Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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In 2005, I suggested we focus on a reinvigoration of our downtown that would “encourage develop- ment and build on our assets”. I supported identifying our city as a great city for the arts and outdoors, lifting up that special combination of important cultural, recreational, and athletic assets. We developed partnerships and targeted our funds. There are at least 14 new developments in our downtown core, bringing jobs and millions of dollars in investment. These new developments include housing, offices, restaurants, and theatres. We have hosted two fabulous Olympic Track and Field trials and a number of other track events. The athletic prowess of the Ducks has brought business (not to mention some roses and fiestas) to our community. Our new Art and Business Alliance has been hard at work helping take full economic advantage of the arts of our community. This included the development of the Eugene-a-Go-Go website and a survey showing that arts bring $45million and 1,700 jobs into our economy. Now for a look at 2013 and beyond. Building on a sound foundation and facing more challenges. In 2013, we have much to build on. There’s a great deal we have accomplished together and it was no mean feat. Our staff, council and Budget Committee faced revenue reductions with courage, innovation and integrity, cutting $24 million out of our $125 million general fund. They did this by requiring more work of fewer people and shrinking our city footprint, while continuing to provide most key city services. This was not easy and they did it without complaint because, like you, we have to deal with economic realities. So, here we are looking forward to 2013. We’re not out of the woods yet. There’s more cutting to do. There are no more places to cut without serious reductions in services. Our belt is tightened so tight you can see it poking out our backs. 1. If we don’t want to lose vital city services, we have to be innovative. We are now talking about significant cuts that include fire and police, library, parks, and pools. All of our services have seen reductions and we’ve been extremely innovative in a number of ways, including the merger of Eugene/Springfield fire services. There is nowhere left to cut without feeling some loss, so you may well be asked what you are willing to do to prevent further erosion of basic services. We are not talking about restoring previously cut or curtailed services but how to prevent further loss. The city manager has several revenue- increasing strategies to present to council for consideration and your thoughtful input will be essential over the weeks ahead. The big-picture issue is identifying what kind of community we want to live in and how we can work together to help our city through this critical time. So far we have done well on all fronts. We’ve managed resources wisely and done our utmost to get the biggest” bang for the buck” while getting through the tough times and preparing for better days. The recovery is slow and we will need to MINUTES—City Council January 5, 2010 Page 5