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EFFECTIVE, ACCOUNTABLE
<br />MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
<br />A government that works openly, collaboratively, and fairly with the
<br />community to achieve measurable and positive outcomes
<br />Human Rights Office Moves
<br />City Human Rights staff and volunteers have moved from offices in
<br />City Hall to astreet-level, storefront space at 833 Willamette Street.
<br />The new location, named the Eugene Human Rights Center, provides
<br />community members with more direct access to program resources.
<br />The center is open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
<br />Firefighters Spread Safety Message
<br />Eugene firefighters made contact with thousands of citizens during
<br />the year, hosting the Safety Fest at Alton Baker Park, conducting
<br />safety sweeps of New Year's Eve party venues, making fire prevention
<br />presentations in every second-grade classroom in the city, advising Greek
<br />housing residents at the University of Oregon, and offering free smoke
<br />alarms to residents at selected mobile home parks. They also made
<br />numerous appearances before school and neighborhood groups and
<br />conducted fire station tours for more than 2,000 visitors,
<br />Easy-to-Use Zoning Map on Web
<br />An interactive zoning map is now available on the City's website that
<br />responds to requests for current, easy-to-understand zoning information.
<br />This customer-friendly, dynamic new application provides quick
<br />determinations of the base and overlay zoning for a single site. It also
<br />reduces the burden of downloading and printing the popular, but large,
<br />PDF formatted zoning maps.
<br />- Jennifer Solomon
<br />~ Ward6
<br />~,
<br />,~ ,~ ~~
<br />This was a great year for the people of Ward 6. In March, a group of concerned neighbors
<br />~~'
<br />3~+ banded together to ask the City to improve the hazardous conditions at Golden Gardens
<br />~., ~~
<br />J Park, a former gravel pit now filled with water. Several deaths had occurred there and
<br />,'
<br />~~'~
<br />r~ area residents wanted it to stop. The Friends of Golden Gardens Park testified many
<br /> times before City Council and the Budget Committee and by June, they secured $600,000
<br /> for improvements to the site! They also persuaded the council to include $2 million for
<br /> the park in the November parks ballot measure. With the passage of the ballot measure,
<br /> the future looks bright for Golden Gardens Park. Meanwhile, residents are participating
<br /> in a series of workshops to plan the new and improved park. Finally, the classmates of
<br /> the most recent drowning victims partnered with the City and built a memorial trail. This
<br /> summary describes what can happen when citizens get together to make a change. It has
<br /> been a very exciting time and I hope there will be many more successes like this in Eugene
<br /> next year.
<br />Page 18 City of Eugene • Highlights of 2006
<br />FAIR, STABLE AND ADEQUA
<br />FINANCIAL RESOURCE
<br />A government whose ongoing financial resources are based on
<br />a fair and equitable system o f revenues and are adequate to
<br />maintain and deliver municipal services
<br />Council Moves Toward Sustainable Library Funding
<br />The levy to support library operations approved by voters in November
<br />will cost homeowners approximately half the amount as the levy it
<br />replaced, yet there will be no reduction in library services. As part of
<br />the resolution that referred the measure to voters, the City Council
<br />stated its intention to increase funding for the library from the General
<br />Fund to allow reduction of the levy while maintaining the current level
<br />of services. The council also said it will work to fully transfer funding of
<br />library services to the General Fund over the four-year period of the levy.
<br />Pension Bond Payoff Nets Savings
<br />This year, the City Council made the decision to pay off $7,665,000
<br />in callable pension bonds in June 2007, eliminating 18 years of interest
<br />payments and saving $9 million over that period. The source of funds for
<br />this transaction is the PERS Litigation Reserve. This reserve was created
<br />from City funds to cover costs if reforms to the retirement system were
<br />overturned. The reforms remained substantially intact, leaving this
<br />source of one-time money available for paying off debt and achieving
<br />ongoing savings.
<br />Chris Pryor
<br />Ward 8
<br />°~,, ;
<br />I am most proud of our continued efforts to develop downtown. This includes the ~--
<br />development of a Whole Foods Grocery, negotiated options on properties in the ~ ~ E
<br />downtown area for redevelopment, new interest and proposals for the Sears site, and ~ ~ `'~ t
<br />efforts to rebuild City Hall. I am also proud of our community's support for parks, open ~ ~;~`
<br />space, and the library through the passage of a bond and operating levy I am proud of the
<br />intergovernmental cooperation that resulted in a renewed enterprise zone. I am gratified
<br />to see progress on the eight council goals, and am particularly pleased to see sincere efforts to build
<br />respect and relationships with our minority communities. I am pleased that we have incorporated
<br />the police oversight function into our government in a way that gives it a solid chance for success. I
<br />have been proud to serve as chair of the Human Services Commission during its struggle to achieve
<br />long-term viability.
<br />My vision for progress is a renewed commitment to leadership and collaboration as the way to
<br />reach effective decisions. Leadership rises above management by recognizing the important
<br />elements of vision, passion, cooperation, optimism, trust, and the faith that we are all hereto
<br />benefit Eugene.
<br />City of Eugene • Highlights of 2006
<br />Page 19
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