HomeMy WebLinkAbout260520 WSMINUTES
Eugene City Council
Work Session
Eugene, Oregon 97401
May 20, 2026
12:00 p.m.
Councilors Present: Eliza Kashinsky, Matt Keating, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg Evans,
Lyndsie Leech, and Randy Groves
Councilors Absent: Alan Zelenka
Mayor Knudson opened the May 20, 2026, Eugene City Council Work Session in a hybrid in-
person and virtual format at 500 E. 4th Avenue, North Building, Eugene, OR 97401.
1. WORK SESSION: Long Range Financial Planning-Financial Policies and Service
Frameworks
City Manager Jenny Haruyama introduced Twylla Miller, Chief Financial Officer and
Raftelis Team who provided an overview of the long-range financial planning process and
an overview of a potential service framework tool that could assist in future budget
development discussions.
Councilor Discussion:
•
•
Councilor Evans -stated interest in ensuring that qualitative community
perspectives are integrated into financial and service evaluation processes; noted
the value of surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gather information about
resident and staff priorities; stated the community expectations should complement
the quantitative models presented.
Councilor Kashinsky-stated appreciation for the ongoing review of the City's
financial policies; noted some policies predate Oregon's current property tax
system; stated that implementing complex service frameworks could be resource
intensive and noted concern about how programs funded by earmarked revenue
complicate prioritization; asked how the City might address public confusion when
one program receives guaranteed revenue while others compete for limited
resources.
• Councilor Groves -stated preference for a framework that is not overly
complicated; noted the Toronto model presented by staff appeared to strike a
reasonable balance; stated in support of exploring a "zero-based" approach in which
services are built from the ground up rather than by adjusting existing structures;
stated that community input is important but should be incorporated in a way that
allows Council to work efficiently.
MINUTES -Eugene City Council
Work Session
May 20, 2026 Page 1
• Councilor Keating -stated concern about service frameworks that rely on only three
tiers; stated interest in a five-tier or "letter-grade" approach to better differentiate
service levels; asked how environmental and sustainability considerations would be
incorporated into any evaluation tool and how information used for scoring would
be generated; stated the City's approach should be robust enough to serve as a
model for other communities.
• Councilor Yeh -stated support for beginning with a simpler framework and adding
complexity only after initial use; noted that industry benchmarks are useful but do
not fully reflect community need; stated understanding whether a service is meeting
local demand is essential; suggested staff feedback about service adequacy should
accompany any benchmark information.
• Councilor Clark -stated strong interest in establishing clear definitions at the
beginning of the process, noting ambiguity can lead to conflict later; stated the
importance of tools that help resolve disagreements about service levels or
strategies; stated part of the challenge is differentiating shared outcomes from
differing views.
• Councilor Kashinsky -stated many jurisdictions in Oregon are experiencing
structural and financial challenges from state-level constraints that limit revenue
growth; noted expenses continue to rise and these pressures have contributed to a
recurring structural imbalance; stated Eugene has managed these challenges better
than many other communities; stated service frameworks may support clearer
decision-making about how to shape the City's budget; stated concern that
frameworks may not address the core structural imbalance itself; stated property
tax revenue increases are capped while major expense drivers, including
personnel-related costs, rise at a significantly faster pace; asked how the City can
address this underlying structural problem beyond reducing service levels.
• Mayor Knudson -stated interest in understanding how other jurisdictions have
phased implementation of service frameworks over time; noted that introducing a
basic framework and then adding complexity appears to be common practice; asked
whether examples existed of communities that iteratively refined their frameworks
after initial use; asked how to contextualize the City's longstanding informal
categorization of essential versus value-added services within a more formal
evaluation structure.
• Councilor Keating -stated interest in whether other communities involve broader
groups, such as their budget committees or community panels, when evaluating
service levels; noted that Eugene may benefit from a wider base of community
involvement as part of future framework development.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:17 p.m.
MINUTES -Eugene City Council
Work Session
May 20, 2026 Page 2
Respectfully submitted,
Ka 1e a a
City Recorder
(Recorded by Rosa Roach)
Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here.
MINUTES -Eugene City Council
Work Session
May 20, 2026 Page 3