Laserfiche WebLink
served a different function than the Facilities Plan. The budget authorized the expenditure of funds; if the <br />Facilities Plan was not adopted, he questioned whether it made sense to proceed with adopting the first year <br />of the CIP. <br /> <br />MWMC General Manager Susie Smith indicated the CIP for fiscal year 2005 was an integrated mix of <br />projects, both those underway and those in the planning stages. If the CIP was not funded, projects <br />underway would come to a stop, and MWMC staff would come to work on July 1 unable to pay bills or do <br />any work. She said the MWMC, Lane Board of County Commissioners, and the Springfield City Council <br />had all adopted the same budget, and Eugene's failure to do so would trigger a dispute resolution process <br />between the various parties. <br /> <br />Mr. Pap~ expressed concern that the MWMC had not done a good job in regard to outreach about the <br />extensive project list included in the CIP, and he wanted to see more outreach. He said he did not know if <br />the CIP was ~good, bad, or indifferent" but wanted outside verification of its value by an independent <br />evaluator. He was disappointed the plan had come to the council in %uch a rush." <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly indicated support for the motion. While he acknowledged Mr. Papa's concerns, he pointed out the <br />City was the fourth party to take action on the budget. He was comforted by the fact that Lane County and <br />Springfield had already examined and approved the budget prior to Eugene taking action. With regard to <br />the concerns expressed by Mr. Pap~ about the 20-year plan, Mr. Kelly suggested the council approve the <br />first year of projects to allow MWMC to proceed now, with the understanding it could object to the list <br />later. He thought it unlikely the MWMC would embark on any projects while the list was in dispute <br />resolution. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner thanked Ms. Smith for her response to questions. He supported the motion but said that should <br />not be interpreted as support for the Facilities Plan. While he agreed with Mr. Kelly that Eugene was only <br />one of several jurisdictions approving the budget, he had to be able to tell his constituents that every effort <br />had been made to ensure the double-digit rate increase represented the most cost-effective and efficient 20- <br />year CIP. He wanted them to be well-informed, but doubted that was the case given the lack of outreach. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman also supported the motion. She had some problems with the proposed rate increase because <br />much of the increase contributed to offsetting the cost of new development to support new growth. She <br />thought the financing mechanism very flawed. However, she believed the systems development charge <br />methodology was better than what existed now, which was a bigger subsidy from ratepayers for new <br />development. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman said she was not able to judge what facilities were the most needed, and was not willing to <br />second-guess the commission in that regard. <br /> <br />Mr. Pap~ asked Mr. Poling, the City's representative to the MWMC, to speak to the issue. Mr. Poling <br />concurred with the remarks and Ms. Smith and Mr. Kelly. He said the budget before the council was needed <br />to fund ongoing projects and it did not authorize any new projects past the first year of the CIP. <br /> <br />Mr. Pap~ asked if the CIP included projects that would be ongoing into the next fiscal year. Ms. Smith said <br />yes. The amount of funding allowed the commission to provide for contractual obligations for work that <br />would span multiple years. Much of the construction work would happen in the following fiscal year. She <br />did not know the precise budget number for those projects as staff was still in the process of developing <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 28, 2004 Page 3 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />