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MINUTES – Eugene City Council Work Session January 27, 2020 Page 1
MINUTES
Eugene City Council
Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
January 27, 2020
5:30 p.m.
Councilors Present: Betty Taylor, Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor Councilor Semple opened the January 27, 2020, work session of the Eugene City Council in the absence of Mayor Vinis.
1. UPDATE: Eugene Public Library – Year 3 Levy Report Director of Library, Recreation and Cultural Services Renee Grube and Library Services Director Will O’Hearn reported on the third year of the Library Levy funds. Council Discussion
Councilor Clark – told a story of his recent use of the Library; asked whether staff thought more growth was needed, what the impact of school library closures has been on the City Library, and what public and private partnerships may be possible.
Councilor Taylor – expressed disappointment that there were no branch libraries in South Eugene; asked about the possibility of eliminating fines for adult patrons and bringing back the bookmobiles.
Councilor Syrett – expressed appreciation for the good work over the past year.
Councilor Semple – expressed concern about equity of branch libraries and supported the elimination of fines for adult patrons; expressed appreciation for the programming activities and interest in a long-term funding plan.
2. WORK SESSION: City Manager Attributes Director of Employee Resource Services Randi Bowers-Payne introduced the topic. Council Discussion
Councilor Clark – supported changing “proven leadership” to “innovative leadership.”
Councilor Taylor – read list of attributes important to her: transparency, follow-up, plenty of information, no pressure to act, a facilitator rather than a leader, open to all segments of the community.
Councilor Syrett – agreed with Councilor Clark and was supportive of the attributes from 2008; agreed with Councilor Taylor that operating with transparency was important.
Councilor Pryor – said he thought the City Manager needed to lead the City organization; noted communication was important and that being able to do so was a byproduct of being well-organized; agreed with Councilor Syrett that transparency was key; also wanted someone who was authoritative, authentic and accountable.