[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6374485,"mediaKeyId","2144628-adb5bb0d877537d37e16d1dd26bbf57a","parentId",2144628,"title","Council approves 2025 state and federal policy documents; staff highlight shelter, Clear Lake infrastructure and behavioral health funding requests","audioSeconds",1711,"startMs",3729000,"endMs",5440000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2144628-adb5bb0d877537d37e16d1dd26bbf57a&start=3729&end=5440","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2144628-adb5bb0d877537d37e16d1dd26bbf57a/thumbnail_3729000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6374485/Eugene/Lane-County/Oregon/Council-approves-2025-state-and-federal-policy-documents-staff-highlight-shelter-Clear-Lake-infrastructure-and-behavioral-health-funding-requests","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6374485-4920c31f60021de17bb2aa1a769e0bdc/orig.mp4?Expires=1775169438&Signature=Ec-h-o6lkT8bGi6M1h0rlYxGr0QQk2qlGVQnKXw5YoWj6HaaAR13rxMEsivKHmRANkmtLBKn5dNkh3T3mghItUk~1oeqMDtMQGMJIxt6MbBe7xfZ-lnTNPIXiPLMOFgH2G24Lum2nuXMudnk39Dyncl5f0DeQMfq6ioqphsxt1hpVRZNy3XWtzxTMpAeS-nh9xO9Uz1tMVC9k0iOWhhvOYI4rVUEAfTikjRSYeqhFb-JVPbbr9pm8RtCAVi73OamyqdpdzTpmJsB-jPt2qV7~XlSXRmXHaKtfc4voHWzBLNzC2eGjAHMbtF4a2HPJRftS6oTQaGehd9z0OoKWpqb7g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Eugene, OR","date","2025-01-23T09:39:14Z","article","Ethan Nelson, the city’s intergovernmental relations manager, asked the Eugene City Council on Jan. 22 to adopt the city’s 2025 state and federal policy document and a companion list of state priorities. The council voted to approve the documents by a recorded voice vote, five in favor and one opposed.

“Today, we will walk through the IGR program goals, the IGR process, the 2025 policy framework, our 2025 state priorities,” Nelson said during the presentation, summarizing the package staff recommended the council approve.

What the council approved: Two documents — the 2025 Eugene state and federal policy document (the policy framework for the city’s positions on bills) and the 2025 Eugene state priorities (six proactive funding and policy asks) — were presented by Nelson and recommended by the city’s Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) committee. The IGR committee operates under guidance in Resolution 5387 and includes Councillors Evans, Groves, and Yeh; the mayor serves ex officio.

Priority requests and details highlighted by staff:
- Shelter and emergency placements: Nelson summarized a multi‑partner work group that proposed expanding allowable program funding to cover “Safe Temporary Emergency Placement” (STEP) sites, including safe-vehicle and parking-spot programs and alternative shelters. The work group recommended that funding be channeled through a regional partner (likely Lane County).
- Clear Lake industrial infrastructure: Eugene requested $10.5 million in state funds to construct the first phase of wastewater collection infrastructure in the Clear Lake industrial area (phase 1 items listed as roughly $8,000,000 for a pump station and conveyance on Enid Road and $2,500,000 for wastewater pipes on Enid and Airport roads). Staff said the city plans to pair about $2,000,000 in local system development charges (SDC) funds and that state lottery funding would lower the city share.
- Behavioral health stabilization center: Nelson said Lane County seeks authorization and funding reauthorizations to advance a roughly $31 million behavioral health stabilization center. Nelson described about $15.5 million already secured for the project and a requested reauthorization of $7.5 million in state general funds plus an additional $7.5 million being requested from previously allocated but unspent funds.
- Public-safety and statute priorities: Staff identified support for Senate Bill 473 (criminalizing threatening a public official) and the reintroduction of HB 2007 (allowing local government buildings and adjacent grounds to prohibit firearms) as priority policy positions. Nelson also described supporting refinements to ambulance/EMS reimbursement through an EMS 2.0 omnibus effort supported by the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association.

Council discussion: Councillor Clark asked why housing infrastructure requests were not more prominent among the state asks, given that lack of utility connections makes many city lands unbuildable. Nelson replied that housing infrastructure was part of the broader housing-production efforts and that the governor’s proposal this session emphasizes a programmatic statewide approach rather than a long list of discretionary local asks; Eugene will continue to advocate within that framework and for programmatic funding. Councillor Clark also raised concerns about potential competition with Lane County for shelter funds; Nelson said the work group recommended routing funds to a regional entity (likely Lane County) to create a coordinated regional approach rather than a zero-sum competition.

Vote and motion: A motion to adopt both the 2025 Eugene state and federal policy document and the 2025 Eugene state priorities was moved and seconded on the record. The council voted in favor (five yes, one no) and the motion passed.

Other notes: Nelson said staff will provide weekly priority-bill updates during the legislative session and noted contracted support at the Capitol from CFM Advocates; he also previewed the city’s planned United Front delegation week in April to pursue federal requests tied to body/dash cameras, airport capital projects and urban forestry/wildfire resilience.

Ending: With council approval, city staff will proceed with the legislative agenda, begin weekly legislative updates to council, and continue coordination with Lane County and regional partners on shelter and behavioral-health funding requests.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Work Session: January 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Ethan Nelson, the city’s intergovernmental relations manager, asked the Eugene City Council on Jan. 22 to adopt the city’s 2025 state and federal policy framework and a companion list of state priorities; councilors approved both documents by voice vote, five to one.","taxTitle","Eugene , Lane County, Oregon","taxId",2848,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6374489,"City manager warns of tight timeline: council must decide on fire fee or $11.5 million in cuts by Feb. 10",3253,605000,3858000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2144628-adb5bb0d877537d37e16d1dd26bbf57a&start=605&end=3858","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2144628-adb5bb0d877537d37e16d1dd26bbf57a/thumbnail_605000.jpg","/articles/6374489/Eugene/Lane-County/Oregon/City-manager-warns-of-tight-timeline-council-must-decide-on-fire-fee-or-115-million-in-cuts-by-Feb-10","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6374489-32101eca260e2f36a1571dd5f08dc1b6/orig.mp4?Expires=1775169438&Signature=Oie2p~VA9OBKq1ctcURI1J8xVJqhF0-vy1G~tIhdn24h6vJsvcUztjGrXmUqvT2WwT9WiyfPM8DWqU96x6j1Al1RuDpyvziyv3~JjqPFlPuwP3k03421ZXOYBnHOZ0jqEvjZKUA~ftgFaOOgXNz853qgf~TmFBX1DOYqCux4-LIRzk4u4NID95Jj0DY0P9xHoKIw1f1nN2TH2JR94rD-iqgtVt2C3mkBzX-OYe3tjqiMxx-G86eYRCXMypbQug2YSG0OvsL-QDB5syOC6TvEjX8ZRZTbMIEsoyppI1Y~Wx~7GxJZiSN7AU2C3Xg4nqwpguDAVdd~gxahVqkKwgZJuw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Eugene city manager told the City Council on Jan. 22 that the council faces two clear budget choices: move forward with proposed new revenue that includes a fire-services fee, or approve about $11.5 million in annual general fund reductions that staff must build into the 2025–27 budget.

“The plan was to continue today with that. And we've delayed that. ... I thought what I could do today is use the time to talk a little bit about some things that need to happen,” the city manager said, opening the work session on the council’s budget-priorities timeline. The manager later added: “there's a lot at stake with these conversations.”

Why it matters: The city manager said staff already built $20 million in prior reductions into the 2023–25 budget and that the council’s direction on new revenue versus cuts affects what staff can reasonably complete before the statutory and administrative deadlines that feed the budget committee and final adoption. If the council does not choose a path at the Feb. 10 decision meeting, the manager warned, staff will build a proposed budget under the assumption of adopting the $11.5 million in cuts.

Options and scale: The manager described the new-revenue scenario as including roughly $2,000,000 earmarked for fire services and about $8,000,000 for general stabilization; even with that option, staff would still plan for about $3.5 million in cuts. The alternative is to decline new revenue and spread $11.5 million in cuts across the general fund. The manager said both scenarios — one distributing cuts according to current department shares and another protecting core police and fire functions — will be presented Feb. 10.

Council reaction: Councilor Kaczynski said deciding whether to place the fire fee before getting into cuts “will help our community members who are watching this conversation have a little bit of that certainty.” Councilor Zelenka, an experienced budget veteran, also urged the council to resolve the fire-fee question first: “If we are not, if we say yes, then we’re kind of done. If we say we’re not gonna do it, then we have to go through this cuts discussion.” Councilor Leach said she is prepared to vote in favor of a fire fee if a motion appears on Feb. 10 and emphasized the state-wide context for local revenue pressures. Councilor Yeh voiced similar sentiment about resolving the fee first to avoid “wasting precious time arguing about cuts.”

Legal and referendum mechanics: The city attorney explained that the proposed fire fee is structured as a utility-type fee billed to the utility account holder rather than to property owners, which the attorney said differentiates it legally from a property tax. City Recorder Katie explained the referendum timing: petitioners would have 30 days to gather signatures; 5,817 valid signatures are required to qualify a referendum; to reach a May ballot the petitions would need validation by about Feb. 19. The recorder noted statutory processing steps (county review and city certification) and the 66-day scheduling rule relevant to special election dates.

Staff and service impacts: The manager said the city’s general fund is approximately $390 million and that roughly 60% of it — about $240 million — goes to police and fire. The manager also said the city’s general-fund full-time equivalent (FTE) staffing per 1,000 population is at its lowest point in recent history, and that proposed cuts would have recruitment and morale consequences. “Some feel very valued and some feel very not valued,” the city manager said when describing staff reactions to the budget conversation.

Process and timing: The manager described a typical forecasting calendar (forecast in November–December, build Feb–mid-April, budget committee work in late April and May) and warned that pushing the revenue decision into February reduces staff time to prepare balanced proposals. The manager said that if the Feb. 10 meeting does not yield direction, staff will publish a proposed budget that assumes the $11.5 million cut package and that council amendments would follow if members then identify different priorities.

Next steps: Council and staff will meet on Feb. 10 for a two-hour decision session. The manager said two scenarios will be presented: the $11.5 million allocated by current departmental shares, and $11.5 million in reductions structured to protect core police and fire services. The manager said motions related to the fire fee and cut packages will appear in the Feb. 10 packet.

Ending: The council paused further decision-making until Feb. 10 and requested the scenarios the manager described. Staff will continue to develop budget documents and options to align with the council’s direction at that meeting.","At a Jan. 22 Eugene City Council work session, the city manager outlined two paths to close the budget gap — enact a proposed fire fee and new revenue or implement approximately $11.5 million in annual general fund cuts — and said the council must decide at a Feb. 10 meeting to avoid compressed deadlines and difficult staff-level implementation.","actionData","errors"]

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Council approves 2025 state and federal policy documents; staff highlight shelter, Clear Lake infrastructure and behavioral health funding requests

City manager warns of tight timeline: council must decide on fire fee or $11.5 million in cuts by Feb. 10