CC Minutes - 05/24/06 Work Session

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B. WORK SESSION: Collaborative Process to Identify a Transportation Solution for West Eugene and the FY06-FY09 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP) City Manager Taylor thanked the council for its forbearance for allowing the work session on this item so that the council could align with the results of the Osprey Group’s conflict assessment and so that staff could comply with council direction in time to bring the discussion about the collaborative process to the next meeting of the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC). He asked City Engineer Mark Schoening, to provide an overview. Mr. Schoening reviewed the process to-date. He stated that subsequent to the motion the City Council passed which directed the City Manager to scope a process for a transportation solution for West Eugene, the Fiscal Year (FY) 06-09 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP) had not been approved and was still not approved, though there had been numerous amendments to the FY05-07 MTIP to keep critical projects moving forward. He related that at the last meeting, the MPC received a report from Metropolitan Policy Organization (MPO) staff outlining options for moving forward with either the proposed FY06-09 MTIP or a new FY07-11 MTIP. He noted, regarding the latter, that this was the new way such programs were put together under the recent federal transportation legislation. He said MPO staff also discussed the consequences of not having an adopted MTIP and what that would mean to member jurisdictions. Mr. Schoening discussed the Osprey Group’s findings, which included three options for moving forward: 1. Proceed with the current National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) had undertaken for the West Eugene Parkway (WEP); 2. Have a heightened commitment to public engagement in the WEP. 3. Form a collaborative process. Mr. Schoening reported that the Osprey Group concluded that a collaborative process could best address the transportation issues in West Eugene. Mr. Schoening stated that the action requested of the council was to direct the council representatives to the MPC to propose a resolution for adoption by the MPC that would essentially adopt the FY06-09 MTIP, moving the WEP to the last year of that cycle, would include MPC endorsement and participation in a collaborative process, would request that ODOT delay conclusion of its NEPA process on the WEP until the collaborative process had concluded, and would stipulate that ODOT consider the results of the process. He said the other part of the motion addressed the funding mechanism by directing the City’s representatives to the Transportation Planning Committee (TPC), through the City Manager, to submit an application for Surface Transportation Program-Urban (STP-U) funding in the amount of $200,000 to fund the collabora- tive process. He added that, assuming an affirmative vote on the motion before the council, the next step would be for City staff to bring this up before the Transportation Planning Committee on May 25 so that it was apprized of what would occur on the MPC’s June 8 agenda. He said staff would also request to have this item on the agenda for the June 7 meeting of the Citizen Advisory Committee to the MPC. Mayor Piercy thanked staff for working hard to put the wording together for the council. She reported that Congressman Peter DeFazio and Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski expressed their support for the collaborative process. She said many members of the environmental community were contacted and expressed support for the process. The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce expressed its support as well. MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 24, 2006 Page 7 Work Session