When the city manager’s office requested $500,000 in May for projects related to the 2021 World Championships coming to Eugene, eyebrows were raised. The budget committee was prepared to earmark the half-million dollar sum but couldn’t do so because the request came without any specific plans for the money.
“There were no projects proposed,” Skov said, “It was really just, ‘can you approve half (a) million dollars related to the 2021 games?’ At a moment of low trust, it shows a real misunderstanding of where the community is to make such an open ended request.”
Undeterred, the city took the delay in stride and has yet to return to the table with plans to move forward. They plan to meet in the fall to refine ideas, according to city spokesperson Jan Bohman.
The committee refused to grant what was seen more or less as a trust fund for a city government that has faltered in the public eye in recent months.
“I think many councilors and committee members are very supportive of making necessary investments for being a successful host in 2021,” Josh Skov, a citizen member of the budget committee, said, “But we have had some episodes in the last year especially that have damaged people’s trust in our spending practices.
Earlier in May, a five year plan for rezoning the South Willamette district of Eugene was thrown out after months of controversy surrounding inadequate communication with the public and a lack of thorough planning by the city. The Oregon Consensus Assessment Report found that, any excitement or willingness for citizens to work with the city on the project was “tempered by a lack of trust.”
Other projects that have ran out of hand, such as the ever-escalating budget for the new City Hall, are more reasons that the budget committee was expecting a clear plan for what the city manager had in mind to do with such a large request.
Broad brushstroke ideas from the city include matching fund grants for parks, and “community improvements,” according to Bohman.
Referencing previous endeavors to generally improve the city leading up to major events that would draw visitors from all over, including this month’s Olympic trials, Bohman hinted at similar endeavors. Enhancing lighting on paths and a “big goal” of enhancing the riverfront area were among them.
“How do we prepare the community for this amazing opportunity?” Bohman asked. “We want these projects to leave a lasting legacy after the event.”
The funds requested by the city are for “outside the fence” projects. None of the $500,000 would be used to fund the event itself or its sponsor, TrackTown.
However, considering this most recent cause for public scrutiny, the city has a number of barriers to cross.
For his part, Skov, who has served in a number of citizen advisory roles and is running for City Council Ward 1 this year, is optimistic.
“I think the government can do really good planning,” said Skov, “it can foster the kind of downtown we want. But that general belief doesn’t let anyone off the hook for real accountability and real transparency.”