Eugene City Manager John Ruiz presented his budget recommendations Tuesday for the next fiscal year. Voters may be asked to pass a levy to support Eugene's Sheldon branch library.
Eugene faces a 2.5 million dollar gap in its general fund for fiscal year 2015. The proposed budget includes cuts to library and recreation programs, park maintenance, human rights and neighborhood services. Eugene Budget Committee chair Laura Illig says this comes out of a nearly year-long process of public meetings.
Illig: "The proposal that the City Manager brought forward is very similar to what we have talked about to date. It takes into consideration much of what the budget committee has said we want to see and we care about and is important as well as a lot of the public feedback that we've heard every step of the way."
City Councilor George Poling plans to propose a voter levy to fund the Sheldon Branch library-- which will stay open next year with one-time funds. The Downtown library will cut back its Sunday hours. The Budget Committee holds a public hearing Thursday evening at 5:30 at the Downtown library.