After the June 22 public hearing, the City Council voted to adopt the FY21 budget for the City of Eugene. State Local Budget Law requires budget adoption by the city by June 30. Budget adoption provides for the legal appropriation of funds and sets the city tax rate, which is legally required for the County to collect taxes on behalf of the City. If the budget is not adopted by June 30, the City cannot legally spend money as of July 1, which includes payroll, bond payments, and paying suppliers and contractors.
The Council also committed to holding a work session on July 20 discuss public safety funding and the creation of a community task force that includes elected officials, representatives from communities of color and others with the goal of reforming city policies that continue a legacy of racism.
“We have scheduled a council work session on July 20 to review the community safety initiative and talk about next steps with respect to our investments in public safety,” Mayor Vinis noted during the meeting. “We will be deliberative, inclusive and thoughtful in that review of policies. Many voices that haven’t been heard need to be part of this discussion. We will also talk about how to most effectively bring a broad array of perspectives and priorities into the discussion of structural change, not only in our public safety system, but more deeply and broadly in our community.”
The City Council can use the supplemental budget process to change the budget at any time. The supplemental budget process requires a public hearing; notice for the hearing and summary of the budget must be posted five days prior to the hearing.
City Manager Sarah Medary presented the FY21 Proposed Budget to the City of Eugene Budget Committee on May 13, 2020. The FY21 budget builds on the City’s on-going effort to balance the City’s fiscal health and stability with meeting critical service delivery needs. The City continues to monitor emerging data to understand the financial impacts of the COVID-19 emergency and to inform critical budget decisions.
At their final meeting on May 27, 2020, the Budget Committee voted to recommend the City Council adopt the FY21 Proposed Budget for the City of Eugene and the Urban Renewal Agency with amendments. The Budget Committee approved recommendations for funds for the Sidewalk Maintenance Program and the Lane County Human Services Commission. The Committee also recommended a work session be held on Ground Emergency Medical Transport funding and overall funding for the fire department.