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MINUTES <br />Eugene City Council <br />Harris Hall, 125 East 8 Avenue <br />Eugene, Oregon 97401 <br />January 14, 2013 <br />5:30 p.m. <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Brown, Betty Taylor, Greg Evans, Mike Clark, Chris Pryor, Alan <br />Zelenka, Claire Syrett, George Poling <br />Her Honor, Mayor Piercy called the January 14, 2013, work session of the Eugene City Council to <br />order. <br />A. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST: <br />Councilor Poling expressed thanks to Emergency Medical Services staff and also staff and doctors at <br />Riverbend for the treatment he received. <br />Councilor Taylor reported back on the board meeting of the National League of Cities. <br />Councilor Evans gave a brief report on his agenda as a new City Councilor. <br />Mayor Piercy noted she will be heading to the U.S Conference of Mayors annual conference where <br />mayors from all over the country work on issues together. <br />*CouncilorZelenka arrived at 5:40 p.m. <br />B. WORK SESSION: FY14 Plan of Action - City Service Fee Proposal <br />City Manager Jon Ruiz introduced the item and gave a Power Point presentation focusing on his <br />proposal to close a $6 million budget gap with a modest service fee. Mr. Ruiz reviewed recent <br />survey results and what services the community wants to maintain. <br />A review of proposals to address budget shortfall: <br />• Close $6 million gap through footprint reductions <br />• Fund one -time services -move Parks to Stormwater Account <br />• Restore Library services through new City service fee, capped at $10 per month. <br />Comments and concerns: <br />• Increase tax base instead of increasing taxes. <br />• A vote will determine if the community wants to support this fee. <br />• Lock in how money can be spent. <br />• Public education MUST happen so people know more about this and should be specific - <br />breakdown of where money will be spent, the cap, etc. <br />• Exemption from rather than reimbursement of fees preferred. <br />• Results might be hard to measure. <br />• Fee would be per dwelling and per business. Some people will pay twice. <br />• Some residents don't get service through EWEB - need to capture all residents. <br />• Section 8, low- income housing residents should be exempt. <br />• This fee supports ALL services the community enjoys. <br />• The proposal follows attempts to close gaps through layoffs and service reductions. <br />MINUTES - Eugene City Council January 14, 2013 Page 1 <br />Work Session <br />