CC Minutes - 01/23/06 Work Session

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Mayor Piercy asked if properties on the list for potential acquisition were prioritized so that if there were several opportunities, staff would know which to pursue first. Ms. Medary said the original priority stream corridors were designated as tier 1, 2, 3 or 4, but the current map did not include those designations. She said the reality of the situation was that opportunities arose infrequently and there was not generally a conflict in choosing which to pursue. Mayor Piercy urged that the corridors be prioritized in order to guide acquisition decisions. Mr. Kelly asked what type of protection the proposed water quality protection ordinance to be considered by the council later in the year would provide. Ms. Walch said staff was looking at protection measures on some of the waterways not covered by Goal 5 that were directly connected to the Willamette River or other water quality limited streams. She said the focus was on protection for streams that were water quality limited and possibly additional protection in the headwaters area for streams that would be subject to inclusion in the implementation of the upper Willamette TDML. She said protection would likely be a setback, possibly beyond the Goal 5 setback, and might also include additional management measures related to water quality. Mr. Kelly noted that the proposed water quality protection ordinance was a land use decision and subject to appeal and therefore implementation was some distance in the future. He said he would likely support an alternative for an increase as the best way to protect property was to purchase it. He thought the public would understand the purpose of a rate increase and agree with it. Ms. Solomon, seconded by Ms. Ortiz, moved to direct the City Manager to con- tinue to fund the stream corridor acquisition program at the current level (approxi- mately $150,000 per year) and to continue to negotiate with property owners on priority stream corridor sites as identified in the October 2001 Study as opportuni- ties arise and as funds allow. Speaking to the motion, Ms. Solomon said the option was reasonable and doable and gave the City a program of which it could be proud. She said information provided by staff convinced her that between the acquisition program, Goal 5 protection and proposed protections for water quality, the necessary standards were in place. She was not certain that the public would understand a rate increase for stream corridor acquisition when there were potholes in roads that were not being repaired. Ms. Bettman, seconded by Mr. Kelly, moved to amend the motion by substituting the following language: direct the City Manager to increase stormwater user fees by $0.30 for medium density residential users and commensurate increase for other user fee categories to fund an enhanced stream corridor acquisition program. Speaking to the motion, Ms. Bettman said that stormwater conveyance and flood control was a City utility and the major study and planning process associated with CSWMP discussed converting to green infrastruc- ture where possible. She said that green infrastructure was the most cost-effective and environmentally sound standard of practice to pursue. She said the program had been so scaled back that in the last four- and-a-half years only 36.3 acres out of 170 acres had been acquired. She hoped staff would also consider conservation easements and other options to protect corridors for their functional values of flood control, filtration and conveyance. MINUTES—Eugene City Council January 23, 2006 Page 6 Work Session