FY 2008 Proposed Budget Summary - Laserfiche WebLink

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Central Business Functions Service Issues and Accomplishments 1. The City will continue to enhance "e-Government" services such as access to information, citizen input and e-Commerce using the City web site. Privacy, City business systems security and adequate network capacity remain areas of concern. Likewise, the City network must be high speed, reliable and secure and this requires ongoing investments in network infrastructure. City departments are exploring new developments in wireless and mobile communications. While this technology offers exciting opportunities, significant security and performance challenges -must be overcome. 2. The Area Information Records System (AIRS) Consortium (Eugene, Springfield and Lane County) has been working to replace the outdated AIRS system. The current system is over 30 years old and cannot provide support for critical public safety functions including Records Management, Local Courts and Field-Based Reporting. The implementation of a new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system was completed in FY04 and Mobile Data and Fire/EMS Records computing was completed in FY05. Development of Law Enforcement Records, Court and Field- Based Reporting will continue through FY011. 3. In 1997, the City adopted telecommunication ordinances that reflected the Federal Telecommunications Act and the needs of the community. Ordinance 20083 was challenged in State Court and the City prevailed in 2003 at the Oregon Supreme Court. Program staff has returned to fully implementing Ordinance 20083 as intended by the City Council. Actions in congress and state legislatures, Federal Communications Commission, and further legal challenges continue to put the traditionally collected rights of way fees and telecommunications taxes in jeopardy. 4. The current property tax system relies on low inflation (three percent or less) and a high level of new construction to keep adequate tax resources that will. provide the same level of service for a growing population. As inflation rises or development slows, the City's property tax revenue will not be sufficient to maintain services. Finding new resources to support government activities and controlling cost increases is a primary challenge in the years ahead. 5. With the limitations in growth for unrestricted General Fund revenues, the City has turned to local option levies (library and youth recreation). Funding ongoing services on atime-limited basis has ceased for youth services in FY08 and will cease for library-services after the FY08-FY11 levy expires. This Library Local Option Levy (LOL) is approximatelyhalf the size of the prior levy. The .substantial challenge over the next several fiscal years will be to fund these services within the General Fund. Since current financial projections indicate there is no additional ongoing money to pay for these services, reallocation of existing resources must be considered. . 6. The organization has now completed its seventh year of implementation of a City-wide diversity plan. A comprehensive evaluation of the program's effectiveness has recently been completed. The results of that assessment are being used to refocus organization-wide diversity efforts. ! 7. Health insurance cost increases moderated significantly in the past two years, although the increases still exceed the CPI in FY05 and FY06. The City self-insured the managed care (Point of Service) plan, effective July 1, 2005, which resulted in significant administrative cost savings. The City now fully self-insures all of the health plans offered to employees, as part of its cost containment strategy. Key drivers of health insurance cost increases continue to be general medical. inflation; rising provider expenses; rising prescription drug costs; aging workforce; and large numbers of retirees enrolled in the City's health plans. The Benefits Study Group, involving 66