HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/02/1991 Meeting
- M I NUT E S
Eugene City Council
McNutt Room--City Hall
December 2, 1991
5:30 p.m.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Roger Rutan, Shawn Boles, Ruth Bascom, Debra Ehrman, Bobby
Green, Paul Nicholson, Kaye Robinette.
ABSENT: Mayor Jeff Miller.
The regular meeting of December 2, 1991, of the Eugene City Council, was
called to order by Council President Roger Rutan.
1. WORK SESSION: PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT'S REVIEW OF CENTRAL
BUSINESS FUNCTIONS
City Manager Mike Gleason explained that Mark Gardiner would arrive late to
the meeting because his flight was behind schedule. The council proceeded to
Item II and then came back to this item upon Mr. Gardiner's arrival.
e Copies of the draft report titled "City of Eugene, Oregon, Review of Central
Business Function Costs, December 2, 1991," were distributed. Mark Gardiner,
Public Financial Management, Incorporated, (PFM) introduced himself and apol-
ogized for arriving late. He gave a background of PFM, with which the City
contracted to conduct a comparative study of the City's administration costs.
He said the report's analysis focused on the City's administration costs
relative to the City's overall service base and on how the City compares to
other municipalities which serve a similar population size. He defined the
functions and activities of the City that comprise the "central business
functions" (CSF). He said that two primary reference points of analysis and
comparison were used throughout the study, operating expenditures and staff-
ing levels associated with CSF and other services. He explained that staff-
ing levels were a more accurate indicator of the City's service load because
they reflect the actual cost of doing business and providing administration
for a service delivery system. He described the methodology PFM developed so
that the study would more accurately reflect the true service base of Eugene.
Because the City provides services to more than the corporate boundaries
defined by population or physical size alone, "weighted service areas" were
used to reflect the population served by the City. Councilors expressed
concerns about this methodology.
Mr. Gleason said that final drafts of the document would be distributed as
soon as the executive summary was complete.
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Mr. Gardiner reviewed sections of the document. He said that 7.33 percent of
the City's total employment was in central business function staffing. This
'---'" equates to 7.79 CSF positions per 10,000 of Eugene's unadjusted service base
and 5.35 CSF positions per 10,000 of Eugene's adjusted service base. Mr.
Boles asked what would be a valid comparison of the City's total CBF posi-
tions based on the adjusted population service base. Mr. Gardiner said that
this figure would be comparable with the other cities outlined in the study.
He explained that the service deliveries of those cities were not significant
enough to adjust their populations beyond their city limits. Mr. Gleason
added that both figures for Eugene were comparable to the other cities.
Responding to a question from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. Gardiner said that salaries of
CBF positions were not part of the study. He said he understood that a sepa-
rate study was being conducted to analyze this.
Mr. Nicholson felt that it would have been more valid to compare the City I
with other municipalities that were more similar than those included in the
study. Mr. Gleason said there would have been other variables to consider if I
the study had compared Eugene to other regional service providers. He sug-
gested that the council not focus on the adjusted figures. Mr. Gardiner I
explained the criteria used to select the cities for comparison with Eugene. I
He said that California cities were specifically not included because of the
evolution of those cities since the passage of Proposition 13. I
In conclusion, he said PFM found that Eugene's CBF expenditures and staffing
levels were well within the normal range for cities of 75,000 to 175,000
population. He said the City has done a more stringent job in keeping cen-
'-- tral functions (i.e., data processing) centrally organized, as opposed to
distributing the service among departments. PFM recommends developing a
"service stress index" designed to identify the direct services which are
likely to face major challenges in the future and to provide the basis for
analysis of the adequacy of CSF staffing and expenditures in the future.
Such an index could provide early warning of significant demographic, econom-
ic, or other changes which may require a major service response from the
City. Additionally, the index could incorporate indicators of potential
internal stress (i.e., major public safety retirements) which could affect
the City's ability to deliver services to the community.
Mr. Boles asked that staff flag for the next process session a discussion on
reviewing the methodology adopted by contractors. Mr. MacDonald asked staff
for a follow-up report on the recommendations outlined in the report.
I1. WORK SESSION: WARD BOUNDARY STUDY
City Manager Mike Gleason introduced the topic. Jim Croteau, Planning and
Development, gave the staff presentation. Every ten years, the City Council
is charged with revising its ward boundaries to equalize the adjusted popula-
tions within each ward. Using the 1990 census data and the criteria used for
the 1981 wards adjustment process, staff generated a draft redistricting map
which was reviewed by individual councilors. Comments received during this
'-" MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 2, 1991 Page 2
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e Mr. Boles expressed concern about establishing two additional urban renewal
authorities. Mr. MacDonald expressed concern about the increment district
funding approach potentially being perceived as an inequity between the
Whiteaker neighborhood revitalization district and the Highway 99 project.
Ms. Bascom expressed concern about further delaying the Highway 99 project.
Responding to a question from Mr. Robinette, Mr. Gleason said that funding
from EWEB for the Highway 99 project could have a negative impact on other
revenue the City receives from EWEB.
Mr. Farkas said staff would present a list of funding alternatives and other
issues at the December 4 meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Micheal Gleason,
City Manager
e (Recorded by David Straub)
mncc 120291-530
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