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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 06/14/06 Work Session M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room—Eugene City Hall June 14, 2006 Noon COUNCILORS PRESENT: Jennifer Solomon, Andrea Ortiz, Bonny Bettman, David Kelly, Gary Papé, George Poling, Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor. A. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. Ms. Piercy displayed a life-size cutout of herself that was produced by Imagine Graphics at its grand opening the previous week. She said that Imagine Graphics was a good example of how the local enterprise zone helped a local company relocate, enhance a neighborhood, and expand by doubling the number of employees. She attended the Martin Luther King Jr. Education Center graduation and was pleased to announce that Fleet and Radio Operations Supervisor Jim Glover was recognized for providing work experience opportunities for students. She noted a recent article in the business section of The Register- Guard that highlighted the City’s green building initiative and a local project. She invited councilors to view paintings hanging in her office by local artist Martin Sage. Ms. Solomon said she attended the We Are Bethel Celebration with Ms. Ortiz and the event was very successful. She noted an article in the City Council newsletter about a work party at Golden Gardens Park and commended those involved for a remarkable job. She said the first official park planning meeting for Golden Gardens was held the previous evening and there were over 30 people in attendance. She expected that a plan for the park would be in place by fall. She thanked councilors for their support of the project. Ms. Taylor reported she attended the June 13, 2006, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) board meeting and most of the discussion was on the budget, although there was some discussion of odors from J.H. Baxter and from automobile exhaust. She hoped that more could be done to regulate automobile emissions. She noted that there was an overflow crowd at a Southeast Neighbors meeting the previous meeting and felt that newsletters were responsible for attracting people to the meetings. She said she was saddened by the recent death of John Hire, general manager of Sanipac. She said he was always extremely helpful to her constituents with garbage collection concerns. Mr. Kelly said he was also shocked and saddened by John Hire’s death and had enjoyed working with him over the years. He reported that he and Ms. Piercy presented Eugene’s draft resolution on the West Eugene Parkway to the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) at its June 8, 2006, meeting. He said some members were supportive but he was concerned by the response from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). He said ODOT director Matt Garrett and Oregon Transportation Commission member Randy Papé were both negative about their willingness to have a discussion, but the door was not closed. He said MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 14, 2006 Page 1 Work Session the resolution would come before the MPC for a vote at its July 2006 meeting and he was hopeful about the outcome. Mr. Papé commented that John Hire was a first-class individual and would be missed. He said that the McKenzie River Trust and McKenzie Watershed Council hosted a visit by Oregon Fish and Wildlife deputy director Marshall Jones to view the Willamette River corridor and Green Island at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers. He said Mr. Jones was excited about the potential of joining Green Island with the Finley Reserve near Corvallis and obtaining additional resources. He urged councilors to advocate for the project to Oregon’s congressional delegation . He said the McKenzie Watershed Council was concerned about development in the Horseshoe Bend area by McKenzie Bridge. Ms. Bettman encouraged councilors to accept the invitation from McKenzie River Trust to tour Green Island on June 28, since the council meeting for that date was canceled. She noted that the Eugene- Springfield Metropolitan General Area Plan (Metro Plan) process was being opened and requested a definitive memorandum from staff about whether it was possible to address the housekeeping changes made during the last Metro Plan amendments process that resulted in making sections of the Jefferson-Westside neighborhoods vulnerable because of adjustments to map boundaries. She asked for information on how to proceed in sufficient time to take action. thth Ms. Bettman asked if there was a way to avoid closing Hilyard Street between 13 Avenue and 24 avenues when the project to reconstruct the roadbed was underway. She said the closure could have a significant impact on small businesses in that area. She stated that currently the City required neighborhood residents who participated on a neighborhood board to sign a waiver assuming liability to use any public facility. Noting that the City is self-insured, she asked whether responsibility could be covered so it was not an obstacle to participating in or holding neighborhood events. Mr. Pryor said he attended a 100% Access Coalition meeting at Lane Community College (LCC) and was pleased at the discussion of successes and progress in accomplishing goals through an integrated, unified effort of private and community partners. He said the Human Services Commission budget hearing in May 2006 went very well but too few commissioners were present to conduct a vote so that would occur at the June 19, 2006, meeting. He said there was great appreciation for the contributions from government partners. He said the Churchill Neighbors had new leadership that was breathing life back into the organization. He said there were a number of legislative issues and initiatives that would require close monitoring by the City. Ms. Ortiz thanked Ms. Taylor and LRAPA for their attention to J.H. Baxter and automobile emissions, both of which impacted her constituents. She agreed with Ms. Solomon that the We Are Bethel Celebration was a great success. She spoke at the Charter Network School graduation and thanked Ms. Bettman for recommending her. She applauded the efforts of non-traditional schools. She said the LCC English as a Second Language (ESL) program was grateful that the council reaffirmed its commitment to human rights. She remarked that there was a good dialogue on the City Hall complex at a recent Downtown Neighborhood Association meeting. City Manager Taylor invited councilors to attend the July 7, 2006, farewell for Fire Chief Tom Tallon at 3 nd p.m. at the 2 and Chambers facility. He also invited councilors to the grand opening of River Play at noon on July 8. MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 14, 2006 Page 2 Work Session B. WORK SESSION: Judicial Evaluation Ms. Piercy welcomed Municipal Court Judge Wayne Allen and conveyed the council’s appreciation for the results of the recent judicial evaluation. Ms. Bettman congratulated Judge Allen on an excellent evaluation. Ms. Piercy commented that it was clear during an earlier discussion of the evaluation that there was a growing burden on the court system as it picked up some of the slack from Lane County. She asked Judge Allen for his perspective on the situation. Judge Allen said that Eugene had by far the largest municipal court in the State and the issue for the council over the next two or three years was to determine the court’s purpose. He said it was appropriate for the court to assume the extra cases, which changed it from a traffic court to a quality-of-life court, but that placed a considerable strain on resources. He anticipated more difficult cases as the population grew and the Police Department hired additional officers. He said that difficult cases were those involving behavior modification instead of simply imposing a fine or sanction. He used the mental health court as an example of an effort assumed by the Municipal Court that required a tremendous amount of resources and would continue to expand; however, it was very successful in changing the behavior of chronic offenders with mental health issues. He said those offenders were stabilized, no longer appeared in court regularly and had a chance at a reasonable life. He hoped the court would not get to the point where it could not continue with mental health court or the docket was far in arrears because of lack of staff, time or space. Continuing, Judge Allen noted that while the Police Department added 13 officers over the last six years, the court added only one staff person. He said the increasing number of diversion programs, while a benefit to the community, also placed a strain on court resources. He said while the courtroom remodel provided a more appropriate setting, the court still lacked adequate space to conduct its business. He urged the council to consider the court’s need for interim space when a decision was made about a new city hall. He said the 40 percent no-show rate at court was due in large part to the lack of sanctions because there was no space in the jail for pre-trail holds; the City currently rented 17 beds at the jail from the County, but greater capacity was needed to reduce the no-show rate. He said that work crew assignments reached capacity and no new referrals could be made until August, which meant there was a delay in working off fines and satisfying other judgments. He did not feel that Springfield’s approach, which would only house people and not include alternate programs, would be effective for Eugene. Judge Allen acknowledged that there might not be immediate solutions to the problems he identified but encouraged the council to take them into consideration. Ms. Taylor asked how much time the court spent on animal control issues and what constituted a quality-of- life case. Judge Allen said very little time was spent on animal control and clarified that quality-of-life cases included things such as automobile break-in, theft, assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment. Mr. Kelly commended the mental health court and noted that even the defendants who responded in the judicial evaluation reported that they were well-treated and that court staff was helpful. He asked if Judge Allen and the court staff were engaged in any strategic planning activities that could be used during the City’s budget process. Judge Allen said that staff was engaged in determining court needs for planning purposes. He said the current focus was on the court’s location and that would affect other considerations. City Manager Taylor added that a discussion of court issues was part of a larger discussion with the County MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 14, 2006 Page 3 Work Session on the criminal justice infrastructure. He said if the County placed a public safety measure on the ballot it would be appropriate to hold that discussion after the outcome was known. Court Operations Supervisor Kristie Hammitt stated that Municipal Court staff had just completed a 15- year vision for the court that would facilitate strategic planning efforts. She said that use of new technology would streamline court operations. Mr. Kelly said that construction of a new city hall or remodeling of the current one was several years in the future and asked if the City was in contact with the General Services Administration about use of space in the current federal building once the new courthouse was completed. Assistant City Manager Jim Carlson replied that the City had been discussing use of the court space within the federal building once the federal courts relocated to the new building in October 2007. He said staff was actively pursuing that space for Municipal Court, at least on an interim basis. Mr. Poling thanked Judge Allen and his staff for their efforts. He asked if the Municipal Court was a “court of record.” Judge Allen said that being a “court of record” meant that all proceedings were either recorded by a stenographer or taped. He said while there was a record of his statements and actions, to be a court of record was expensive and done for the purpose of eliminating the ability of people to appeal from Municipal Court to Circuit Court and request a new trial unless a legal error could be identified. He said there were very few appeals from Municipal Court and there did not appear to be a need to be a court of record. Mr. Poling asked if that need might increase, given the increasing number of difficult cases. Judge Allen agreed that the issue should be revisited in the future. Mr. Papé commented that the evaluation spoke well to the effectiveness of the court and professionalism of Judge Allen and his staff. He appreciated Judge Allen’s comments on the problems faced by the criminal justice system. He was concerned that the problems were not yet apparent to the general public and hoped the judge would continue to be vocal about them. Ms. Piercy suggested that the council’s Committee on Intergovernmental Relations might have a role in raising those issues and the need for resources to the legislature. C. EXECUTIVE SESSION Ms. Piercy called the council into Executive Session at 12:45 p.m. for the purpose of consulting with counsel regarding current litigation or litigation likely to be filed pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(h). The meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis M. Taylor City Manager (Recorded by Lynn Taylor) MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 14, 2006 Page 4 Work Session