HomeMy WebLinkAbout240226 WSMINUTES
Eugene City Council
Work Session
Eugene, Oregon 97401
February 26, 2024
5:30p.m.
Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Matt Keating, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Lyndsie
Leech, and Randy Groves
Councilors Absent: Greg Evans
Mayor Vinis opened the February 26, 2024, work session of the Eugene City Council in a hybrid
format at 101 W 10 th Avenue, Eugene OR 97401.
1. WORK SESSION: Eugene Springfield Fire Governance Review Update
City Manager Medary introduced Eugene Springfield Fire (ESF) Chief Michael Caven and
consultant group AP Triton who provided an update on the Feasibility Study on
Administrative Staffing and Governance Structure.
Councilor Discussion:
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Councilor Keating -asked about the benefits and disadvantages of establishing a Eugene
Springfield Fire District.
Councilor Zelenka -noted the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission serves
three government entities; confirmed the cities of Eugene and Springfield have different
benefits packages; asked about network configuration issues experienced by ESF staff;
noted the issues mentioned sound like Information Technology legacy issues.
Councilor Leech -asked about the difference between the number of employees and the
budgets for Eugene and Springfield; asked if they would seek to establish a set spending
proportion between the cities; asked how to address different taxation rates for
retirement disbursements based on the city where an employee retires.
Councilor Semple -noted she was part of the stakeholder meetings with AP Triton; noted
the difficulty of balancing a budget while considering safety and employee morale; stated
she is looking forward to the final recommendations.
Councilor Groves -spoke about the history of the three-battalion system; noted the
system began as a way to provide more effective service but evolved into a cost-saving
measure as well; noted the difficulties merging seven contract districts, four unions, and
two cities.
Councilor Zelenka -asked how the differences between revenue and expenditures for the
two cities work operationally; asked about the disparity in expenditures for vehicles and
equipment and internal fee costs; asked how Eugene adding a fire station will affect the
balance between the cities; asked about weighting and evaluation criteria that will be used
to evaluate the five proposed options; asked how the option to create an independent fire
district would be evaluated; asked what factors would not make it feasible.
MINUTES -Eugene City Council
Work Session
February 26, 2024 Page 1
• Councilor Groves -stated Eugene is a more complicated community for ESF to service due
to its higher unhoused population; noted ESF has adapted response models for the unique
challenges posed by the city of Eugene which accounts for some of the cost differentials;
stated he was initially unsure if the merger would work; stated he is proud of ES F's
operations and training; noted the administrative and financial pieces are the final
components of completing the merger; stated he is looking forward to AP Triton's final
recommendations.
• Mayor Vinis -noted her appreciation the presentation; stated she is looking forward to the
final recommendations.
2. WORK SESSION: Finance & Revenue Update
City Manager Medary introduced Twylla Miller, Chief Financial Officer, who presented on the
work of the Revenue Advisors group.
Councilor Discussion:
• Mayor Vinis -noted she has attended the revenue meetings and has found the
conversations to be probing and thoughtful.
• Councilor Keating -asked about proposals he submitted that were not part of the final
recommendations and if they will be revisited; asked if the committee will continue its
work beyond the upcoming recommendations; asked if the committee had considered an
admissions tax, a tax on short term rentals, a tax on rental vehicles, or a soda tax.
• Councilor Clark -noted the local government is funded mainly by property taxes; asked if
the committee had considered increasing land volume or taxable value; asked to see how
much the City has spent per capita over time.
• Councilor Zelenka -noted the committee had focused on near-term revenue; noted some
ideas will not create enough revenue to outweigh the administrative costs; noted revenue
ideas that will affect the University of Oregon were not considered because they are long-
term strategies.
• Councilor Keating -estimated about half the attendees at a University of Oregon game are
from out of the area; suggested future revenue advisory groups focus on long-term as well
as short-term solutions.
• Councilor Clark -stated he hopes the revenue advisors are looking at long-term solutions
as well as short-term; asked how to tell whether City of Eugene expenditures are growing
at a sustainable level.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:07 p.m .
Respectfully submitted,
City Recorder
(Recorded by Cherish Bradshaw)
Link to the web cast of this City Council meeting here.
MINUTES -Eugene City Council
Work Session
February 26, 2024 Page 2