CC Minutes - 01/29/01 Work Session

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Mr. Schwetz reported that staff discussed the possibility of removing the two I-5 projects from the financially constrained list until the I-5 Interchange Study was done. Regarding the funding of the study, he noted that ODOT's planning dollars had been reduced and the agency was reluctant to commit to funding for the study at this time. Mr. Meisner thought removing the two I-5 projects made sense, as they could be added back in the future. He said he wished the study had been done before the Gateway area was developed. Responding to a question from Mr. Pap~, Mr. Schwetz did not have a timeline or cost estimate for the study. He said the timing of the study depended on the funding. The council accepted Ms. Childs' recommendation. Ms. Bettman referred to Item A, and asked if the recommendation precluded a local jurisdiction from using access management in a retrofit situation. Ms. Childs believed that the recommendation encouraged that approach. Ms. Bettman had no objection to the recommendation with that clarification. Mayor Torrey determined there were no other objections to Item A. Ms. Bettman referred to item D and asked the intent of the last sentence, which stated local funding sources would not be prioritized in the regional prioritization process. Mr. Schwetz clarified that policy was modified to explicitly identify that the federal money going to the County Road Fund was not part of the State and federal revenues referred to in the first sentence. He said that the dollars involved were timber receipts; he did not know its percentage of overall funding. Ms. Bettman had no further questions. Mr. Kelly said he accepted Item D in the interest of compromise, and preferred it to the original because it was specific to the Capital Improvement Program and related to the proposed finance policy. Mayor Torrey determined there were no objections to Item D. Regarding Item E, Ms. Bettman thought that New Finance Policy #1 could be added to the definition and intent of Finance Policy 1, which stated that local governments would seek adequate transportation funding. She said one way to do so was to find ways to reallocate traditionally dedicated funds. Because of the scarcity of funds and backlog of preservation and maintenance, she thought it a useful strategy. Mr. Meisner said that while he was not attached to the proposed policy, he did not understand the resistence of the MPC subcommittee to the policy. It merely stated that local jurisdictions wanted flexibility in how they used their funds. Responding to a request for direction from Ms. Childs, other councilors indicated interest in pursuing Ms. Bettman's suggestion. C.Work Session: West Eugene Parkway MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 29, 2001 Page 6 Work Session