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ATTACHMENT A' June 23, 2008 TO: THE HONORABLE KITTY PIERCY, MAYOR CITY OF EUGENE 777 PEARL STREET, ROOM 105 EUGENE, OR 97401 -2793 FROM: CHAIRMAN WAYNE HELIKSON, BOARD OF DIRECTORS RIVER ROAD PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR JOINT SESSION BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE RIVER ROAD PARK DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE CITY COUNCI► Mayor Pieroy, River Road Park and Recreation District has tried through communications with Chris Pryor, City Council Chairperson, since April 1, 2008 to get a joint session between our Board of Directors and the City Council l. We are writing this letter to you in hopes that this request can be expedited. We think. it is critical to the future of River Road Park and Recreation District. The Board of Directors position is that the City of Eugene's incremental annexation policy has reduced the park district's ability to grow because any developmental property has to be annexed to the City of Eugene. Since the 1980's the park district has lost at least $60,000,000 of assessed value which has resulted in a higher permanent tax levy, higher bonding cost, and recently has reduced the amount of taxes that the park district receives due to annexations. (We haven't received the normal 3% increase in taxes allowed by law for the last three years which is directly related to annexations to the City of Eugene.) In FY20.03 the City of Eugene reduced the in -lieu of tax payments to $100,000 per year from the previous year's $117,000. If we have kept the same agreement that we had for 20 years with additional increases as more property was annexed to the City of Eugene, we would not need to have this discussion. The reduction in payments along with the large increase in annexations the last 5 years has now created a financial crises for the park district. The Board of Directors has requested from city staff $200,000 beginning in FY 2008 -09 so we can operate for a minimum of three years and possible another year or two with increased fees and budget cuts. City staff have rejected our request. We are appealing directly to the City Council because we strongly disagree with that decision.