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Mr. Kelly asked where City policy was set. He suggested the mayor should have shared his remarks with <br />the council rather than the press as that was where policy was set. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman said the mayor was a savvy businessman, and she did not think he would go into a business <br />negotiation by handicapping himself beforehand by indicating what the City would settle for if it did not get <br />what it wanted, thus undermining the council's position. <br /> <br />Mr. Taylor questioned whether negotiation with such parties was a council policy function. He suggested <br />that frequently there was tension about what was policy. Mr. Kelly pointed out that in this case, the <br />resolution provided very clear direction. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey pointed out that several councilors and staff had worked to persuade McKenzie- <br />Willamette/Triad to locate at 2nd Avenue and Chambers Street. The hospital had not been interested. <br /> <br />Mr. Taylor said that he had council direction regarding the site and the funding levels available for <br />incentives. He questioned how he could know to proceed with the 2nd and Chambers site given that it was <br />suggested to him by three or four councilors at the Aurora Building dedication in casual conversation rather <br />than in the context of policy making. He questioned how he should interpret such direction. He said he was <br />not looking for an answer now, but wanted the council to think about that. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson pointed out that the resolution adopted by the council indicated its preference for a certain <br />geographic area but did not direct staff not to assist the hospital if it chose another direction. She said that <br />nothing in the resolution prohibited staff from responding to inquiries from the hospital about other sites. <br />Ms. Nathanson did not see the mayor's remarks as being inconsistent with the council's action in adopting <br />the resolution. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman asked Ms. Nathanson how she would feel if McKenzie-Willamette/Triad approached staff for <br />incentives outside the desired area. Mr. Carlson indicated that had not occurred. Ms. Bettman said that she <br />had been asked at a neighborhood meeting if the mayor's remarks meant that the City intended to provide <br />incentives to the hospital outside the desired geographic area. She said that people did not differentiate <br />between what the mayor said and what the council said. Ms. Nathanson said she could not control the <br />speculations of others, and could only refer them to the record. <br /> <br />Ms. Hayes said that the council clearly had an issue that would be followed up on at a later time. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner said the issue of how policy was represented was a continuing issue at council process <br />sessions. The question for him was how the council worked together and, after it took action, what did that <br />mean for the all of the councilors. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly said he believed the council's process generally worked. He suggested to Mr. Taylor that the <br />tension he mentioned was the gray area between the council giving him official policy direction and <br />councilors sharing bright ideas with him, such as those raised at the Aurora Building dedication. He said the <br />manager could either accept such suggestions, or place them on a council agenda for discussion by the full <br />body. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 14, 2004 Page 3 <br /> Process Session <br /> <br /> <br />