10/26/1992 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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C. Items from the Mayor. City Council. and City ManaQer . 1. Relief Nursery Mr. Rutan said he was contacted by organizers of the Relief Nursery project in Ward 8. He noted the request from the nursery in the council packet, and said he strongly supports it. He said that almost $1 million has been raised for the project from private sources. The City's systems development charges (SDCs) to the project amount to approximately $75,000, and another City fee of $5,000 for right-of-way usage for a construction trailer brings the total to about $80,000. He recommended that the council seriously consider options for funding all or part of the public costs of the project. Mr. Gleason pointed out that the request is part of a larger issue of how to handle the City's charges to publicly supported projects. He said the first staff team meeting on the issue is scheduled for November 5, and it will probably take until December or later to develop options for the council. Jeannie Phelps of the Relief Nursery said that the trailer is already parked at the site. She stated that foundation work is scheduled to begin on November 3, and the fees must be paid when the permit is issued. Mr. MacDonald expressed support for the request and inquired why the expense was not anticipated. Ms. Phelps responded that the project organizers realized SDC charges were pending but did not know the amount. She added that the project's builder suffered an auto accident and has been unable to participate in his business since August 11. . Ms. Bascom said that possible funding sources include the beginning cash balance and the contingency fund. Mr. Nicholson recommended considering other needs for the $80,000 with which the Relief Nursery competes. Ms. Ehrman said she supports the request, but such needs cannot be addressed piecemeal. She suggested developing criteria to determine which agencies should be assisted in paying their charges, and noted that one option is to defray a certain percentage of non-profits' SDCs. Mr. Rutan moved, seconded by Ms. Ehrman, that the City Council direct the manager to develop options for funding all or part of the public costs associated with the Relief Nursery development. Mr. Nicholson advocated collecting SDCs from nonprofits and then allocating the funds to certain nonprofits based on merit and not necessarily according to whether they are engaged in construction. Mr. Rutan suggested that be one of the options developed by the manager. Mr. Miller noted that the policy options should not place the City in the direct line of tort. The motion passed unanimously, 6:0. Mr. Gleason stated that he cannot act in the matter before returning to the council with the options, and will do whatever is possible within the bounds MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 26, 1992 Page 6 . 5:30 p.m.