CC Minutes - 05/11/09 Work Session

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role. He supported having stronger clarity around the roles of the three parties, what good performance was considered to be, and how the auditor's job could be done in the best way. Ms. Ortiz expressed appreciation for Mr. Pryor's remarks. She said it had been difficult not to discuss her views as she did not want to politicize the issue beyond what was occurring through the media. She supported the police auditor and wanted a police auditor program that worked well. The motion passed, 7:1; Ms. Taylor voting no. U. WORK SESSION: Next Steps on Facility Reserves The council was joined by Interim Central Services Director Kristi Hammitt. Acting Police Chief Pete Kerns and Mike Penwell of the Facilities Division were also present for the item. Ms. Hammitt provided a PowerPoint presentation entitled Next Steps on Use of the Facility Reserve. The presentation provided background on the issue and outlined the staff recommendation for a consolidated, parallel planning process that would 1) explore site options for government services (excluding police) currently provided at City Hall and options for the future use of City Hall; 2) provide a detailed analysis of the Country Club Road site for Police Services; and 3) continue to explore long -term options for City Hall consolidation. The presentation also noted the chief's recommendation for a downtown police substation. The presentation laid out a series of steps needed to accomplish the recommenda- tion and associated timeline. Ms. Hammitt invited questions. Mayor Piercy opened the discussion. She indicated a police facility not in downtown would be a "hard sell" for her. She thought the staff presentation omitted mention of the public perception of a physical separation between the police and the rest of the organization, and the public perception of a reduced City commitment to downtown. On the other hand, she believed that City Hall was more than inadequate; it was dangerous. Mayor Piercy thought the council had a duty to get City employees to sites where they could work safely. She believed the City was tempting fate by staying in the building. She wanted to be pragmatic and thought the Country Club Road site was suitable for a police site that helped to address some of the concerns that had been raised. Mayor Piercy suggested the council could mitigate the perception of the appearance of moving away from its commitment by pushing hard on its commitment to keeping the rest of the organization and a public safety station downtown. She advocated for a community conversation about the topic. Mayor Piercy cautioned staff to do due diligence in regard to the Country Club facility. She observed that she would miss the connection with the County if the City administration moved out of City Hall. She anticipated that the manager would negotiate the best price possible. Mr. Clark shared many of the Mayor's sentiments and expressed appreciation for them. With regard to the concept of a city hall campus, he favored the idea in a general way. He did not want the concept to become the permanent way of delivering City services, and wanted the organization to continue to look for more permanent city hall location. He continued to favor the Eugene Water & Electric Board site for that purpose and hoped the council continued to discuss that option. Mr. Clark spoke to the proposed police facility building and expressed concern about traffic and access. He said he would like to hear more from staff about that. Mr. Clark liked the idea of having a public safety station downtown to mitigate for the move of the police to Country Club Road. He was concerned about leaving downtown but agreed that the need was real and imminent. He wanted to be pragmatic because he was very concerned about what the City could afford, and thought that when such an opportunity arose, the City needed to be prudent about public resources and make a smart decision. He iVIINUTES —City Council May 11, 2009 Page 5 Work Session