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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 09/24/07 Work Session M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Work Session Council Chamber 777 Pearl Street - Eugene, Oregon September 24, 2007 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Andrea Ortiz (by telephone), Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor, Bonny Bettman, Jennifer Solomon, George Poling, Mike Clark, Alan Zelenka. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. A. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER Mayor Piercy announced that her one-on-one meeting would be held in Mr. Pryor's ward on September 27 at Big Town Hero. She said that the 25th anniversary celebration of the Hult Center would occur on September 28, 2007. Mr. Pryor reported that the West Eugene Collaborative had a workshop scheduled in October and he would provide the council with information following that event. He had met with concerned parents in the Churchill High School area to discuss traffic concerns on Bailey Hill Road. He said those efforts were being coordinated with Churchill Neighbors and thanked staff from Public Works and the Eugene Police Department for meeting with those groups. He was encouraged that a long-term, effective solution would be reached. Mr. Zelenka noted the lack of applicants for the Planning Commission and the Budget Committee. Mr. Zelenka, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to go forward with the appoints to the Human Rights Commission, Sustainability Commission and Toxics Board as scheduled, but to delay and reopen the appointments for the Planning Commission and Budget Committee until after the selection of the Human Rights Commission, Sustainability Commission and Toxics Board members. MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 1 Work Session Mr. Clark clarified that application would be reopened to other members of the public in addition to those who had already submitted a board and commission application. The motion passed, 7:0. Ms. Solomon arrived at 5:35 p.m. Mr. Zelenka indicated that he wished to clarify the intent of the motion to award funds to neighborhoods. He said that while the application rules associated with matching grants would apply, the grants themselves would not require a match; they would be outright grants. Ms. Bettman said she was unwilling to agree to an interpretation of the motion without the opportunity to review the motion and determine legislative intent. Mr. Zelenka asked staff to provide clarifying information. Ms. Taylor reported that the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) did not meet last month. She referred to efforts to designate Civic Stadium as an historic structure, but said that it could still be demolished under current law. She asked if the law could be changed to prohibit demolition and redevelop- ment if there was historic designation. Relating to Willakenzie Park, Mr. Poling said there had been a number of requests to convert to park use the three acres purchased with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and set aside for housing. He noted that he had originally proposed purchasing the entire eight acres for a park but had not received any support and consequently three acres had been land banked for low-income housing. MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 2 Work Session B. WORK SESSION: Meeting with Recruiter for City Manager Position Assistant City Manager Scott Luell introduced Robert Neher of Bennett Yarger and Alana Holmes, Human Resources, to provide an update on the city manager recruitment process. Mr. Neher reviewed drafts of the profile and position description that would be used in the city manager recruitment process. He said that a section relating to management style and personal traits was included in the profile, but not the position description, as that was inconsistent with the City's current format for job classifications; however, it could be added if the council wished. He hoped that the work session would result in a review of the documents and agreement on language, specifically the content of pages 5 through 9 of the profile. He asked for feedback from councilors. Ms. Taylor stated that a four-year degree should be required, with preference for a master's degree. Mr. Neher said that the draft language was based on the council's indication that it did not want to eliminate any potential candidates on the basis of education if they had significant experience. Ms. Taylor said she wanted to eliminate applicants who did not have a bachelor's degree and indicate a preference for a master's degree, although not rule out applicants without one. She wanted the nine years of experience to specify that a certain amount of that time be as a city or county manager with comparable responsibilities. Mr. Neher said that requirement could be imposed, but it would further narrow the field of candidates and he understood that the council was interested in recruiting "outside of the box" from business, education or other areas. He explained the various levels of screening applications would go through before a slate of candidates was identified. Ms. Taylor felt that the council's goals did not need to be included in the profile. Ms. Bettman said she preferred requiring a master's degree and her understanding was that there was consensus that the ideal candidate would have a master's degree, but applicants highly qualified because of experience would not be ruled out. Mr. Neher said that the council would need to specify exactly what type and extent of experience would warrant a waiver to the master's degree requirement. MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 3 Work Session Ms. Bettman said there should be a statement that the compensation level was under review and not yet established. She pointed out that the council, not the mayor and the council, hired the city manager. She asked that the profile indicate Eugene was the second largest city in the state. Ms. Bettman, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to make a master's degree a mini- mum requirement and direct the recruiter to bring forward applicants that were deemed qualified but did not have a master's degree. Mr. Neher pointed out that people without a master's degree would be unlikely to apply if that requirement was stated. Mr. Poling said his recollection of the council's earlier discussion was that a master's degree was preferred, but not required. Mr. Pryor supported requiring a bachelor's degree, with a strong preference for a master's degree instead of requiring a master's but waiving that requirement, which he felt was confusing. Mr. Clark concurred with Mr. Pryor's suggested language. He said there were different approaches to the information that would be used to promote the position and invite applications and the criteria to be used by the recruiters for screening those applications. Mr. Zelenka agreed with requiring a bachelor's degree and stating a preference for a master's, but did not want to screen out applicants without a master's degree. Mr. Neher clarified that the qualifications would be changed from a combination of education and experience to requiring a four-year degree with strong preference for a master's degree. He asked how the council wished to address the experience requirement. Ms. Bettman favored language that required a minimum of a bachelor's degree and described the idea candidate as possessing a master's degree or comparable experience. MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 4 Work Session City Attorney Glenn Klein summarized Ms. Bettman's proposal as requiring a bachelor's degree, with the ideal candidate having a master's degree or experience that would equate to a master's degree. He said that would not preclude qualified applicants who did not have a master's degree. Mr. Neher concurred with Mr. Klein's summary and stated that the new language would require a four-year degree and specify that the ideal candidate would also have a master's degree or experience and training that would provide the required knowledge and abilities equivalent to a master's degree. Mr. Pryor suggested modifying language in the profile to eliminate the reference to a master's degree in the first bulleted item under Education and Experience and adding a third bullet as follows: In addition, a master's degree in public administration, business administration or planning is strongly preferred in selection. A commensurate experience in (to be determined) will also be considered. Ms. Bettman restated her motion to state: The ideal candidate will also have a mas- ter's degree or experience and training that would provide the required knowledge and abilities equivalent to a master's or other advanced degree. Ms. Taylor agreed to the restated language. Mr. Zelenka said the combination of experience and training should be required and not a guideline. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. In response to questions from Ms. Bettman, Mr. Neher explained that the current language related to experience indicated that a candidate would have at least nine years of management experience, with at some point during that time experience working with government. Ms. Bettman asserted that the intent was to broaden the search by not ruling out applicants who were not government employees. Based on Ms. Bettman's suggestions, Mr. Neher offered the following amended language: A minimum of nine years of increasingly responsible administrative and managerial experience of which five years is preferred in public or private agencies involving responsibility for strong management and administra- MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 5 Work Session tion. Experience as a city/town/village manager or as an assistant/deputy manager is preferred. The ideal candidate should have experience in a similar size or larger organization. Ms. Bettman suggested adding the phrase "but not required" to the end of the sentence first sentence. Ms. Piercy determined there was general agreement to the language changes as set forth by Mr. Neher. Mr. Neher asked for feedback on the section related to knowledge, skills and abilities. Ms. Bettman pointed out that the references were all to public management and administration and the intent was to broaden the pool of applicants by considering applicants from the private sector. Mr. Clark said the profile should be clear that a candidate would need strong skills to address conflict resolution. Mr. Neher said that conflict resolution was referenced throughout the document. He said that candidates could also be referred to news articles about Eugene that would highlight issues on which there was considerable community or council disagreement. Mr. Clark reiterated that the candidate should have the skills to help the community and the council bridge those divides. Ms. Bettman and Ms. Taylor expressed a number of concerns about the profile and candidate qualifications. Ms. Piercy suggested that the council subcommittee reconvene to incorporate councilors' input into the profile and position description. Mr. Clark commented that the Eugene Weekly had reported that the City Council made a decision to keep the city manager hiring process secret. He stressed that the council had not made any decision about the secrecy of the process at this point. Ms. Piercy adjourned the meeting of the City Council. MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 6 Work Session Ms. Piercy convened the meeting of the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency (URA). C. WORK SESSION: West Broadway Advisory Committee Recommendations Denny Braud, Planning and Development Department, referred to the agenda packet which included a proposed motion and recommended next steps, which included working with Beam and KWG to develop detailed proposals by mid-November. He said there would be a level of detail in the proposals that would allow the council to determine their consistency with the West Broadway Advisory Committee (WBAC) recommendations and evaluate project financing. He said that other steps involved working toward binding agreements and continuing public involvement in downtown development. He anticipated returning to the URA in January with an outline of possible terms that could be included in the binding agreements. Mr. Pryor, seconded by Ms. Solomon, moved to accept the recommendations pre- sented in the WBAC final report, and to direct the Agency Director to work with Beam and KWG to develop project proposals as consistent as possible with the WBAC recommendations. The Agency Director shall bring the project proposals to the URA for review, including financial details. If a proposal is not completely consistent with the WBAC recommendations, then the Agency Director, when pre- senting the proposal for URA review, shall identify which WBAC recommenda- tions are not met, why not, and what the cost or development implications would be to change the proposal to make it consistent. Prior to the URA's approval of pro- ject proposals and financial details that would be included in agreements with Beam and KWG, the Agency Director shall create opportunities for the public to provide input on the project proposals and financial details, including a public hearing be- fore the URA. Following input from the public, the Agency Director shall bring terms to be included in agreements with Beam and KWG for approval. Mr. Zelenka offered a friendly amendment to insert the phrase "as amended by the changes presented by Councilor Zelenka at the September 24th council work ses- sion" at the end of the first sentence and strike subsequent uses of "WBAC" in the motion. Mr. Pryor and Ms. Solomon accepted the friendly amendment. MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 7 Work Session Mr. Klein clarified that the motion as amended referred to a revised version of the WBAC recommendations distributed by Mr. Zelenka at the meeting. Mr. Zelenka reviewed his amendments to the WBAC recommendations and explained that his intent was to clarify roles and responsibilities of the City and developers throughout the document, strengthen language by using the word "shall" instead of "should" and assure that the City had maximum flexibility to negotiate the agreement. Ms. Piercy thanked Mr. Zelenka for adding an option for a "pocket park" and requiring an analysis of the historic significance of certain buildings. Ms. Taylor stated it was premature to be discussing any details before the election. Ms. Taylor, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to postpone discussion of the rec- ommendations until after the election. Ms. Bettman remarked that the process was creating the illusion that pitfalls of the West Broadway project would be alleviated. She was concerned that the City was using resources to advocate for a ballot measure and pointed out that the city manager had postponed discussion of the transportation funding issue. The motion failed, 2:6; Ms. Taylor and Ms. Bettman voting in favor. Mr. Pryor expressed appreciation for Mr. Zelenka's clarification of the recommendations. He emphasized that the preferred mix of uses would maintain flexibility in the negotiations. He stressed the importance of recognizing that the City's relationship with the developers was a partnership and not an employer/employee arrangement; both sides would be making a significant investment in the project. He would support the amended motion. Ms. Bettman asked if any of the recommendations ruled out the possibility that the development would have a 50,000 square foot grocery store, a $16 million parking structure or displace local businesses or ensure relocation of those businesses. Mr. Klein replied that that proposals must be as consistent as possible with MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 8 Work Session the recommendations and if a proposal did not comply with a recommendation, the agency director must provide an explanation and the council had the authority to reject the proposal. Ms. Solomon asked how Mr. Zelenka had determined the need for at least 300 residential and hotel units. Mr. Zelenka said that clarified the need for a significant number of residential and hotel units in downtown by establishing a threshold. Ms. Solomon asked if Mr. Zelenka would consider establishing the LEED bronze criteria as the minimum for buildings instead of the silver criteria. Mr. Zelenka replied that was a WBAC recommendation and consistent with City standards. Mr. Solomon asked for staff comments on the revised recommendations. Mr. Braud replied that it was unlikely a developer would be able to meet all 23 recommendations but every effort would be made to meet as many as possible. Mr. Poling thanked Mr. Zelenka for his revisions. He said the recommendations were another building block in the revitalization of downtown and West Broadway. He said a great deal of work had gone into establishing a process that assured the public's wishes for downtown development were reflected and the final decision would rest with the council. He felt it would be ludicrous for the council to turn its back on what the people had requested. Mr. Clark agreed that the amendments gave the developer further clarity on community expectations of the partnership. He was pleased with the amount of community consensus and thoughtful consideration that the process brought to the City's partnership with developers. Mr. Zelenka reiterated that his intent was to clarify and strengthen the recommendations. He recognized that the WBAC was respectful of the council's authority and did not attempt to tell the council what to do. He noted that the initial investment of funds was $25 million; the $40 million was available over the next 20 years of urban renewal; the investment of $25 million would leverage up to $200 million on private investment. He said it was unfortunate that the election would occur before there were concrete proposals to discuss. He said the recommendations would be used as a matrix to evaluate proposals for downtown development criteria. MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 9 Work Session Ms. Ortiz and Ms. Piercy indicated their support of Mr. Zelenka's revisions. Ms. Piercy commented that a pocket park should be situated so it could be observed from offices and residences. Ms. Bettman pointed out that the recommendations did not rule out less than 300 housing units or clusters of national retail chains. She commented that while proposals would come back to the council, the council could change its own criteria. She said $10 million of the $40 million urban renewal spending increase was for administration and did not include all of the expenditures such as interest, grants and tax incentives. She said that adopting the recommendations would only increase the price tag. She stated that $1.25 million in General Fund money was also included and there was no plan for pedestrian amenities or parks. Ms. Taylor asked the legal status would be if the motion passed and the ballot measure failed. Mr. Klein responded that the status with respect to the motion was the same whether the ballot measure passed or failed; the motion directed the agency director to work with developers to prepare proposals for the council and failure of the ballot measure would mean there were no tools to implement those proposals. Ms. Taylor asked if developers were willing to continue to prepare proposals if the council adopted the motion. Mr. Braud said developers would be given direction to prepare proposals and he had no indication that the developers would not be responsive. In response to a question from Ms. Taylor, Mr. Braud said the Atrium was not part of the development proposals. Mr. Poling suggested the possibility that there could be underground parking beneath the pocket park. Mr. Zelenka said he understood that the developers were encouraged about moving forward with proposals and were pleased with the results of the WBAC process. He explained that once the motion passed, staff would ask developers to prepare proposals and work with them on a development agreement for the council's consideration. He felt the reference to interest expense as a part of the project cost was misleading. He used the example of asking someone how much they paid for their home; the answer did not include the interest on mortgage payments over the next 20 years. He was optimistic that the recommendations would inform MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 10 Work Session the developer so they could prepare proposals that were responsive to council and community interests in a revitalized downtown and building on the other urban renewal agency successes. Ms. Bettman remarked that the recommendations did not reflect community wishes. Ms. Piercy hoped that developers would make efforts to blend any historically significant architectural features in downtown with the new construction. The motion passed, 6:2; Ms. Taylor and Ms. Bettman voting in opposition. The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Angel Jones Interim City Manager (Recorded by Lynn Taylor MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 24, 2007 Page 11 Work Session