HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes
ECC
UGENE ITY OUNCIL
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GENDA TEM UMMARY
Approval of City Council Minutes
Meeting Date: May 12, 2008 Agenda Item Number: 2A
Department: City Manager’s Office Staff Contact: Beth Forrest
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5882
ISSUE STATEMENT
This is a routine item to approve City Council meeting minutes.
SUGGESTED MOTION
Move to approve the minutes of the February 19, 2008, Public Hearing, February 27, 2008, Work
Session, April 9, 2008, Work Session, and May 5, 2008, Executive Session.
ATTACHMENTS
A.February 19, 2008, Public Hearing
B.February 27, 2008, Work Session
C.April 9, 2008, Work Session
D.May 5, 2008, Executive Session
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Staff Contact: Beth Forrest
Telephone: 682-5882
Staff E-Mail: beth.l.forrest@ci.eugene.or.us
Y:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080512\S0805122A.doc
ATTACHMENT A
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council
Public Hearing
Council Chamber—City Hall
February 19, 2008
7:30 p.m.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Poling, Bonny Bettman, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, Andrea
Ortiz, Chris Pryor, Mike Clark, Alan Zelenka.
CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING
1. PUBLIC HEARING
An Ordinance Amending the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan Land Use
Diagram; Amending the River Road-Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan Land Use Diagram and
Text; Amending the Eugene Zoning Map; and Adopting a Severability Clause (Oregon West
Management, LLC)
Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing, noting it was a quasi-judicial hearing.
Mayor Piercy called for ex parte contacts and conflicts of interest. Councilor Clark stated he had attended a
number of Santa Clara neighborhood organization meetings where the application was discussed and he had
conversations with the residents about the substance of those presentations. He had heard considerable input
both in favor and against the proposal and believed he could make a fair, impartial, unbiased decision.
Associate Planner Heather O’Donnell provided the staff presentation, which regarded an amendment to the
Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro Plan) Land Use Diagram, an amendment to the
River Road-Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan Land Use Diagram and Text, and an amendment to the
Eugene Zoning Map. Therequests involved 7.3 acres on the west side of Green Lane, the former Santa
Clara Elementary School, and 1.3 acres on the south side of Green Lane. She clarified that the applications
did not include a development proposal.
Ms. O’Donnell entered testimony into the record from Marilyn Spriggs of 85 Hunsaker Lane in support of
the proposal, which was received after the meeting packet was printed.
Ms. O’Donnell reported that staff evaluated the application against relevant criteria found in code sections
9.7730, 9.8424, and 9.8865. The Planning Commission considered the amendments and recommended
approval of the application with two conditions to mitigate traffic and limits on building size and uses,
pedestrian connections, and commemoration of the former school use on the site. The conditions were
included in the ordinance (Attachment A). The council’s action on the item was scheduled for March 10.
Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the hearing. She called for testimony from those in support of the
application.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 1
Public Hearing
Candy McAndrews
, 4159 Victoria Lane, favored the applications. She was pleased to hear of the plans for
the shopping center because Santa Clara lacked many services, such as restaurants, cafes, and other retail
shopping, forcing her to regularly drive out of the area to other locations. The applicant had been working
with many potential tenants. The Santa Clara area currently lacked restaurant, retail, and banking services,
and increasing the selection of such services would lessen the need to drive. She said the development would
save her time, gas, and money. She asked the council to approve the application to give residents better and
closer services on their side of the river.
Susan Hutchinson
, 2262 Wisconsin Street, favored the application. She shopped in the area frequently.
She said that Eugene was both a city and group of neighborhoods tied together by a sense of pride. She
found Eugene to be diverse and progressive and devoted to community, and she supported community
development as the need dictated. She said most of the development in the area was housing. She believed
that the City’s effort to intensify development was being taken to heart in the community. More services for
that level of density was needed so people could shop closer to home. She wanted more choices for
shopping that she could reach easily without the need to drive. Ms. Hutchinson called for more retail
choices in the area and cited several example businesses. She believed the development would beautify the
area and improve the street network and sidewalks. The development being proposed was a mix of uses
with an environmentally friendly design. It would help preserve land within the urban growth boundary
(UGB). She felt the plan was an excellent design to meet future needs.
Councilor Zelenka arrived during Ms. Hutchinson’s testimony.
Debbi Tomely
, 585 Chestnut Drive, spoke in favor of the application. She said the proposal was for the
development of shops and restaurants currently lacking in the Santa Clara area. She was forced to travel to
shop and dine out and called for nearby retail opportunities she could bicycle to with her family. The design
proposal appeared very user friendly, pedestrian-friendly, and more inviting than the typical mall. She asked
the council to approve the application for her family and the many residents of Santa Clara who needed the
type of retail village being provided by the development.
Gary Meili
, 3040 Duckhorn Drive, a Santa Clara resident, spoke in support of the application. He felt the
application met Eugene’s goals of using infill sites for redevelopment. It addressed both commercial and
residential needs by providing close-in shopping opportunities and residential opportunities. The develop-
ment would add much needed commercial development in the Santa Clara area in the right place. It would
put less pressure on the community to sprawl along River Road. Those living close to the development in
his neighborhood would be able to reach it by bike or on foot, avoiding automobile use. His family routinely
bicycled in the area and the development would give them another place to go. He pointed out the
development would include high-density residential that would help preserve existing farmland.
Gary Martin
, 2244 Lasiter Street, reviewed and submitted written testimony that supported the findings of
the Planning Commission.
Brenda Payne
, 535 River Loop 1, spoke in support of the application. She said she and her husband and
their two children had all attended Santa Clara Elementary School and lived in close proximity to the
property in question. She said after the building moratorium was lifted there were many new residential
developments built but the area lacked sufficient commercial development to preclude people having to
travel out of the neighborhood for dining and shopping. She hoped to see retail development similar to that
occurring on Coburg Road.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 2
Public Hearing
Sue Prichard
, 2671 Emerald Street, said she had represented School District 4J in its sale of the site and
several other surplus district properties. She supported the application as a good and appropriate project for
the area. She had received calls from 47 neighborhood residents interested in the property; three wanted the
school to remain in place or hoped the school would be purchased to be used as a city park, and the
remaining calls were interested in a quality commercial development that allowed people to go shopping
without driving into Eugene. People wanted to see the school commemorated in some way. She had also
received many calls from potential developers who wanted to buy land to meet the demand for commercial
land lacking in Santa Clara and Eugene generally, and with a desire to buy a sufficiently large piece of land
to allow for the creation of a neighborhood center to serve the neighborhood. She thought the plan being
proposed satisfied many desires and it would be well-planned and walkable. Ms. Prichard thought the
project was the right project for the site.
Lindsey Eichner
, 2860 Federal Place, supported the application. She said the proposed development would
provide close-in urban services that would allow her family to walk or bicycle rather than drive to reach a
restaurant and other services. She like the proposed plan because she thought it provided the neighborhood
with a sense of community with amenities such as the community plaza and the space provided for a farmers
market. She thought the concepts being contemplated would be a benefit to her and her friends who lived in
the area.
Lowell Eichner
, 2728 Calla Street, said there had been five new housing developments in his immediate
neighborhood. Santa Clara Square was built in 1983 and since that time not much commercial development
had happened. He believed the proposed development would be attractive and would provide many
opportunities for businesses and jobs. The development would also include housing and he thought such
housing was needed in the area. He characterized the area in question as somewhat run down and thought
the development would improve the appearance of the area.
Will Eicchen
, 406 Meredith Court, supported the applications. He had reviewed the plans and was pleased
to see the site would not be another grocery store or strip mall, but instead a mixed-use development with
stores of limited size. The plans represented a quality development with reasonable access, a good level of
parking, and wide pedestrian walkways that created a good neighbor feel. He thought the development
would be an asset to the Santa Clara community.
Rick Satre
, Satre & Associates, representing the applicant, said the applicant was seeking approval to
construct a mixed-use development that the applicant believed would contribute to both the Santa Clara area
and the community in general. He expressed appreciation to staff for its assistance and to the Planning
Commission for its favorable support. Mr. Satre emphasized that the applicant had worked closely with
staff and reached out to the neighborhood organization for its input. The applicant had presented the
emerging design vision to the community organization in January and the graphics shown that night were
included in Attachment M in the packet. He entered copies of the comments received from neighbors
presented that evening into the record. Mr. Satre characterized the proposed development as “C-2 Lite.”
Jerry Finnegan
, 1250 Irvington Drive, said the Santa Clara community organization had not taken a
position on the issue as its membership was split. He said that the property owner had come to three
meetings to listen to residents’ ideas. The residents wanted the heritage of the area preserved. The property
owner had subsequently met with the residents to discuss how to achieve what the residents would like to
see. Mr. Finnegan said the plans included many of the architectural features of the old school, and the
owner recently incorporated the farmer’s market concept. He did not think another developer would have
bent over backward so far to meet the desires of the residents. He felt badly about losing the school, but
thought the development might help rebuild the heart of the Santa Clara community.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 3
Public Hearing
Mayor Piercy called on those testifying in opposition in opposition to the ordinance.
Ellen Hyman
, 3863 Dorchester Lane, submitted her written testimony in opposition to the ordinance. Her
opposition was based on her belief approval of the application would mean there was a surplus of C-2
commercial development in the area. She acknowledged the plans looked perfect but “it was just a plan.”
She advocated instead for the site to be designated for community use.
Lou Davis
, 1220 Rislen Place, believed current policies called for maintaining the current stock of
residential land, but if the proposal was approved, 7.3 acres of residential land would be rezoned to C-2 and
1.3 acres would be designated for medium-density residential (MDR). She asserted the following policies
did not support the request: Metro Plan Policy A-13, TransPlan Land Use Policy 1, and River Road/Santa
Clara Urban Facilities Plan 2.2 Residential Land Use Finding 11. Ms. Davis said those documents
encouraged increasing residential densities in mixed use areas and areas adjacent to existing commercial
centers. She asserted that the applicant could build 100 units on the school site alone if he followed existing
policies. Instead, the proposal down-zoned an area that could support additional residential density. She
asked the council to deny the application, and requested the record remain open for two weeks.
Kay Prather
, 3883 Dorchester Lane, submitted testimony that opposed the application because it removed a
“public accessible recreation/education area” with significance to the community and replaced it with
shopping and parking. She cited and read several policies in support of her contention, including River
Road/Santa Clara Facilities Plan, Parks Subarea Policy 3; Metro Plan Goal 8, Recreational Needs; the City
of Eugene pamphlet, Mixed Use Development in Eugene; and the City of Eugene’s Park and Recreational
and Open Space Project and Priority Plan. She called on the City to maintain the property as open space
and suggested that would facilitate the remainder of the development by serving as a stormwater facility.
Maggie Yocum
, 4174 Lancaster Drive, opposed the zone change because of the commercial corridor that
already existed along River Road and because she did not believe there was a demonstrated need for more
C-2 parcels in the area. She considered that there were already plenty of such sites and more were in the
process of being rezoned. She further maintained that many C-2 developments in the area were not
successful. She noted several pending rezoning applications in the area and rumors of other developments.
In support of her remarks, Ms. Yocum cited Eugene Commercial Lands Study Subarea Policy 22; Metro
Plan Economic Element Policy 6; and River Road/Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan 2.3. She also requested
that the record remain open.
Lee Rodenbacker
, 4174 Lancaster Drive, opposed the proposal because the uses were not commingled on
the site. He said the site lent itself to a true mix of uses and could be developed in a way that enhanced the
neighborhood. He acknowledged the area was identified as a node in TransPlan but the City had not
identified it as a node. However, the applicant asserted the proposal met the intentions of nodal develop-
ment. He did not agree as he did not think it achieved a balance between commercial and residential uses.
The refinement plan expressly prohibited the expansion of commercial land fronting River Road, and it
directed the City to adopt zoning consistent with the urban facilities plan. He also cited the City’s mixed use
pamphlet in support of his remarks that the development was not true mixed use. He also referred to Metro
Plan Policy A-13, TransPlan Land Use Policy 1, River Road/Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan 2.2
Residential Land Use Findings 11, River Road/Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan General Land Use Policy
2, River Road/Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan Commercial and Industrial Land Use Policy 3.0, River
Road/Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan Commercial and Industrial Land Use Action 3.1. He too asked that
the record remain open.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 4
Public Hearing
Lauri Segal
, 642 Charnelton Street, #100, representing the Goal One Coalition, submitted her written
testimony in opposition to the application.
Kate Perle
, 4740 Wendover Street, submitted written testimony in opposition to the application based on
her belief the proposal did not meet definitions of mixed use.
Catherine Lesiak
, 1600 East Beacon Drive, concurred with the remarks of others in opposition to the
application. She submitted written testimony in opposition to the application suggesting there was already
too much commercial in the area and the proposal was not mixed use and did not include either residential
density or a commitment to public space. She said the developer had not committed to the design proposed.
Assistant City Manager Scott Luell indicated staff would respond to the testimony provided at the March 10
work session scheduled on the item.
Councilor Bettman, seconded by Ms. Ortiz, moved to close the record on March 7, 2008.
Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously.
Mayor Piercy called on the council for questions and comments.
Councilor Bettman asked for information about the maximum and minimum housing units to be expected at
the current zoning, on average, with the requested changes. She said that the medium-density residential
(MDR) zone allowed for some commercial, so staff would have to factor that in. She asked if the council
could condition its approval on maximizing the housing units to be built. She also requested information
about pending re-zonings as she questioned removing that much residential land from the inventory, which
took away from the community’s ability to support residential.
Ms. Ortiz asked that deliberation on the item be rescheduled to give the council adequate time to review the
materials.
Councilor Clark asked if the council could consider pending re-zonings as a criterion in decision-making.
City Attorney Lidz indicated the decision must be based on applicable codes and plans; he would provide
more information about whether the pending re-zonings could be considered at a later time.
Councilor Bettman said the zoning must be consistent with the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area
General Plan.
Councilor Bettman said a portion of the property was in a node; she understood they were a means to absorb
population growth. Much of that effort had stalled, and she questioned how many of the land use measures
task force work had been achieved in regard to residential densities projected for the nodes as a means to
accommodate growth. The same was true of commercial.
Mayor Piercy requested applicant rebuttal.
Mr. Satre responded to comments regarding the residential lands supply. He said the property in question
was not included in the Residential Lands Study because it had been in use as an educational facility. He
also pointed out that the staff report noted the proposal met the definition of Mixed Use. With respect to
parks and open space, the record indicated staff had found, and the Planning Commission concurred, that the
City complied with State planning goals in that regard and the Parks and Open Space Division was not
interested in the site as it was too small and too close to a dangerous thoroughfare. He understood that
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 5
Public Hearing
property was in escrow near Madison Middle School for a community park. With respect to Policy 22, the
Planning Commission addressed, and found the proposal to be in compliance with, the cited policies.
Councilor Bettman asked that the council be provided with a definition of mixed use and the section of the
code in which it was found.
Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing and noted the record would remain open until March 7, 2008.
2. PUBLIC HEARING
An Ordinance Concerning Elections Procedures; Amending Sections 2.960, 2.964, 2.965,
2.966, 2.968, 2.970, 2.971, 2.973, 2.977, 2.979, 2.980, 2.981, 2.993, 2.994, 2.996, 2.997, 2.1000,
and 2.1990 of the Eugene Code, 1971; Adding Sections 2.961 and 2.975 to that Code; Amend-
ing Section 2.976 and Renumbering Section 2.976 to Section 2.974; Amending Section 2.990
and Renumbering Section 2.990 to Section 2.984; Amending Section 2.985 and Renumbering
Section 2.985 to Section 2.986; Amending Section 2.986 and Re-numbering Section 2.986 to
Section 2.987; Amending Section 2.988 and Re-numbering Section 2.988 to Section 2.989; Re-
numbering Section 2.984 to Section 2.985, Section 2.987 to Section 2.988; and Repealing Sec-
tion 2.992 of that Code
City Recorder Mary Feldman introduced the item. She reminded the council of the work session it held on
the item on February 11, and reviewed the changes being proposed. The council would deliberate on the
item on March 10, and the changes mentioned by the council would be presented as amendments at that
time.
Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing.
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Paul Nicholson
, 1855 East 28 Avenue, thought some of the changes seemed sensible but he was concerned
that the City Attorney was ‘widely regarded as biased” in regard to past initiatives and he thought it a
mistake to rely on the attorney for any discretionary decisions such as the legal sufficiency of a referendum
petition. He thought it should be referred to an unbiased party, such as a judge. He objected to sending
ballot title appeals to Circuit Court because of the cost of going to that court. He preferred to keep the
existing appeal, which was to the City Council. Regarding Section 2.993(2), he said it appeared to allow the
council to ignore the voters’ pamphlet, which he thought a mistake as it was a useful informational tool and
created the risk of making the public feel the process was biased.
There being no other requests to speak, Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 6
Public Hearing
3. PUBLIC HEARING
An Ordinance Adopting Hazardous Substance User Fees for the Fiscal Year Commencing July
1, 2008
Management Analyst Glen Potter was present to answer questions.
Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. There being no requests to speak, Mayor Piercy closed the public
hearing.
Councilor Zelenka averred that the current fee cap skewed “who pays what” in regard to the fees. He noted
that program costs rose by four percent while the fee increased by 43 percent. Employers with 43
employees paid the same amount as an employer with 500 employees. Councilor Zelenka thought the cap a
disservice to the smaller companies, and asked if there was a different way to assess fees to avoid the
consequences of the action taken by the Oregon State Legislature. He acknowledged that the City had
attempted to change the law for a long time. Mr. Potter was unaware of anything but a change in State law
that could allow the City to change the fee formula now in place. He acknowledged that smaller employees
paid more per FTE than larger employers. Councilor Zelenka hoped the law could be changed.
Councilor Bettman, seconded by Ms. Ortiz, moved that the City Council adopt Council Bill
4967, an ordinance adopting hazardous substance user fees. Roll call vote; the motion
passed unanimously, 7:0.
4. PUBLIC HEARING
An Ordinance Providing for Withdrawal of Territories from the River Road Water District
and the River Road Parks and Recreation District; and from the Santa Clara Water District
Assistant Manager Luell indicated that Senior Planner Kurt Yeiter was present to answer questions, and the
council would take action on February 25.
Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing.
Ronald Bush
, 441 Fairfield, a resident with an ownership stake in some of the properties subject to the
withdrawal request, indicated his support of the withdrawal of the identified properties from the special
districts.
There being no other requests to speak, Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing.
5. PUBLIC HEARING
An Ordinance Concerning Offenses and State Traffic Laws; Amending Sections 4.115, 4.990,
and 5.005 of the Eugene Code, 1971; and Providing an Immediate Effective Date
Kristie Hammitt of the Eugene Municipal Court indicated the purpose of the hearing was to hear input on
the proposed readopting of the State Traffic Code and a change to Chapter 4, Offense 44115, regarding
minors in possession of alcohol while driving a motor vehicle. She characterized the changes to the traffic
code as largely ‘housekeeping’ without an impact to the City’s baseline fee schedule.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 7
Public Hearing
Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. There being no requests to speak, Mayor Piercy closed the public
hearing.
Councilor Poling referred to 44115(2) and asked if minors would be able to take advantage of the City’s
diversion program. Ms. Hammitt indicated she believed that was the case, and would confirm it with Judge
Allen.
Councilor Bettman, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved that the City Council adopt
Council Bill 4969, an ordinance concerning offenses and State traffic laws.
Councilor Poling requested that the vote be postponed pending an answer to his question.
Mayor Piercy called for a brief meeting break.
6. PUBLIC HEARING
Crest Drive Community Team Recommended Design for Crest Drive, Storey Boulevard, and
Friendly Street
Jenifer Willer of the Public Works Department was present to answer questions.
Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing.
Julie Redner
, 2899 Friendly Street, expressed concern about the assessed cost of the road improvement
project being contemplated on her street. She had about 100 street of frontage and would be assessed the
maximum costs, about $20,000 or more. She did not think she used the street anymore or any less than
those on narrow or panhandled lots. She did not qualify for a senior deferral or income subsidy but was a
single head of household working for a small nonprofit, and the amount involved was huge to her. She
asked the council to reduce the assessment, change the formula to be fairer, or explore alternative funding
strategies.
Paul Moore
advocated the inclusion of safe and inviting bicycle paths in the street improvement project,
particularly uphill bicycle lanes, to attract riders. He said the lanes would not add costs to the property
owners or increase the costs of the project substantially, but the design committee would not investigate the
question. He said if cost were to become an issue, it would be reasonable to consider alternate funding
sources for the bicycle lanes, not to eliminate them. Speaking to concerns such lanes would take too much
space, he pointed out the City owned a 60-foot easement on each of the streets and it had not been proved
such lanes would not fit. Mr. Moore suggested that bicycle lanes could be narrowed where necessary
because of terrain. In regard to safety, he said that concerns had been expressed about speeds from wider
lanes but concerns about speed seem to be dismissed when considering bicyclists traveling on a 23-foot road
width. Mr. Moore said another argument was that no one used bicycle lanes in that area but that was not
the case. He acknowledged that many people did not ride but that was to be expected given the condition of
the streets and speeds at which cars travel. He asked the council to include uphill bicycle lanes on all roads
in the project area.
Kathy Saranpa
, Friendly Street, spoke of the work done by the Crest Drive Community Team and staff in
designing the project. She said the team, which worked very hard for a long time, had included bicyclists.
She suggested there were differences about what constituted bicycle safety, and she suggested that the
addition of such lanes gave a false sense of security to those using them. The team worked hard to weigh all
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 8
Public Hearing
values and needs and all members had to compromise for the good of the whole. She was convinced that
slowing traffic would be an adequate accommodation for bicyclists. She urged the council to vote yes on the
proposed design.
Charles Quinn
, 375 Mary Lane, a bicycle commuter and vice chair of the Crest Drive Citizens Organiza-
tion, said he had been under the impression that by not supporting the previous approval of nine foot lanes
he would be allowing more space for bicycle lanes and sidewalks. Now it appeared sidewalks would be
narrowed and intended to accommodate both bicycles and pedestrians. He said it should be clear that an 80-
foot bus and two-foot bicycle could not fit into a nine foot lane, much less a two-foot sidewalk. He said that
context sensitive design was a way of accommodating for unique situations, and not intended to disregard all
logic and safety standards to save money. Mr. Quinn acknowledged that he funding system was not perfect
or fair, but it was what was in place. He maintained that bicycle lanes and sidewalks should be standard
widths and be consistently placed on the same side of the street. He asked if the safety of pedestrians,
cyclists, children, and pets, were worth less than the cost of installing an adequate and uniform street. There
was no safe way for his child to travel to Crest School via bicycle from his house. He asked the council to
keep safety in the forefront of its thinking.
Robert Hutchins
, 575 Fulvue Street, said the street plan was a “Trojan Horse” presented by a committee
made up of property owners who were designing a street to reduce their own costs. A miniscule percentage
of the people were affected by the changes on the road. He drove down Crest Drive every day and had
passed numerous bicyclists traveling the road on Saturday. Crest Drive was a major thoroughfare that
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served more than the residents who lived on it. People living south of 30 Avenue and east of Willamette
Street used the street to reach the southwest portion of the county, and those living in the southwest portion
of the county also used Crest Drive. It needed to be small and slow because it was residential, but he could
not allow his small daughter to ride on Crest Drive because it was so scary. He thought at least one bicycle
lane should be included for all residents who used the road.
Teresa Dingman
, 575 Fulvue Street, thanked the design team and staff for all their work but expressed
concern the design could not provide for safe passage for bicycles and pedestrians. The current design
would jeopardize her ability to use alternative modes of transportation. She asked the council to reject any
proposal that did not encourage alternative transportation and which posed risk to those choosing to walk or
bicycle in the area.
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Fred Lorish,
907 West 36 Avenue, said the design team had to take into account many factors, including
stormwater runoff. The team discussed all the topics and balanced them against five sets of values it had
created. The design team could not, and should not, take one value and raise it above the rest. Because of
the discussions that occurred and the research that had gone on, the result before the council was an
innovative, balanced design. He asked the council to approve it as submitted because he thought the design
team had done what the council asked it to do.
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David Cole
, 841 West 36 Avenue, chair of the Crest Drive Citizens Association, shared a measure passed
by the association recommending the council approve the preliminary street design.
Laura Bailey
, 2932 Friendly Street, a member of the design team, said she would be assessed $20,000 for
the street improvement project. She noted the long process that preceded the design. She said the design
team realized it was impossible to please every user and resident, and everyone had to compromise during
the process. She felt the preliminary designs met the residents’ desire to retain the neighborhood’s character
and feel, and most importantly, to create safe streets for all users, which was a primary concern in the
process. She said all should realize the designs were preliminary and were only about 60 percent completed;
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 9
Public Hearing
a neighborhood team had been formed to continue to work with the staff on the design. She asked the
council to approve the design.
Len Bailey
, 2932 Friendly Street, found the assessment he would pay to be a princely sum that those
speaking in opposition to the plan would not be required to pay. He spoke in support of the process, saying
affected property owners worked long and hard and made many compromises. The streets and sidewalks
being proposed would help retain the neighborhood character while slowing traffic, improving the safety of
all users. He said the streets were not heavily used by bicyclists because they were so steep. Bicyclists
prefer to use Lorane Highway. He asserted that residents rarely saw bicyclists on Friendly, Storey, or Crest
unless they lived there. Those who wanted to cycle on the streets would find the design made them safer.
He said the design was well thought-out and reflected the values of the neighborhood. He asked the council
to support the homeowners and residents of the streets and support the design.
Meg Stuart Smith
, 346 Crest Drive, a member of the design team, thanked the members of the design team
who were present for sharing their testimony. She supported bicyclists and pedestrians in the lower Crest
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Drive area. She noted a bicycle connection through Morse Ranch that ended at 38 and Crest Drive that
was mapped on the draft TransPlan as a discontinuous road and intended for a bicycle route in the future. It
was a beautiful route that traveled through a variety of neighborhoods. Her daughter had discovered the
path and used it frequently.
Lyndell Wilken
, 346 Crest Drive, a member of the Community Design Team who represented bicycle
interests, said she had voted against the plan as not being acceptable to the bicycle community. She said the
community’s vision for sustainability included bicycle access from neighborhoods coming to the core as a
priority. She had questioned whether the design for Crest Drive satisfied that vision, and had reservations
about that. She had been unable to completely support the plan because there was no evidence the plan
would work and that traffic calming would occur. However, there was no evidence bicyclists would be safe
in a nine-foot travel lane. Ms. Wilkins noted that lower Crest Drive was a public destination that served
Crest Elementary School and deserved better access; at the present time, the sidewalk was on the opposite
side of the ranch on the downhill side. She said she had tried to bridge the divide between bicyclists,
pedestrians, neighbors, pedestrians, the environment, and aesthetics and continued to hope for a solution.
She suggested that an uphill bicycle connection to Friendly Street would tie into Lorane Highway and
continue the existing system.
Ms. Wilkins submitted a proposal developed by Eugene resident Gary Rayor to the council.
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Paul Nicholson
, 1855 East 28 Avenue, suggested that the local streets were part of the street system and
most residents had paid for a street compatible with past standards. He was concerned because he did not
think the City should have a completely new and uninformed process creating an arbitrary set of exceptions.
He thought there was no evidence that streets that were smaller than 28 feet were adequate given the current
size of cars and the City’s commitment to alternative modes. He agreed with those who felt the assessment
system was unfair and indicated he would provide the council with a more equitable system. He said that
the City Council proposed to overrule its engineers and those who had studied the issue in the past. He was
sympathetic about the cost issue and suggested the council compromise to the degree possible within existing
standards.
John Rude
, 1207 Courtney, a member of the Community Design Team, said that Mr. Moore had not shared
that the CDT had a design team in place that included a bicycle coalition member that helped with the trail
design. He did not mention that CDT members did due diligence in regard to bicyclists. He felt all effected
groups had to compromise. He said that Mr. Moore did not share with others the entire process; he merely
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 10
Public Hearing
asked people if they wanted bicycle lanes. He did not mention that Chambers Street was not desirable for
bicyclists due to the steep grade, similar to Crest, Storey, and Friendly. Mr. Moore failed to mention that
none of the Bicycle Coalition advocates lived on affected streets. None of the coalition members had offered
to share in the costs of the assessments.
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Howie Bonnett
, 325 East 28 Avenue, thought the proposal before the council was unsustainable. He
shared information from Portland about its infrastructure investments in alternative modes due to peak oil.
The project was neither bicycle- or pedestrian-friendly. The streets involved served a school and accommo-
dated school buses. He described his own attempt to ride his bicycle in the area, noting the current lack of
bicycle facilities and sidewalks. He said he currently bicycled part of the way and walked part of the way to
his house, but it did not work as well as it would if there were facilities in place. When he inquired about
improvements to his street, he was told he must have a 20-foot street and five-foot sidewalk, but the council
was being asked to approve an 18-foot street and four-foot sidewalk. He asked the council to envision how
that would work with a bus on the road. Mr. Bonnett said that a bicycle lane helped protect pedestrians by
placing space between them and vehicles. He said the City needed to start again.
Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing.
7. PUBLIC HEARING
Resolution 4927 Concerning Sidewalk Widths in the Crest Drive Area, and Amending the
City’s Design Standards and Guidelines for Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways, and Access
ways, the Eugene Arterial and Collector Street Plan, and the Eugene Local Street Plan
Assistant City Manager Luell noted the council was scheduled to take action on the item on March 14.
Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing.
Charles Quinn
, 375 Mary Lane, asked that if the council approved the project, it include the bicycle and
sidewalk consistently on the same side for the entire route for the sake of pedestrian and bicycle safety and
so that motorists knew what to expect.
Robert Hutchins
, 575 Fulvue Street, said he had two small dogs that easily took up two feet when he
walked them on their leash; if there was anyone else on the sidewalk, someone would have to move off.
Teresa Dingman
, 575 Fulvue Street, opposed the four-foot sidewalks being proposed because they resulted
in inadequate bicycle facilities and because she wanted the project to be as pedestrian-friendly as possible.
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Fred Lorish
, 907 West 36 Avenue, suggested the item should have been incorporated into the earlier item.
He said the sidewalks in the plan reached from the top to the bottom and were connected. The team made a
conscious effort to separate the sidewalks from the streets whenever possible. There were sections of the
street where that was not possible. The team envisioned a sidewalk that meandered down the road He said
where the sidewalk was connected to the street, the team worried about “optical width;” that meant that as a
driver looked down the street, the more spaces that opened up created an image of something that allowed
for faster speeds. Mr. Loresch said that was one of the reasons the team requested the four-foot sidewalks
and narrower streets.
Virginia Starling
, 3302 Storey Boulevard, reminded the council to consider the safety of all users of the
streets in question. That included automobiles, bicyclists, and pedestrians. She thought the four-foot
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 11
Public Hearing
sidewalk being requested was reasonable. Rolled curbs would make it possible for bicyclists to use the
sidewalks when necessary. She did not think bicycle lanes were necessary. She said residents’ trust was the
crux of the matter.
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David Cole
, 841 West 36 Avenue, shared a motion passed by the Crest Drive Citizens Association
supporting the proposed exception to the standard five-foot sidewalk width within the Crest Drive area.
Marlene Barry
requested mountable sidewalks in front of the Crest Massage Center, saying it was a
destination point for many people. She also expressed concern about the assessments, and proposed that the
City issue a bond to help pay for the improvements. She said many people were not in a position to pay for
the assessments contemplated. Ms. Barry pointed out the many people living above the streets that would
use them to reach other places, and asked why those people were helping to pay for the road improvements.
Paul Moore
anticipated a bicycle lane on the uphill side or an extra wide lane on the uphill side. If that did
not happen, he was concerned the sidewalks might be too wide and perhaps should be reduced in size to
avoid pedestrian-bicycle conflicts. He urged the council to consider three-foot sidewalks to make it safe for
the cyclists who would use the sidewalks.
Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing and called on the council for questions and comments.
Councilor Bettman asked about the requirement that 50 percent of residents petition the City for street
improvements. Ms. Willard said that the question related to the formation of a local improvement district
(LID) and she did not know the answer. Responding to a question from Councilor Bettman about her
assumption that the City must secure the approval of 51 percent of the residents if the City decided to
change the design, City Attorney Lidz indicated he would follow up on the question.
Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 9:43 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Angel Jones
City Manager pro tem
(Recorded by Kimberly Young)
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 12
Public Hearing
ATTACHMENT B
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council
Work Session
McNutt Room – City Hall
777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon
February 27, 2008
Noon
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Andrea Ortiz, Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor, George Poling, Mike Clark,
Jennifer Solomon, Alan Zelenka.
COUNCILORS ABSENT: Bonny Bettman.
Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the work session of the Eugene City Council to order.
A. WORK SESSION:
Outdoor Smoking Areas
City Manager pro tem Angel Jones introduced Land Use Supervisor for the Planning and Development
Department (PDD) Mike McKerrow and indicated he would summarize the issue and answer any questions
that arose.
Mr. McKerrow stated that the work session served to provide an opportunity to revisit standards for outdoor
smoking areas. He said the current standard required a roofed area that was 75 percent open and that the
area only abutted one wall. He noted that in addition, fences or other enclosures were treated as solid walls
if they were within 10 feet of the roof. He related that staff had heard from many business owners that the
standards presented a challenge as fences were used for security purposes so that furniture and equipment
would not be stolen and also that some enclosures did not meet the Oregon Liquor Control Commission
(OLCC) standards for separation. He explained that staff had also received feedback from neighbors of
bars who were impacted by smoke and noise, noting that some impacts could travel 50 to 100 feet. He
provided enlarged photos on the wall showing several outdoor smoking areas.
Mayor Piercy related that Ms. Taylor had accompanied her in a Mayor’s One-on-One meeting the previous
day and had received feedback from people living near The Old Pad who were impacted by the outdoor
smoking area. She said neighbors also complained about the noise it generated.
Ms. Taylor remarked that she had heard complaints about The Old Pad “for years.” She said neighbors
found it difficult to be in their yards or even to leave their windows open in the summertime. It seemed
intolerable to her and she felt the ordinance should be changed.
Mr. Pryor said he was not looking to change the substance of the ordinance, but he was interested in fine-
tuning it so that it operated more effectively. He wanted to work on the security aspect and the limitation to
minors. He asked how sufficient security could be provided to a smoking deck without impeding what the
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 27, 2008 Page 1
Work Session
council had been trying to achieve in the larger sense, i.e. air flow. He surmised that this could be
accomplished with an amendment that would allow fencing for security purposes with a caveat that nothing
could be done to impede airflow.
Mr. Poling appreciated the points made regarding security and the limitations to minors. He asked if the
City ordinance governing noise worked in this situation. Mr. McKerrow replied that there were two sections
in the City code; one in Chapter 6 that was more related to land use code, development standards, or
commercial/industrial uses, and there was a section regulating noise in Chapter 4, enforceable by the Eugene
Police Department (EPD). He reported that staff had met with neighbors of The Old Pad and its owner. He
related that the officer that attended indicated that there was not always an officer to respond, but it was
important nonetheless to make the call to report the noise violation so that they could be tracked.
Mr. Poling said if the council decided that smoking decks should be a certain distance from houses this
clause should only apply to new establishments being built. He did not support “penalizing” bar owners
who keep trying to do the right thing. He noted that the Agenda Item Summary (AIS) discussed the bills
adopted in the 2007 Oregon State Legislature that go into effect in January, 2009, but indicated that staff
anticipated clarification on the implementation of new regulations. He asked what staff was expecting in
that regard. Mr. McKerrow responded that he had been in contact with staff from the State Public Health
Division who had been given the assignment to develop the administrative rules. He anticipated that they
would review the bill and then decide where it needed clarification, not unlike how something would be
treated municipally.
Mr. Poling preferred to wait to make changes locally until it was known what changes would come from the
State.
Mr. Clark concurred with Mr. Poling. He noted that he never favored the ordinance in the first place. He
believed the previous ordinance drove smokers outside so that they became a nuisance. He averred that
additions to the current ordinance would make things worse. He felt that the ordinance, as it stood, had
contributed to the closure of three establishments which resulted in a loss of jobs.
Ms. Solomon inquired how many of the 27 complaints related to outdoor smoking areas in the past three
years had been in regard to The Old Pad. Mr. McKerrow replied that two or three of the complaints had
been about that establishment. He reviewed the changes to the Pad’s outdoor smoking area that had been
implemented with iterations of the outdoor smoking ordinance.
Ms. Solomon remarked that she did not hear many complaints regarding outdoor smoking. She was starting
to wonder if this was more of a neighborhood issue that the council could possibly help involved parties to
resolve. She noted the one meeting that had occurred and wondered if more meetings should be planned.
She was not certain the ordinance should be amended in response to complaints about one establishment,
adding that she supported waiting until changes made at the state level were known.
Ms. Ortiz agreed that the council did not need to take action until what the state intended to do was known.
She commented that the only change she had noticed with the advent of the ordinance was that people
thanked her for helping to make it happen. She knew it was challenging to live next to an area with a lot of
smoking and indicated her willingness to support changes in fence height or other alterations in order to
ameliorate the situation.
Mr. Zelenka felt it was important to recall why the ordinance was in place – it was a health issue. He
averred that the whole point of requiring a space to be 75 percent open was to gain the airflow necessary to
provide a safe working environment for the people who worked in those establishments. He related that he
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 27, 2008 Page 2
Work Session
also had heard a lot of compliments from people regarding the ordinance, especially people from out of
town. Regarding noise levels, he asked why if the code said 10 p.m., there was no enforcement until 11 p.m.
Mr. McKerrow responded that the EPD may have changed this. He said it often could be a low priority for
the EPD.
Mr. Zelenka asked how a noise violation was treated when it came from a business; would it be issued to the
patrons violating the ordinance or would it be issued to the owner of the establishment. Mr. McKerrow
replied that civil penalties had been issued to business owners for violations of the smoking ordinance. He
was uncertain whether individuals were cited within a business establishment. He noted that if the noise
ordinance under Chapter 6 was violated, both the person responsible for the violation and the property
owner were notified.
Mr. Zelenka echoed comments regarding a requirement for higher fences. He also was not certain that
existing businesses should be made to meet further requirements.
Mayor Piercy remarked that if this one situation was generating a lot of complaints then some extra effort
should be made to resolve it.
Ms. Taylor said the smoking ordinance was intended to protect people. She felt this particular issue was a
byproduct of the ordinance which was harming people’s health inadvertently. She also thought the noise and
litter were hazards to the neighbors’ mental health. She thought any time something was permitted, the
effects of a project on its surrounding neighborhood should be assessed. She added that she had heard many
complaints regarding the establishment in question. She averred that this was a nuisance and it was up to
the government to step in and take care of it.
Mr. Pryor appreciated the conversation. He reiterated his support for leaving the ordinance as it currently
stood until the State’s actions were known. He noted his specific interest in formulating language that was
targeted regarding security fencing. Mr. McKerrow responded that the administrative rule had an allowance
for security fencing.
Mr. Zelenka asked how specific the language regarding the fencing could be. Mr. McKerrow replied that
the language could be very specific.
Ms. Taylor thought the council should look into instituting penalties for business owners.
Mr. McKerrow noted that Ms. Ortiz had mentioned “green buffers” and pointed out that a downtown
establishment had such a buffer, but had been disallowed from having tall vegetation as it had been
determined to violate the regulations governing air flow. Regarding Ms. Taylor’s comments pertaining to
the permitting process, he assured her that the applications were reviewed thoroughly to ensure they were in
compliance. He said occasionally they passed on advice to applicants based on past experience with
neighborhood conflicts. He related that in the case of The Old Pad there were no current violations at that
property which meant staff could provide advice but could not sanction the establishment.
Mr. Zelenka asked how a new business would be handled so that another problem such as the one in
question would not arise. Mr. McKerrow explained that presently if a permit came in for a smoking area the
City would apply all of the current outdoor standards and the administrative rule. He said at present there
was not a distance measure or a fence option.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 27, 2008 Page 3
Work Session
Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting of the City Council at 12:27 p.m. and convened the meeting of the
Eugene Urban Renewal Agency.
B. WORK SESSION:
Finance Plan for Property Acquisition
Senior Development Analyst for the Community Development Division, Denny Braud, explained that the
purpose for the presentation was to review the financing strategy for the Centre Court, the Washburn, and
the Diamond lot properties. He intended to talk about the proposed use of the Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) 108 loan and the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grant
for the acquisition of the properties. He provided a power point presentation entitled West Broadway
Acquisitions Financing Plan, hard copies of which were provided to everyone present.
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Mr. Clark asked staff to remind him of the appraised value of the lot at 12 Avenue and Oak Street. Mr.
Braud replied that they had assumed a cost of approximately $30 per square foot.
Mr. Braud explained that the HUD 108 program would allow the City to borrow up to five times the amount
held for its annual federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation; in this case the City
had received approval for just under $8 million. He said the City had also been approved for a $2 million
BEDI grant that was required to be used with 108 funds on a prorated basis. He stated that the City could
draw down $1 in grant funds for every $3.95 borrowed under the 108 program. He stressed that these were
federal funds and must meet national objectives. He indicated that these projects would meet the objectives
of eliminating slums and blight and creating jobs.
Mr. Braud summarized the required Transactions for Beam Acquisitions. He stressed that Beam
Development would pay the acquisition costs over time and not up front, because it would not be feasible for
Beam to obtain conventional financing for the acquisition within the option period. He explained that the
Urban Renewal Agency (URA) would use the proceeds from Beam’s repayment of the note to repay the 108
loan. He further explained that because the City ultimately pledged future CDBG allocations as security for
the HUD 108 loan, it was essential that the City’s borrowing provided enough security that future CDBG
funds would not be jeopardized.
Sue Cutsogeorge, Financial Analysis Manager for the Central Services Department, reviewed the details of
the preferred funding plan for the acquisitions, a plan that would maximize the use of the HUD 108 loan and
the BEDI grant funds. She underscored that this depended on HUD agreeing that this was “the way to go.”
She stated that the budget request, scheduled for March 10, was based on a conservative funding scenario in
which HUD did not approve the maximum amount the City hoped to get. She said this would mean the City
would have to utilize $3 million in URA funds, rather than the $800,000 included in the preferred funding
strategy. She explained that if the City Council and the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency approved this
request, staff would present HUD with an application that would maximize the use of 108 funds. She
stressed that in either scenario the total cost for the acquisition was the same, the only difference lay in
funding sources.
Ms. Cutsogeorge discussed the URA Financial Capacity given the failure of the City ballot measure. She
said if HUD did not approve the use of the 108 loan without urban renewal backing the City would only
have approximately $2 million left. She explained that any remaining money would be used first to meet
any obligations left from the Beam project, noting that those costs were being negotiated. She stated that
any funds that were left at that point could be used for other downtown priorities. She added that the project
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 27, 2008 Page 4
Work Session
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under current discussion was located at 10 Avenue and Charnelton Street. She reviewed the timeline for
acquisitions.
Mayor Piercy asked if there was any difference in getting HUD approval for this project as opposed to the
previous project, noting that it had contained a significant housing component. Mr. Braud replied that the
City had been approved for the creation of a loan pool, defined by the $8 million in borrowing capacity and
the $2 million BEDI grant. He said each individual project had to be approved by HUD in order to meet its
underwriting criteria for a specific use.
Mr. Clark observed that much of this was predicated on the agreement with Beam Development and that the
security would be the real estate. Mr. Braud stated that because the City was borrowing from HUD it had
to meet its underwriting criteria and that HUD’s intent was not to jeopardize the CDBG funds. He
emphasized that this was also the City’s intent. He said the real estate would be a source of security for the
loan and that the City was in the process of negotiating other security from Beam Development.
Mr. Clark asked what the City’s protection was in case Beam Development did not follow through with its
project. Mr. Braud responded that staff was trying to put all of the steps into place to be able to “100
percent assume” that the project was going forward. He indicated that the City’s intent was to sign an
agreement with Beam Development that included a non-refundable deposit in the amount of 10 percent of
the value of the property.
In response to a follow-up question from Mr. Clark, Mr. Braud confirmed that the length of the agreement
had yet to be negotiated. He said the length of the HUD 108 loan was assumed to be 10 years and the City
would attempt to structure its agreement with Beam along those lines.
Mr. Clark asked if the project’s success was predicated on having Oregon Research Institute (ORI) for a
tenant. Mr. Braud averred that ORI would be a “great tenant,” but Beam Development had indicated that
they were talking to other tenants as well.
In response to a follow-up question from Mr. Clark, Mr. Braud clarified that the primary goal was to assist
Beam Development in bringing its project to completion.
Ms. Taylor asked how much had been spent in City attorney fees. Ms. Cutsogeorge estimated that attorneys
had cost $50,000.
Ms. Taylor asked why the City was not using tax increment funding. Mr. Braud responded that one of the
“big carrots” was the possibility of grant funds. Ms. Taylor asked if there was enough money in the urban
renewal funds if the grant did not work out. Mr. Braud explained that the City could likely accomplish the
acquisition with the funds but the question was then whether there were enough resources for Beam to get
the project off the ground.
In response to questions from Mr. Zelenka, Mr. Braud clarified that the City’s agreement was with HUD
and the obligation was for the City to repay the loan; Beam’s agreement would be with the City. He
explained that the BEDI funds would also be applied to the acquisition and Beam Development would repay
the entire acquisition cost to the City directly.
Mr. Zelenka asked why HUD would require URA backing for its loan. Mr. Braud replied that if one
considered the current state of the property, it was vacant and there was no cash flow. He said the City
would have to demonstrate some cash flow/debt service ratios. He stated that the question was whether the
project could meet HUD’s underwriting criteria, which included debt service coverage and loan-to-value
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 27, 2008 Page 5
Work Session
ratios without additional security. He added that when the project was complete and there was cash flow the
equation had potential to change.
Mr. Zelenka asked what happened to the grant amount if the project required URA backing. Mr. Braud
responded that the more security the City could provide the more it could borrow. Mr. Zelenka had
presumed that there would be some level of subsidy from the City. Mr. Braud reiterated that the preferred
method was to loan money rather than to grant money to or invest money in the project. He said the next
level of participation to help Beam construct and reconstruct the Centre Court building would be some other
financing mechanism, likely using the HUD 108 loan and/or the BEDI grant to put into it.
Mr. Zelenka asked if the City could use the $2 million in the URA loan program for the project. Mr. Braud
replied that the URA loan program was historically used for building improvements and projects within the
Downtown Urban Renewal District.
Mr. Poling acknowledged that this hinged on the March 10 vote on the Supplemental Budget. He asked how
firm this deadline was. Ms. Cutsogeorge responded that the City had to exercise its options by March 24
and the council break was set to begin on March 13. Mr. Poling observed that Ms. Taylor planned to be
absent on March 10. He encouraged Ms. Taylor to participate by telephone rather than request the vote be
deferred.
Ms. Taylor asked if this vote could be conducted on March 12. Ms. Jones stated that the agenda for March
12 was “packed.” She underscored that it was the council’s decision on whether to defer the vote to that
date, but the agenda items scheduled for that date were all time sensitive and required action.
Ms. Taylor indicated that she would vote in favor.
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Mr. Zelenka asked where the 10 Avenue/Charnelton Street project would be left if the URA funds were
used to back the loan. He was concerned that it would be impacted so that no one in the downtown could be
assisted through this mechanism.
Ms. Ortiz remarked that it was the will of the people to keep the limit on the URA funds at the current level.
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Ms. Taylor said the City should make the 10 Avenue/Charnelton Street property into a park.
Mr. Zelenka commented that the Beam project seemed a little sketchy because the City did not necessarily
have enough money to make it work.
Ms. Solomon ascertained from Ms. Cutsogeorge that once the URA reached its debt limit the City could not
collect anymore tax increment funds. Ms. Cutsogeorge stated that the money could be used to pay off
another urban renewal project, such as the library, but could not be applied to new projects.
Mr. Pryor, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to direct the Agency Director to include the
budget transactions necessary to accomplish the property acquisition in the Supplemental
Budget to be considered on March 10, 2008. The motion passed unanimously, 7:0.
The meeting adjourned at 1:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 27, 2008 Page 6
Work Session
Angel Jones
City Manager pro tem
(Recorded by Ruth Atcherson)
MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 27, 2008 Page 7
Work Session
ATTACHMENT C
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council
Work Session
McNutt Room – City Hall
777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon
April 9, 2008
Noon
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Andrea Ortiz, Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor, Bonny Bettman, Mike Clark,
Jennifer Solomon, Alan Zelenka.
COUNCILORS ABSENT: George Poling.
Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the work session of the Eugene City Council to order.
A. WORK SESSION:
Police Auditor Evaluation
City Manager pro tem Angel Jones said Recruitment and Selections Manager for the Human Resources
Division, Alana Holmes, would be presenting the information. She indicated that most of the evaluations
handed in to date, along with additional information received earlier in the week, had been distributed to the
councilors.
Ms. Holmes reviewed the attachments provided to councilors which included the completed evaluations from
the council and the Civilian Review Board (CRB), the Police Auditor’s self-evaluation, and information on
the salary scale for the position. She provided the council with a revised copy, including additional
comments received to the present date.
Mayor Piercy commended the effort Police Auditor Cristina Beamud had engaged in to create a new office.
She appreciated the amount of work it had been and the commitment to the process that Ms. Beamud had
exhibited.
Ms. Beamud acknowledged the feedback she had received and expressed appreciation for all of the
comments. She noted the desire on the part of some councilors for more reporting to the council and
indicated her willingness to comply.
Mayor Piercy listed some of the things on which Ms. Beamud had been rated, such as the setting up of the
office, the hiring of staff, bargaining with the Eugene Police Employees Association (EPEA), and the
development of the complaint intake process, among others.
Mr. Clark indicated his preference for receiving reports every other month. He looked forward to having the
Police Auditor’s Office more settled. He added his feeling that Ms. Beamud was in a unique position to help
the Eugene Police Department (EPD).
MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 9, 2008 Page 1
Work Session
Ms. Bettman asked to have a primer on the tracking system the auditor’s office used. She added her
commendation for Ms. Beamud’s good work and thanked her. She had been pleased with the feedback and
approved of the goals set for next year. She felt Ms. Beamud had skillfully navigated issues.
Ms. Bettman asked Ms. Holmes how the City handled step increases. She noted that Ms. Beamud’s hire
date had been October 2006. Ms. Holmes replied that the City tried to issue merit raises based on the hire
date, but was behind. She indicated that Ms. Beamud would receive any pay increase retroactive to her one-
year anniversary. She said a one-step increase was typical of a ‘meets expectations’ rating.
Mr. Pryor echoed the positive comments that had been expressed. He averred that Ms. Beamud had “really
stepped in” and taken charge. He had been impressed by her accessibility, noting he was able to call her and
get questions answered anytime. He observed that the CRB had not given Ms. Beamud any “bad marks.”
Regarding compensation, he supported adhering to the step system consistent with the rest of the City. He
acknowledged that it had been more than a year but said he was mollified by having the step increase be
retroactive.
Ms. Taylor said she did not fill out an evaluation form because she did not know enough about the auditor’s
work to evaluate her. She requested quarterly reports. She wanted to know what complaints were submitted
and which ones the office refused to address. Ms. Beamud reiterated her commitment to provide reports at
regular intervals.
Mr. Zelenka acknowledged the “tough job” Ms. Beamud had undertaken. He had also found her to be
highly accessible; all of his questions had been answered as well. He had been impressed by the CRB’s
comments. He concurred with the request to have reports from the Police Auditor’s office every other
month. He believed that monthly reports would be too frequent and quarterly reports too few. He
recommended the council schedule a discussion on what it wanted to see in such a report.
Ms. Ortiz agreed with most of what had been said. She appreciated that Ms. Beamud undertook outreach to
the communities. She also liked that Ms. Beamud placed statistics from the office on the Web. She was
happy with her work, but she also wanted more reports on it. She supported granting a one-step merit
increase retroactive to October 2007.
Mayor Piercy ascertained from Ms. Beamud that she did not have any further questions or need for
direction.
Mr. Zelenka remarked that some concerns regarding Ms. Beamud’s “style” had been voiced. Ms. Beamud
responded that it was one thing she had tried to work on. She noted that in her search for a Deputy Police
Auditor she had been seeking someone to complement her.
Mr. Zelenka asked what the timeline was for that hiring process. Ms. Beamud replied that she had
interviewed applicants for the position one week earlier and made an offer. She said the background check
would begin on the following day.
Ms. Bettman attributed Ms. Beamud’s style to having been raised on the east coast. She added her hope
that the motion would include language indicating that the second merit step increase would happen in
October, 2008.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 9, 2008 Page 2
Work Session
Mr. Pryor, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to adjust the Police Auditor’s salary to Step 4
of her salary range and to make that step retroactive to her anniversary date and that the Po-
lice Auditor’s salary should be increased to Step 5 after the next anniversary date in Octo-
ber, 2008, independent of an evaluation.
Mr. Clark agreed with much of what had been said around the table. He had some discomfort, however,
with providing an automatic step increase without an evaluation.
Ms. Taylor asked why they were skipping Steps 1 and 2. Mr. Zelenka clarified that Ms. Beamud had
started at Step 3.
Ms. Ortiz hoped the evaluation process would be completed in a timely fashion.
Mr. Clark offered a friendly amendment that would commit to an evaluation process for
Ms. Beamud prior to October 16, 2008, and grant the step-increase after that process.
Mr. Pryor accepted the friendly amendment.
Ms. Bettman did not accept the friendly amendment.
Mr. Clark, seconded by Ms. Solomon, moved to amend the motion to include the language
from his previously offered friendly amendment.
Ms. Solomon found the notion of approving a raise without an evaluation process troubling. She under-
scored that the council controlled the schedule and could direct staff to set a date and stick to it.
Ms. Bettman thought an automatic step-increase was justifiable because the council was “half-way there.”
Ms. Taylor agreed that October was coming up soon. She thought evaluations did get pushed out because
of how busy the schedule tended to be. She averred that the council should try to do the evaluation sooner,
adding that she would not support the amendment.
Mr. Clark stressed that his motion had nothing to do with Ms. Beamud or the job she was doing; it was
about fiscal prudence. He pointed out that they would not do this for another employee, such as the City
Manager.
Mr. Pryor observed that there were two competing interests – insuring that the Police Auditor received her
merit increases on her anniversary date and that merit increases should be tied to performance evaluation.
He said for this reason the two could not be done six months apart. He was amenable to engaging in another
evaluation process in October.
Mr. Zelenka was also amenable to the amendment. He had no problem with conducting an evaluation in six
months. He urged his colleagues and staff to “stick to [their] guns” and make it happen on time.
Ms. Holmes reminded the council that there was a commitment made at the March 10 work session that she
and Ms. Beamud would meet with the CRB to flesh out some recommendations to bring back to the council
for the next evaluation process.
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In response to a question form Ms. Bettman, Ms. Holmes explained that the Cost of Living Allowance
(COLA) increase was given automatically in the summer.
The amendment passed, 4:3; Ms. Ortiz, Ms. Taylor, and Ms. Bettman voting in opposition.
The motion, as amended, passed unanimously, 7:0.
Mr. Zelenka asked when the other employee evaluations would be undertaken. Ms. Holmes replied that she
would provide that information to the councilors.
B. WORK SESSION:
Lane County Budget Issues
Mayor Piercy welcomed Faye Stewart, Chair of the Lane Board of County Commissioners, to the meeting
and expressed the council’s appreciation for his willingness to join them.
City Manager pro tem Jones explained that Mr. Stewart was present as a follow-up to the request for a
report on the County budget made by the City Council at the Joint Elected Officials meeting held on
February 12.
Mr. Stewart thanked the council for the opportunity. He noted that he had provided hard copies of the
information he would present to the councilors and ascertained they had received them. He said the board
had asked staff to prepare three budgets, one with renewal of the “Save Our Rural Schools” funding which
would hold services at the current level, one that averaged the drawdown that would happen over the course
of three years that was included in the proposed Wyden-DeFazio four-year extension of the act, and one that
addressed a $50 million loss to the budget. He explained that the money was specified so that approxi-
mately $20 million went into the General Fund budget, comprising approximately one-third of that budget,
and the remainder was allocated to the Public Works Department for road funds. He stated that the latter
was mandated to be spent on the transportation system.
Mr. Stewart reported that during the United Front lobbying effort in Washington, DC, also attended by
Mayor Piercy and Ms. Taylor, he met with Senator Reid’s office and also with Speaker of the House Nancy
Pelosi’s office. He had heard from both of them that they were not certain of the timeline for reauthorization
of the funding or if it would be reauthorized at all. He related that concern had been expressed in the
Speaker’s office regarding how long the need for this funding would continue, given that the act had been
designed to be a transition from the timber harvest payments to something else. He stated that on the Senate
side there was not a level of support in the Senate to attach the funding to any type of bill or pass it if it was
included in a bill. He said since his trip, it looked like the only vehicle that could help the County prior to
July 1 was the supplemental war funding, which was being worked on by both houses. The County had not
heard confirmation that the funding would be proposed to be renewed as part of that budget, but the
commissioners had been encouraged with recent news that the House of Representatives bill could include a
one-year extension of the payments and the Senate bill could include the proposal for the four-year
drawdown level of funding. He stressed that it was already April 9 and there was no bill moving forward at
this time. He noted that at this same time last year the bill was in the house and had been voted on, though
the President vetoed it.
Mr. Stewart stated that the County was required to have a balanced budget by July 1, and because no
funding was imminent they were forced to prepare to downsize the County services. He provided a report
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on the potential ramifications. He related that because Lane County had $37 million in reserves for the
Public Works Department transportation funds, the County would be able to keep those funds whole for
three years. He added that in the 2007 session of the State legislature, Lane County had been able to gain
$9.9 million in road funds. He said they were optimistic that in the 2009 legislative session the County
would be able to gain more relief for road funds.
Continuing, Mr. Stewart reported that there were no reserve funds that could accommodate the loss to the
General Fund and it would have to downsize. He explained that approximately 67 percent of the General
Fund went into the public safety system, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), the District Attorney
(DA), Department of Youth Services (DYS) and associated programs. He said the remainder of the money
went into the reserve fund at a level of 10 percent of the General Fund balance in order to keep the bond
indebtedness and keep the bond rating up. He stated that the County was also mandated by law to maintain
elections funding and to pay for assessment and taxation. He underscored that nearly two-thirds of the
services funded by the General Fund were mandated by law and the County would no longer be possible to
meet those mandates and maintain the budget after July 1.
Mr. Stewart highlighted the draft budget in its current iteration, planning for no renewal of the funds, as
follows:
?
In fiscal year (FY) 07-08 the County had a $540 million budget. A budget of $455 million is
projected for FY 08-09.
?
In 2007 the County employed 1,507 people. In 2008 the workforce will be reduced by 12.5 percent
or 188 employees. The County provided a ratio of 6.4 employees per 1,000 residents in 1979-80;
the budget for FY08-09 will provide a ratio of 3.8 employees per 1,000 residents.
Regarding the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), he reported the following budget
reductions:
?
The budget will be reduced by $26 million from $85 million, a “huge reduction in human services.”
Approximately 40 employees will be laid off.
?
The Commission on Children and Families will be reduced by $81,000 and 1.5 Full Time Equiva-
lent (FTE) employees. He noted that the position specifically considered for reduction was the one
dedicated to searching out and applying for grants. In 2007 this position brought $200,000 to the
department.
Regarding the budget for public safety he highlighted the following reductions:
?
The LCSO budget will be reduced by $15 million, or 23 percent of its budget. This budget would
potentially cause a reduction of 126 employees.
?
Jail beds in the Lane County Jail would be reduced from 151 beds to 12.
?
Sheriff’s patrol capability would be reduced from 24 hours to 20 hours per day.
?
The DA’s Office will be reduced by $620,000, or nearly 7 percent. Staff would be reduced by
seven and fewer cases will be prosecuted.
?
The DYS will lose $1 million, almost 11 percent of its budget, eliminating 16 youth beds for in-
house treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, as well as outpatient treatment programs.
?
The Buckley House will no longer be funded and the service it provides for alcoholics will be lost.
?
Veterans’ services funded by the County will be reduced.
?
Funds for low-income housing will be reduced.
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Mr. Stewart stressed that these cuts will have direct impacts on all of the citizens of the County and the
citizens the council served in the City of Eugene.
Mr. Stewart related that in the first attempt at prioritization of the list it had appeared that the program for
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) would have to be cut along with the communicable disease program
and a health services program for high-risk pregnant women and infants. He explained that this would mean
the County would have given up serving as the public health authority. He reported that the County
Administrator had been able, in working with the budget, to find enough money to add those programs back.
He noted that one consequence of relinquishing this authority was that the State would assume those
responsibilities and then would bill the County for them. He averred that the County would then be in
another losing situation.
Mr. Stewart stated that the board would be engaging in a “pretty aggressive budget process” that would
begin on April 29 and would continue in budget meetings to be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the
end of May. He added that once the budget was prepared and ready to send to the commissioners for
adoption, the board would engage in public outreach to the citizens in Florence, Cottage Grove, and Pleasant
Hill in order to explain the budget to citizens.
Mr. Clark thanked Mr. Stewart for his presentation. He commented that he was “at a loss to see this
coming to an unfortunate reality.” He asked what the City’s response could be. He wondered if the City
could increase the number of beds it rented from the jail and how much this would cost. Mr. Stewart replied
that the Sheriff was looking for ways to creatively keep more than 12 beds through the budget. He said one
of the outcomes of the Joint Elected Officials meeting was a desire to conserve public safety. He had
scheduled a meeting with the police chiefs, fire chiefs, district attorneys, mayors, and administrators to look
at opportunities for ways to address this situation that could be presented to elected officials. He stated that
there were different steps that could add beds back, with the first step adding 61 beds back to the jail for
$150,000. He thought there would be opportunities for cities to step up and offer to buy beds.
Mr. Clark related that he had spoken with Eugene Police Department (EPD) Chief Bob Lehner about the
possibility of hiring some of the LCSO staff that would be laid off. He asked how many sworn officers the
126 employees included. Mr. Stewart responded that he was not certain. Mr. Clark wondered how many of
those officers the City could absorb.
Mr. Clark asked what date lay-off notices would have to be provided to staff. Mr. Stewart replied that he
had been told that the process could not be started any later than June.
Ms. Taylor asked why the grant writing position was not being retained for the Commission on Children and
Families. Mr. Stewart responded that the commissioners and staff had been forced to look down the list as
to where to make cuts and the determining factor was whether something generated revenue and paid for
itself. He explained that though the grant writing position brought in money for programs, the position did
not pay for itself.
Ms. Taylor asked if there were any potential taxes that could be exacted. Mr. Stewart replied that the
County could not raise taxes without a vote, it could only increase fees. He added that the timeline for
placing a tax measure on the ballot was such that it would be impossible to put one on the May ballot.
Ms. Taylor asked if private timber harvest could be taxed. Mr. Stewart did not know whether the County
could impose such a tax legally. Ms. Taylor asserted that the money for those timber interests did not come
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back to the County. Mr. Stewart responded that he believed the money did come back to the County
through different programs but he was not certain of the amount. He said citizens had brought this before
the board as a suggestion and a “colleague or two” of his had some interest in the item.
Mr. Zelenka asked for a clarification on why, historically, the property tax rate in Lane County was low and
why it could not be increased. Mr. Stewart confirmed that Lane County assessed taxes at a rate of $1.28
per $1,000 assessed value of real property while the majority of counties in Oregon assessed a rate of $3 to
$4.50 per $1,000 assessed value. He explained that when Lane County could have increased its property
tax rate it did not do so because no one had foreseen the drop in the timber economy and then Ballot
Measures 47 and 50 had locked the rate at that level and made it so the only way it could be changed was
through a vote.
Mr. Zelenka asked how many counties there were in Oregon. Mr. Stewart replied that there were 36; Lane
County was among the poorest, with only Curry and Josephine counties below it.
Ms. Bettman expressed appreciation for Mr. Stewart’s lobbying efforts at the State and federal levels to
restore the funds. She observed that the federal revenue measure was for $47 million and asked if $7 million
of it was dedicated for schools. Mr. Stewart responded that this was approximately correct, and noted that
there was a little more funding because of Title 2 and Title 3 money that paid for the jail, though the Forest
Work Camp was not included. He said in looking at what Lane County benefited from, it amounted to
approximately $51 million and there would be approximately a $7 million loss to local schools.
Ms. Bettman had heard that the FY 08-09 budget for the County would be cut by $83 million and asked
why this amount was different from the $47 million loss in federal money. Mr. Stewart explained that the
federal money was utilized to leverage matching funds in the DHHS. He stated that the County was only
cutting the General Fund portion of Health and Human Services by approximately $3 million, but that
money leveraged approximately $26 million.
Ms. Bettman asserted that there were areas of revenue available to the County that the County was not
receiving at the State level. She asked how the County felt about lobbying to remove the prohibition on
recovering Systems Development Charges (SDCs) on public safety. Mr. Stewart responded that he had not
personally engaged in a conversation about SDCs for public safety. He knew that the Association of
Oregon Counties (AOC), and specifically the 16 affected counties, were working hard to address the funding
issues. He related that there was a task force convened by the Governor that was looking for revenue
opportunities. He said the assessor’s organization had looked at how the County could increase money
coming from the State through property tax interest rates and how more money could be leveraged to offset
the cost of property tax collection in Eugene and Lane County. He underscored that the County was
working closely with the State to see how it could lobby in the future to make up the difference.
Ms. Bettman averred that the County had the ability to charge SDCs for transportation and parks but was
not doing so. Mr. Stewart replied that the County was collecting SDCs for parks in rural Lane County. He
said staff was working on transportation SDCs.
Ms. Bettman asked how much revenue the County annually deferred for urban renewal districts, Multiple
Unit Property Tax Exemptions (MUPTEs), and Enterprise Zones. Mr. Stewart responded that he did not
know what that amount would be.
Ms. Bettman declared that when she “did the research” for the urban renewal measure she had concluded
that the County would lose $3 million per year. She noted that it had endorsed an Enterprise Zone that she
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projected would defer approximately $475,000 per year in tax revenue. She wondered why the County had
not “gotten serious” about looking at collecting “the revenue that was due” to it. Mr. Stewart replied that if
Ms. Bettman was referring to the zone in Oakridge, it had been in place for 11 years, no revenue had been
generated, and therefore there had been no property tax reduction.
Ms. Ortiz thanked Mr. Stewart for his presentation. She remarked that it was difficult to consider the
impacts of the budget on our future. She averred that people did not realize that organizations like the
Buckley House had an impact on the community. She wondered if the Buckley House had any grant writing
opportunities. She underscored that Buckley House was the only place an uninsured person with an alcohol
or drug problem could go to. She predicted that citizens would notice its closure because the people it
treated would be out on the street.
Ms. Ortiz asked if the County had considered selling any excess properties. Mr. Stewart replied that such
sales had been discussed at a low level by the board. He underscored that it would not be prudent to sell an
asset just to pay an operating expense. He said they were definitely discussing the concept of selling an
asset to pay down a liability, which would lower operating costs. He stated that commissioners had given
direction to administrative staff that if a payment was received after the fact, with the cuts already made, to
consider whether money should be applied to pay down long-term debt with the goal of stabilizing the
organization in the long-term.
Mr. Pryor acknowledged that the sale of an asset, such as the fair grounds, would not solve the long-term
issue that the loss of the timber money presented. He understood the County was not just facing a “hump,”
rather what was ahead was a “plateau that would go on for a long time.” He also understood that
Washington, DC. could not be counted on. He observed that the discussion of SDCs should acknowledge
that they could only be used for new capacity and could not be utilized to preserve existing programs. He
did not know what ability the County would have to preserve what was in place with SDCs. Mr. Stewart
affirmed that the constraints on SDCs were the same for the County as they were for the City. He stated
that it would not be an area that could solve the operating deficiency without a legislative change.
Mr. Stewart related that in the conversations he had in Washington, DC, it had been made clear to him that
the program would go away and that it had never been intended as a long-term solution to the funding issue.
He said it was stressed to him that if an extension was granted it would be short-term. He reiterated that if
the County did receive the payment, it had to consider whether it would be more prudent to pay down the
operating expenses to bring the County to a level where instead of continuing to make cuts, the organization
could be stabilized.
Mr. Clark commented that a lot of people had known “this day of reckoning” was coming. He averred that
the only responsible thing to do would be to begin to look at this in creative, innovative ways. He felt the
people had spoken clearly on potential revenue increases to the County and he did not believe this was an
open question anymore. He wanted to focus on ways the City could help the County. He related that the
DA’s office had indicated it needed 32 staff members for its typical case load, which was why they had
ceased to prosecute many crimes. He asked whether the DA had given an indication of which things they
would have to stop prosecuting with the further staff reduction of seven positions. Mr. Stewart replied that
the board had not received this input from the DA at this time.
Mr. Clark encouraged the council and staff to begin conversations about the sorts of things the City could
take over in terms of prosecution. He related that the Human Right Commission (HRC) had held a scoping
conversation on hate crimes and potential changes to the City code. He said out of this conversation had
arisen the idea that if the City duplicated some of the State level statutes regarding hate crimes, its
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prosecutor could begin to do some things at the City level that could potentially reduce the load on the
County. He reiterated his request for information on what the City could buy in terms of jail beds and
assimilating officers from the LCSO.
City Manager pro tem Jones pointed out that City staff had been having some of those conversations with
the County in an effort to explore how they could do things differently and creatively. She underscored that
she did not want to send a message that the City of Eugene had ample resources to address the holes in the
County budget. She said the City was not too far from the County and would have to look at how it would
reshuffle the services it provided in a couple more years.
Ms. Taylor asked if the County would consider changing its policy of approving Enterprise Zones and urban
renewal districts in the face of the looming shortfall. Mr. Stewart replied that it was highly likely that if
another one of those mechanisms came before the County it would be considered differently. He stressed
that the County was a cooperator with its fellow jurisdictions and cities came to them proposing the
development tool.
Ms. Taylor did not perceive the county payments as a gift, rather she considered it an entitlement. She noted
that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had voiced that same opinion. She asked how much of Lane
County was federal land and generated no tax revenue. Mr. Stewart responded that 54 percent of Lane
County was federally owned.
Ms. Bettman accepted the fact that the County was facing a crisis. She wanted to find long-term solutions.
She noted the failure of recent County revenue measures. She opined that she had seen a lot of expenditures
on the part of the County that she questioned. She related that there had been over 900 appeals to property
taxes and 300 of them had been granted, which was a net reduction in revenue. She felt the people collecting
the appeals were getting an “astronomical amount of interest” on the tax money. She averred that this was a
waste of money. In terms of SDCs, she reiterated that SDCs provide a funding source for new transporta-
tion needs or parks. She declared that utilizing SDCs meant the money for such projects was not coming out
of other funds. She also questioned the resolution the County was considering that would take on permitting
and code enforcement in the urban transition area as she felt it would be an additional service for the County
to provide that would cost the County money.
Regarding the latter, Mr. Stewart clarified for Ms. Bettman that the Land Management Division was solely
fee-based and the citizens applying for zoning changes and building permits, and other actions, would pay
the cost to do so. He acknowledged concerns expressed by citizens regarding a potential adjustment in that
agreement, adding that he would not say the County was ready to move on the matter.
Mr. Zelenka asked if alternative funding sources for human services had been looked into. Mr. Stewart
replied that they had not considered this at the board level but he had worked with Executive Director for the
Department of Human Services, Steve Manela, on the possibility of a levy to help pay for the human
services portion of the budget. Mr. Zelenka commented that he would support such a levy.
Mr. Stewart said when facing a crisis one does what one can. He stressed that the income tax measure that
had been posed had been based on the critical need to provide essential services. He had wanted to fix the
whole problem at one time. He stressed that if the cuts came, the County would have to suffer because there
would not be a “miracle fix” for it. He predicted that what would happen was that the County would assess
whether there would be any help from the State and then how to move forward from there. He thought they
would continue to work through the federal government with our congressional leaders to get the payment
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for the services provided on those lands. He said the other point that would have to be addressed was how
they could incrementally go to the citizens to replace some of the losses ahead.
Mr. Zelenka thought this was an appropriate way to look at the budget issue. He opined that it was “not an
enviable place to be.”
Mr. Stewart thanked the councilors for their thoughts and ideas. He said he would take them back to the
Board of County Commissioners. He was also thankful that the council grasped the level of concern as to
what was going to happen and that they wanted to help. He understood that no one could stand up “with a
bag full of money” but he thought there were ways to change processes and look for efficiencies that would
lead to a solution.
Mayor Piercy concurred. She said while the different jurisdictions had their own budgets and their own
governments they still “all lived together.” She thanked Commissioner Stewart.
The meeting adjourned at 1:32 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Angel Jones
City Manager pro tem
(Recorded by Ruth Atcherson)
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ATTACHMENT D
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council/Urban Renewal Agency
Executive Session
Sunstone Room – Downtown Library
th
100 West 10 Avenue—Eugene, Oregon
May 5, 2008
8 p.m.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, Bonny Bettman, Andrea Ortiz, Mike Clark, Jennifer Solomon,
Alan Zelenka, Betty Taylor.
COUNCILORS ABSENT: George Poling.
Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency to order.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mayor Piercy called the Urban Renewal Agency into executive session pursuant to Oregon Revised Statutes
192.660(2)(e).
The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jon Ruiz
City Manager
(Recorded by Lynn Taylor)
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 5, 2008 Page 1
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