Eugene weekly., August 17, 2006, Page 13, Image 13

The city wants to tear down Eugene’s existing City Hall and build a new one for almost $200 million. A plaque on the 1964
building reads, “The people are the city.” A bond vote is scheduled for Nov. 2008 with construction to start in 2010.
DOOMED TO DEMO
B
Does Eugene really need to destroy its existing City Hall?
■
B Y A LAN P ITTMAN
uilding a new police station is a three-time loser with Eugene voters. In May 2000, 54 percent voted no. In
Nov. 2000, 62 percent voted no. In Nov. 2004, 60 percent again voted no. But that hasn’t stopped the Eugene
City Council and city staff from pursuing a huge expensive new cop shop and huge new City Hall to boot. In
the last year, the new City Hall has been the city’s top priority, consuming more consultant money and staff and council
time than any other policy issue.
But while the council and staff are gung ho to spend almost $200 million on new offices, taxpayers might have little
interest. A new City Hall faces many thorny hurdles including questions of cost, voter support, police location and reno-
vation as an alternative.
COST
Building a new City Hall could cost as
much as $174 million, according to city
consultants. The council has already agreed
to pay a consultant team, led by Thomas
Hacker Architects of Portland, $1.1 million
to study and promote the issue, a price that
doesn’t even include a design for the new
building. The consultant money came out
of a $27 million pot of cash the city has
squirreled away for new offices by divert-
ing taxpayer money that could have gone to
reduce city taxes and fees, provide more
services or fund other needs.
The city says it has $90 million in pot-
holes and wants to impose a big new street
maintenance fee, the largest tax increase in
city history without a vote. The city also has
identified $40 million in natural areas
threatened by development. A proposed
$25 million parks bond measure would
acquire some of them, but would require a
tax increase while the city is sitting on $27
million in cash.
domestic violence enforcement, communi-
ty policing and planning staff to protect the
city’s livability and environment. But the
city has refused to fund these citizen prior-
ities out of its growing stash.
attended two widely publicized forums, and
many of those came to push not for a new
City Hall, but for a new farmer’s market
downtown.
Despite all the money spent on consult-
ants, the city hasn’t polled or asked citizens
if they would actually vote for the big tax
increase needed to build a new City Hall.
“I would like to ask it, but I know we
can’t,” said Councilor Andrea Ortiz at an
Aug. 9 meeting. “Would they be willing to
support a bond issue to pay for any of this?
That’s kind of the bottom line.”
Mayor Kitty Piercy replied that such a
poll wasn’t a good idea now. “We have to
wait until they’re convinced that they want
it a little bit.”
Piercy said it’s “critical” that the city
include something for the public in the new
City Hall to help sell it to voters. “It has to
have some component, whether it’s a park or
some kind of cultural component, something
where the public sees this belongs to us,” so
“it just doesn’t feel like it’s a place where
electeds and bureaucrats have to play.”
‘It has to have some component, whether it’s a park or some kind of cultural
component, something where the public sees this belongs to us,’ so ‘it just
doesn’t feel like it’s a place where electeds and bureaucrats have to play.’
— E UGENE M AYOR K ITTY P IERCY
Citizens have also called for more
money for neighborhood traffic calming,
school support, ongoing library funding, a
homeless shelter, more park space down-
town, a farmer’s market, a riverfront park
after EWEB relocates its industrial yard,
VOTE
Although the consultants have spent
tens of thousands of dollars on trying to get
citizens to come to meetings on building a
new City Hall, the public has shown little
interest. Only about 150 people have
Ideas for such a component so far
include a public plaza, visual arts center
and/or farmer’s market.
Another way the city is trying to sell a
tax increase for a new City Hall is by using
taxpayer money to advocate for higher
AUGUST 17, 2006 13