the Eugene <br />Water & Electric Board (EWEB) to identify any potential problems with this option early on. Piggy- <br />backing this tax on an existing billing system such as the one used by EWEB would be the most cost- <br />effective way to implement it. <br />City-wide Monthly Fee for Service – This is a per unit fee that is used to pay for certain services. The <br />fee should not be for a service that is deemed to be essential, such as public safety services. The <br />amount of the fee is important. Recognizing that the fee needs to generate enough to cover the <br />administrative costs, $5 a month is considered acceptable whereas $10 a month would be too much. <br />The fee would be paid by both individuals and businesses and the basis for the fee could be used to <br />encourage other types of desired changes. <br />Revenue Options That Were Not Recommended <br />Initially, a list of 15 revenue sources was considered. The appendix includes a description of each option <br />and the recommended action of the Task Force. <br />Attachments <br />1.Templates for All Revenues Sources That Were Considered. <br />2.Criteria for Evaluating Revenue Alternatives – September 21, 2009 Memo. <br />3.Previously Identified General Fund Revenue Alternatives – October 22, 2009 Memo. <br />4.Meeting the Challenge Background and Process. <br /> <br />