CC Minutes - 06/26/06 Work Session

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th Mr. Poling related he attended the celebration of Sacred Heart Medical Center’s 70 anniversary in the community. He attended a dinner with visiting dignitaries from Thailand who were in Eugene preparing for th a visit from the princess in honor of the 60 anniversary of the monarch’s reign. He said that many books would be donated to local libraries in recognition of the event. He said the princess would arrive the week of July 13, 2006. Mr. Kelly felt that Mr. Papé had clear direction from the council regarding his representation on the LCOG executive committee, both in terms of the resolution and a prior motion regarding the MTIP. He remained optimistic about the situation and felt that MPC members would agree that collaboration would provide the best chance to move transportation improvements forward. Regarding the LCOG board’s letter, he said passage of the council’s resolution by the MPC would resolve those concerns. He noted that the year before last the council had provided a budget allocation for a cultural policy review and reported that the Mayor’s Committee on Cultural Policy Review had its first meeting recently and he thought it was a good start to a comprehensive look at arts and culture in Eugene and the roles of the City and community in sustaining and improving the arts and culture scene. Ms. Taylor conveyed the Crest Drive Neighbors concern about potholes in their neighborhood. She asked how an attractive nuisance on City-owned land should be addressed. City Manager Taylor replied that if the information was provided to him he would confer with the city attorney on how to proceed. Ms. Taylor noted the number of teenagers hanging out in downtown and emphasized the need for a youth center in the downtown area. She asked how much money the City gave LCOG and whether LCOG’s budget was entirely comprised of contributions from member jurisdictions. City Manager Taylor replied that the City paid membership dues each year of approximately $80,000. He said that LCOG’s budget consisted of contributions from member organizations, plus grants from the State and federal government. Mr. Papé pointed out that many organizations in addition to municipalities were members of LCOG. Mr. Kelly added that LCOG received a majority funding for transportation planning from State and federal pass- through funds. Ms. Taylor wondered whether LCOG should be abolished instead of the MPC and questioned what benefits the City received from LCOG. Ms. Bettman agreed with Mr. Papé that the LCOG issue was worth of discussion and asked for clarification of several issues before that discussion occurred: enabling language that vested LCOG with the authority to make transportation decisions, whether the qualification to fulfill that function still existed with region’s designation as a Transportation Management Area (TMA) and a breakdown of the allocation of transporta- tion planning funds. City Manager Taylor announced that he had been invited to be a nominee for one of the three city manager positions on the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) board. He said the election would occur at the LOC’s September 2006 meeting and he would submit his name if it was the desire of the council. Mr. Papé remarked that road improvements in the Crest Drive area were slowed pending street designation and contact-sensitive design. He questioned whether it was appropriate to take care of potholes before the other issues were resolved. City Manager Taylor said there were significant potholes on Crest Drive and Storey Boulevard but there was not a base that allowed for pothole repair and sections were scheduled for a larger patch; however, that was not a significant improvement because of the nature of the deteriorated road. He said that $250,000 was budgeted for design work and if a concept that was agreeable to all could be MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 26, 2006 Page 2 Work Session