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community safety. He agreed that increases in education and enforcement would be useful but again questioned what agency had the lead in that effort. Mr. Meisner, seconded by Mr. Papd, moved to extend the meeting for ten minutes. The motion passed unanimously. Ms. Bettman also thanked members of the advisory task force. She said the City managed its constrained budget by requiring departments to achieve full-cost recovery, and frequently certain populations end up subsidizing services for other populations. Ms. Bettman said the task force's recommendations regarding licensing were key. She asked if the task force had considered reducing the cost of a license or offering free low-income licenses and making up the difference with a higher pet food surtax. Mr. Bartlett termed the proposed surtax a "Hail Mary." He said in a perfect world there would be no license fee. He said that long- term public acceptance of that surtax would be needed until the license fee could be dropped. Responding to a follow-up question from Ms. Bettman, Mr. Bartlett said that many people believe such a surtax could be successfully implemented, but currently LCARA delivered an excellent product and the community had public safety requirements LCARA must meet. He suggested that, to get above the point of "treading water," LCARA needs to increase its license revenue. He noted that currently, the Spay-Neuter Program paid for itself. Ms. Bettman asked if tripling the licensing fee would provide adequate funding and constitute full-cost recovery. Mr. Bartlett said that such increased revenues would help enormously. He pointed out that what was missing in terms of what Eugene residents cared about was the euthanasia program and how to afford additional space. Ms. Pomes noted that the Lane County budget for LCARA was approximately $1.1 million. Mr. Poling appreciated the work done by the task force. He thought the report was well-written. He also appreciated the research the task force had done into the practices of other communities. He asked if the information was being shared with the other city councils in Lane County. Mr. Bartlett said that the Eugene City Council was the first council to hear the report. He anticipated similar presentations would be made to other Lane County communities. He said that a uniform database would benefit all communities in the county, and termed the lack of one ~ridiculous." Mr. Poling said that the council needed to keep in mind the service involved was a County service. He said that the City could make adjustments if the County acted. He said the City should continue to fund animal control officers to keep animals off the streets. Mr. Bartlett said the City could consider addressing the limit law for sterilized dogs and instituting a juvenile license. It would also help if all City parks included signage reminding citizens that their dogs should be licensed. He said it was logical that citizens could access the license system through their veterinarians. Ms. Taylor asked why the code allowed for a reduced license fee for seniors for unneutered dogs. Mr. Bartlett speculated it was intended to accommodate the needs of low-income seniors on fixed incomes and demonstrate community respect for age. Ms. Taylor said she did not object to free licenses for neutered dogs but was disturbed by the lower fees for unneutered dogs. Mr. Bartlett said Ms. Taylor had a good point. Ms. Taylor questioned how people could be required to secure a juvenile license if they were unaware of the requirement before they went to the vet for their dog's rabies shot. She asked if the City's laws were more MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 12, 2004 Page 6 Work Session