CC Minutes - 07/29/09 Work Session

Metadata

Thumbnails

Annotations

Ms. Taylor supported Mr. Brown’s motion and believed that not enough members of the public had been adequately apprised of the issues related to the need for a new police facility. Ms. Piercy called for a vote regarding Mr. Brown’s previously stated motion. The motion failed 2:6 (Mr. Clark, Ms. Solomon, Mr. Poling, Mr. Pryor, Ms. Ortiz and Mr. Zelenka voting in opposition.) Mr. Pryor maintained that the current council discussion might encourage the sellers of the Country Club Road building to increase the price and acknowledged that empowering the City Manager to negotiate for the building acquisition would protect the City’s ability to “walk away” from the purchase of the building. Ms. Taylor asked where the funds for a downtown police substation would come from. Ms. Taylor did not understand the connection between moving the EPD to a new facility and the need to relocate the remainder of the City Hall offices to a new space. Ms. Taylor believed that, subsequent to the immediate retrofit of the current City Hall building to seismic life safety standards, other improvements to the current City Hall could be made over time and funded incrementally. Mr. Brown, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved for the City Council to refer to ballot whether or not the City of Eugene should spend up to $16 million for the acquisi- tion and remodel of the property at 300 Country Club Road. Mr. Brown commented that the voters and taxpayers needed to be more involved in the discussion surrounding the use of the facility reserves and believed that putting the matter to a vote would allow the City to better present and refine its plan. Ms. Piercy called for a vote regarding Mr. Brown’s previously stated motion. The motion failed 2:6 (Mr. Clark, Ms. Solomon, Mr. Poling, Mr. Pryor, Ms. Ortiz and Mr. Zelenka voting in opposition.) Mr. Zelenka, seconded by Mr. Clark, moved to 1) authorize the City Manager to negotiate and sign a purchase and sale agreement for the acquisition of the proper- ty at 300 Country Club Road for use as a Police Facility and request on a Sup- plemental Budget an appropriation of up to $16 million from the Facility Reserve for costs related to acquisition, design, construction, furnishing, and move-in, and; 2) to direct the City Manager to return to the council at a future work session in the fall of 2009 with implementation plan options—including a detailed financing plan—for moving the remaining non-police services out of City Hall and creating a new downtown Eugene Police Department substation; and 3) to direct the City Manager to return to the council at a future work session in the fall of 2009 with options and a public input process for the future use of the existing City Hall site. Mr. Zelenka suggested that a downtown police substation could be a leased space and would not necessarily require the utilization of capital funds. MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 29, 2009 Page 7 Work Session