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City of Eugene, Oregon <br />Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Message <br />priority -restaffing Station 9 with a fire engine crew -and unanimously affirmed and refined its <br />commitment to the remaining seven. <br />The 2006 City Council Priorities are: <br />• Neighborhood association initiative <br />• .Conclude development plan phase of city hall complex <br />• .Facilitate the development of afull-service hospital in Eugene <br />• Implement Police complaint oversight (Measure 20-106) and launch Police Department <br />strategic plan <br />• Strengthen and promote community "arts and outdoors" assets <br />• Enhance understanding of race issues and improve community relationships <br />• Develop a strategy to help the homeless in Eugene <br />In the past year, the council approved action plans for each of the City Council priorities and staff <br />in every department is working on meeting the timelines and the objectives associated with those <br />plans. I am very pleased with the progress we have made to-date and excited to have such clear <br />direction. As I mentioned in a recent communication to City staff, "Communities that set <br />priorities get things done. Communities that set priorities and keep them over time, get the right <br />things done." <br />Real progress has been made on some of the priorities. In December 2005, the City Council <br />approved Phase II of the development plan for a new City Hall and allocated $1.135 million to the <br />planning and public input effort. This is the most important stage of the work, as the decisions <br />made now will determine the scope, cost, location, and look of the project. Citizen comment and <br />guidance is a crucial part of this stage and many outreach events will be occurring over the next <br />several months. I encourage everyone to take part in this important dialogue, so that we may have <br />community agreement on how to proceed by the end of the calendar year. <br />McKenzie-Willamette Hospital has chosen a location in north Eugene to build its new facility and <br />is currently engaged in site planning and permitting activities. In the coming months, the City will <br />be involved in many of the infrastructure decisions, including the plan for transportation system <br />improvements in the area. <br />The Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan was approved by the council on February 13, 2006. <br />This plan will guide the City for the next decade in the acquisition and development of parks, <br />recreation, and open space projects and will ensure that we continue to be one of the "greatest <br />cities of the arts and outdoors." <br />While some of the priorities are very specific and progress on them can be easily measured, those <br />that focus on social infrastructure are more challenging and have the potential to benefit the <br />community in many ways. The partnerships forged through our work on these difficult and <br />important community issues will create bonds that strengthen and enrich the fabric of our society <br />and, in so doing, will ultimately improve the livability of our city for all its citizens. <br />2 <br />__ <br />