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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 09/25/06 Work Session M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room—Eugene City Hall September 25, 2006 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Jennifer Solomon, Bonny Bettman, David Kelly, Andrea Ortiz, Gary Papé, George Poling, Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. A. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER Mayor Piercy announced that the Monroe Street Police Substation had opened. She said participants from around the state were attending a meeting on climate change being held in Eugene. She commended the Recreation Division for supporting developmental assets for young people. Ms. Ortiz reported that the Monroe Street Substation opening was well-attended and said the facility would offer a myriad of services and be well-utilized by the community. She felt it was a step in the right direction for the Police Department. She said she helped host a Trainsong neighborhood picnic that was also well- attended, with a very large turnout of youth between the ages of 15 and 25. She appreciated the opportunity for a dialogue with young people about their ideas for the community. Mr. Poling announced that Police Sergeant Pat Ryan was retiring and there would be a ceremony on September 26, 2006. He thanked the sergeant for his many years of dedication to the City and wished him well on his retirement. He said the Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event was held at the Crescent Village mixed-use development where a number of exciting things were going on. He encouraged councilors to visit the site. Mr. Poling said that the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) elected Doug Keeler of Springfield as president following the departure of former president Walt Meyer for a two-year Peace Corps assignment. Lane County Commissioner Faye Stewart was elected vice president. He said the State Marine Board approached the MWMC with a proposal for an upland boat waste disposal facility. He noted that Lane County had only two pumping facilities currently and the proposal was to construct a federally- funded boat waste disposal facility at the plant on River Avenue; the only cost not covered by the federal grant was MWMC staff time. Ms. Taylor said she attended a Human Development Steering Committee meeting at which the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Task Force report was discussed. She noted she was a member of both groups. She said the steering committee adopted the task force recommendations and although half of the committee wanted to repeal the NCLB legislation, a majority felt a stand should be taken on how to change the law as MINUTES—City Council September 25, 2006 Page 1 Work Session it would be reauthorized. She said she would provide a more detailed report later. She commented on the efforts of Vancouver, Washington to preserve historic buildings in the downtown area. She described a housing project in which 40 percent of the housing was reserved for people making $7 to $9 per hour. She said the project had a number of progressive features and she felt Eugene could learn a lot from Vancouver. Mr. Kelly joined Ms. Ortiz in commending the new Monroe Street Substation with its expanded services and welcoming environment. He said he also attended the event at Crescent Village and thought the development was a good example of density, diverse housing types, and mixed uses. Ms. Bettman requested abbreviated training in cultural competency as a follow-up to the Communities of Color forums. She hoped it would be scheduled in November when new members of boards and commis- sions had been appointed. City Manager Taylor replied that the training was tentatively scheduled for November 29 and a draft agenda would be in the council’s Thursday packet. Mr. Pryor said a financial report was presented at the recent Lane Metro Partnership Board meeting and the organization was financially sound with many activities in progress. He attended the rededication of Acorn Park and commended Carolyn Weiss and her staff for the project. He said many people from the neighbor- hood attended the event. He said community health centers, which operated under the auspices of the Human Services Commission, were exploring ways to restructure, achieve some efficiencies and expand services. He noted that a priority was protecting existing staff from loss of wages or benefits. Mr. Papé said he was surprised at news that City Manager Dennis Taylor had applied for another job and hoped that Mr. Taylor kept his expertise and career in Eugene. City Manager Taylor apologized to the mayor and the council for the awkward way with which they were notified that he was a finalist for a job with the City of Lawrence, Kansas. He said concern with issues related to the police auditor, the City Charter, and the City Attorney’s opinion had prompted him to consider the job with the City of Lawrence where he had been an undergraduate. He expected a decision would be made sometime in October and if he was selected he would also have a decision to make. Mr. Papé did not think an apology was necessary and hoped that any issues could be resolved and Mr. Taylor would remain in Eugene. He reported that the United Way campaign was launched at Lane Community College with a goal of raising $5 million. He said organizers were optimistic that goal could be achieved as the community had always been generous. He said the Lane Council of Governments Board met last week and took action on some minor bylaws amendments primarily related to executive committee membership and meeting schedules. He said there was a presentation on and discussion of the Lane County income tax measure for public safety. Ms. Solomon reported on her attendance at a Good Neighbor Day event at the Good Neighbor Care Center in Santa Clara. She said the center was an assisted living facility and it was a pleasure to attend the first annual event. She said a citizenship award was given to someone from the Alzheimer’s Association for his work on behalf of victims of Alzheimer’s disease. Mayor Piercy noted a memorandum from Council, Public, and Government Affairs Manager Mary Walston regarding recruitment of Budget Committee members. She said that committee member Bob Peters had withdrawn as a candidate for a second term and Ms. Walston was recommending that the recruitment be reopened. There were no objections to reopening the recruitment. MINUTES—City Council September 25, 2006 Page 2 Work Session City Manager Taylor suggested that the recruitment be closed on a date that would allow candidates for other boards and commissions who were not selected to apply for the Budget Committee. Mr. Kelly said that the schedule should allow for appointment of Budget Committee members before the new year. Mayor Piercy thanked Mr. Peters for his long and varied service to the community. B. WORKSHOP: Presentation of Report from Sustainable Business Initiative City Manager Taylor said that global temperatures were dangerously close to the highest ever estimated to have occurred in the past one million years and at last month’s International City/County Management Association meeting sustainability was the most important and well-attended track. He invited Rusty Rexius and Dave Funk, co-chairs of the Sustainable Business Initiative (SBI) Task Force, to present the task force’s report and recommendations. Mayor Piercy introduced Mr. Rexius and Mr. Funk, as well as other members of the task force who were present and thanked them all for their efforts. She reminded the council she had charged the task force to respond to the following issues: ? How can the City help support businesses that produce sustainable products? ? How can the City help and encourage every business to take on more sustainable practices? ? How can we better educate the entire community about sustainability? Mr. Rexius and Mr. Funk used a PowerPoint presentation to provide an overview of the task force’s thinking and recommendations. Mr. Rexius said the task force was composed of a diverse group of people who eventually agreed unani- mously on a set of recommendations. He stressed that SBI was a sustainable business initiative, not a sustainability initiative, and asked the council to keep the backdrop of business in mind as the recommenda- tions were presented. He said that SBI was an economic development initiative and the task force considered three issues as it developed its recommendations: ? How the City could help existing businesses understand and apply sustainable business practices ? How to encourage those businesses already in the field of sustainability and make them more suc- cessful and competitive ? How to attract sustainable businesses to Eugene by creating an environment that encouraged and motivated those business to locate here Mr. Rexius said the vision was for Eugene to be one of the most sustainable mid-sized communities in the nation by 2020, with a thriving economy based on triple bottom line sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. He reviewed the City’s existing sustainability practices that would help lead the way for businesses. He noted that the task force’s recommendations were not extremely specific or detailed but rather addressed establishing the goals and infrastructure for long-term success. MINUTES—City Council September 25, 2006 Page 3 Work Session Mr. Funk stated that the task force produced 22 recommendations with 11 of those directed to the City. He reviewed the following City-specific recommendations: 1. Publicly commit to sustainable practices and to businesses that provide sustainable goods and services. 2. Establish an Office of Sustainable Development within City government. 3. Establish a sustainability board or commission. 4. Adopt the goal of becoming “carbon neutral” by 2020 and create a plan to achieve it. 5. Use sustainable practices and purchase local sustainable goods and services. 6. Adopt sustainability criteria for all City decision-making. Begin with triple bottom line policy analysis for City Council and sustainable purchasing policies. 7. Adopt a goal and develop a strategy to achieve zero waste. 8. Adopt sustainability indicators and a measurement system. 9. Expand education for City employees about triple bottom line sustainability. 10. Provide incentives and awards and remove barriers. 11. Form partnerships. Mr. Rexius concluded that the SBI recommendations were an ambitious but achievable beginning; they were a starting but not an ending point. He said sustainability was not the only economic development tool, but it was one in which the City could participate and have an impact on the business community. Mayor Piercy also recognized Bob Doppelt, Sara Mazze, and Ray Neff of Research Innovations at the University of Oregon who staffed the SBI project. She said a 50-member advisory committee was also involved. Mr. Kelly applauded the broad participation and extensive amount of work that the SBI represented and thanked all of those involved. He said it was some of the most important work that the community and the council needed to be doing. He agreed that the City already implemented many sustainable practices and it would take all elements in the community to make changes. He was pleased with the emphasis on education. He felt that some of the task force recommendations were very specific and was prepared to support and fight for all of them. Ms. Ortiz echoed Mr. Kelly’s comments about the task force’s work. She appreciated the emphasis on a business initiative. She said the City was providing leadership in use of sustainable practices and found the recommendations very useful. She said liked the concept of a board or commission to steer the initiative and provide oversight; her only concern was how to pay for some of the activities. Ms. Solomon thanked task force members for their commitment to the issue and for outreach to her from several members, which was helpful in preparing her for the meeting. She said she was a member of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Council, which was also exploring the concept of sustainability and how it related to business, and she appreciated the thoughtful discussions of that group. She felt the recommendations from both groups were parallel and said that the Chamber group supported the SBI recommendations. She urged local and small businesses to remain a part of the discussion as the SBI effort moved forward because they provided a reality check on the realistic implementation of sustainability practices. MINUTES—City Council September 25, 2006 Page 4 Work Session Mr. Pryor echoed the remarks by other councilors. He said the report and recommendations were impressive and reflective of values and principles the City hoped to put in place, but recognized the practical aspects of what could realistically be accomplished. He recalled that when the council was working on its vision the themes were people, place and prosperity and those were mirrored in the task force’s triple bottom line. He said the key was maintaining balance among those three elements. Mr. Papé also thanked all involved in the SBI effort. He said the City was doing a good job of leading by example and thanked Mayor Piercy for her vision. He thought the goal of zero carbon emissions by 2020 was great but was not certain to what extent the City could control its destiny in that respect with Interstate 5 running through it. He asked how achievement of that goal would be measured. Mr. Funk said the goal was for the City, not those driving on Interstate 5. He felt the City, through a combination of purchasing sustainable power and offsets could achieve that goal. City Manager Taylor said that Eugene was in a coalition with other governmental entities to create baseline information and measure progress against that. Mr. Doppelt explained that the City was quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from internal government operations as well as the broader community and that Resource Innovations was attempting to quantify greenhouse gas emissions from the broader Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area. He said the drivers on Interstate 5 were not being included but agreed that transportation was the biggest issue. Ms. Taylor thanked Mayor Piercy for establishing the SBI and all those who worked on it for their efforts. She hoped that some of the SBI task force members would be on whatever board or commission was established for continuity reasons. She asked if the task force had discussed requiring sustainable practices in situations where the City was providing subsidies or incentives. Mr. Rexius said that could be a subject for future discussions. Mr. Doppelt commented that the task force had some discussion of regulation but concluded that an incentive system to encourage sustainable practices was preferable. Ms. Taylor speculated about which boards or commissions could be phased out if a new one to address sustainability was created. She suggested that perhaps the Police Commission had served its purpose and could be phased out as well as the City’s participation in the Metro Partnership. Ms. Bettman thanked the task force for its work and appreciated the vision and values that were articulated in the report. She was not certain that a perceptible difference in the status of global warming could be made in 18 years with these SBI task force recommendations. She agreed that if the City was engaged in economic development it should have a sustainability screen but was unclear if the task force’s recommen- dation to continue with current practices and add incentives was to encompass all of the City’s economic development strategies. Mr. Funk said that the recommendations were not intended to be in place of anything the City was already engaged in; it was separate and in addition to current practices and the purpose was to target the City’s efforts. Ms. Bettman said that while the initiative was strictly aimed at business, the objectives seemed to be broader. She asked how the recommendations, given their breadth, cost, and objectives that might or might not be achieved, compared with a strategy like subsidizing transit within the City of Eugene that was known to be effective and had maximum benefit. She asked which would be the best cost/benefit investment for the City. Mr. Funk said the task force realized that everything was related to sustainability, including transportation, education, compact density and urban growth. He said the challenge was to focus on something that the task force felt it could get a grasp on and business was chosen because with the City functioning as a lever to move business toward sustainability, there was a powerful engine for change. He MINUTES—City Council September 25, 2006 Page 5 Work Session did not know how that could be measured on a cost/benefit basis. Mr. Rexius said that subsidized transit would certainly be a great way to reduce carbon emissions; however, another way to reduce carbon emissions was by establishing carbon neutrality as goal. He said that business people would regard that as an opportunity to look at ways to reduce carbon emissions in their own businesses and many of those initiatives could result in more jobs. Ms. Bettman remarked that as a jurisdiction the City might not be able to do it all because of the resources required. She questioned whether the City should finance an initiative that was business-based to encourage certain incremental changes or invest in something that might have more realistic results immediately. Mr. Kelly, seconded by Mr. Pryor, moved to extend the discussion by four minutes. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. Mr. Kelly appreciated the explicit acknowledgment on page 9 of the report that the SBI did not address the local land use planning system, industrial land planning system, transportation systems, or affordable housing systems, which were all a part of sustainability. He did not think it was necessary at the beginning to choose between strategies or approaches because while the long-term cost of some of the recommenda- tions might be substantial, the initial investment was fairly small, such as establishing an office of sustainability and a board. He noted that while the strategies would cost money, the cost of doing nothing was greater. He also appreciated the mention of peak oil in the report but wished the discussion had gone further. Mr. Papé agreed with the concerns expressed about cost and encouraged involving the Budget Committee in identifying funding strategies. He urged that future discussions include the need for a mix of affordable housing in the community. He favored the idea of using incentives rather than regulations to encourage businesses to adopt sustainability practices. C. WORK SESSION: Transportation Priorities for North and West Eugene City Manager Taylor introduced City Engineer Mark Schoening to discuss transportation priorities for north and west Eugene. He said that transportation was a critical component of sustainability and staff was charged with developing recommended next steps for transportation priorities in north and west Eugene. Mr. Schoening reviewed the process for developing transportation priorities for north and west Eugene and recommendations for advancing those priorities. He said the regional and local transportation plans were reviewed and discussions were held with regional partners on the Transportation Planning Committee and the University of Oregon School of Architecture. He said the Public Works work program, which included transportation planning and traffic operations, was also reviewed. He said staff identified and were proposing the following capital improvements, transportation planning studies and regulatory actions to address north and west Eugene transportation priorities: ? Beltline corridor from River Road to Coburg Road – a priority because of the level of congestion and safety issues on the corridor, the project was included in the adopted FY06-09 State Transpor- tation Improvement Program (STIP) for $1 million and in the draft FY08-11 STIP for another $1.5 million to complete the environmental documentation and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) was initiating transportation systems planning on that corridor MINUTES—City Council September 25, 2006 Page 6 Work Session ?thth West 11 Avenue from Terry Street to Greenhill Road – a priority because West 11 Avenue would become a more important transportation corridor with the elimination of the West Eugene Parkway project and there was significant development potential west of Beltline ?th Study of West 11 Avenue from Terry Street to Greenhill Road at the same transportation system planning level as ODOT’s study of Beltline corridor ?th Study of West 11 Avenue from Lane Transit District’s (LTD) Downtown Station to Beltline as the City’s priority for the next EmX corridor ?th Integration of the two studies into an overall transportation corridor study of West 11 Avenue from the Downtown Station to Greenhill Road ? Development of an access management policy Mr. Schoening explained that in order for projects to be included in the STIP they had to be in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and on the financially constrained list. He said the two capital projects were on the illustrative list and to move onto the financially constrained list something else must move off. He said that removing the WEP from the financially constrained list would allow the other two projects onto the list. He said the RTP was in the process of being updated, to be followed by an update of the local transportation system plan (TransPlan). He indicated that the City had applied for $150,000 in competitive Surface Transportation Program-Urban (STP-U) planning dollars to be awarded by the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) in October 2006. Mr. Schoening pointed out that including the EmX corridor study would require the council to rescind its earlier action regarding the process for selecting the next EmX corridor. He attended a recent LTD board meeting and conveyed the board’s need to for assurance that the City was a committed partner, regardless of whatever the next EmX corridor was, and cognizant of the required 20 percent nonfederal match for transit projects. He stressed the importance of maintaining that commitment until the project was completed in 10 to 12 years. He said that access management was an administrative action that Public Works would move forward with considerable input from the public and the department advisory committee to guide its efforts. Mr. Kelly said he understood the need for a corridor study to identify the most effective projects before beginning any improvements and he was pleased to hear that the School of Architecture would be involved. He asked why the project referred to as Beltline Phase 3 was not included on the list of priorities. Mr. Schoening said that elimination of the WEP as a transportation project meant that the third phase of Beltline, which included an interchange with the parkway, would have to be revisited although completion of Beltline was still on the project list. Mr. Kelly asked about the status of completing Beltline. Mr. Schoening said the proposed priorities attempted to identify projects the City and its regional partners had the capacity to accomplish and, while Beltline completion was still on the project list, it was a lower priority than the other projects. Mr. Kelly asked if better utilization of Roosevelt Boulevard was being considered. Mr. Schoening said that was not currently under consideration. Mr. Kelly urged staff to consider proposing a scoping effort for Roosevelt Boulevard at some point in the future. Ms. Taylor asked why the Beltline project from River Road to Coburg Road was the most urgent and who would benefit from that project. Mr. Schoening replied that the entire region would benefit and it was a MINUTES—City Council September 25, 2006 Page 7 Work Session priority because of the level of congestion and related safety issues. He said the project was also one for which ODOT was committed to initiating transportation system planning this year and there was funding in both the adopted and draft STIP. He said the project had been established as a priority in the region and that was the basis for the funding it had received to date. th Ms. Taylor observed that Beltline was now more important than West 11 Avenue, which everyone said was a priority. Mr. Schoening pointed out that both the Beltline project and the WEP were in the STIP and the Beltline project remained. City Manager Taylor added that Beltline was a more strategic project as it offered the opportunity to move forward and obtain funding because it was already in the plan and funded. Ms. Taylor asked if the Beltline project was related to the plan for a hospital. Mr. Schoening replied the project was included in the FY06-09 STIP far before there was any consideration of a hospital in that area. th Mr. Pryor was pleased to see the West 11 Avenue project on the priorities list. He recognized that although there was an urgent need for improvements, it was important to complete the necessary planning and financing steps first. He asked how quickly the public might see some of the improvements on the ground. Mr. Schoening responded that it could conceivably be eight to ten years before construction began. Mr. Pryor hoped that measures could be taken on an interim basis to relieve the existing problems as the City worked towards a permanent solution. th Ms. Bettman asked if the portion of Beltline north of West 11 Avenue, while a lower priority, was still on the project list. Mr. Schoening replied that the project was still on the list of projects expected to be built within the next 20 years. Ms. Bettman expressed concern that the improvements around Delta might siphon off the opportunities and funding for west Eugene. She asked if funding other than STP-U was available for planning. Mr. Schoening said that staff was also exploring working with the University to access funding through federal dollars available to the university system. He said that program was authorized under the recent federal transportation legislation and procedures were still being developed. He said that funding would also require a 50 percent match. Ms. Bettman was pleased to see the City move forward with an access management program. She said that th some of the strategies that she favored for West 11 Avenue, such as a boulevard treatment, did not seem to be compatible with an EmX corridor. She said that demographics when the council identified Coburg Road as the next EmX corridor really supported west and north Eugene. She said that there was significant low- income affordable housing along Highway 99 and many families that could benefit from being able to utilize th transit to connect to employment. She did not support narrowing the choice to West 11 Avenue without comparing the two corridors and determining which would work best. Mr. Schoening said the plan called for both corridors to eventually have EmX service and in conversations with knowledgeable proponents of boulevard treatments it was clear that EmX should be part of an integrated study and not a separate consideration. th Ms. Bettman felt that language in the proposed motion was definitive about identifying West 11 Avenue as the priority for the next EmX corridor. MINUTES—City Council September 25, 2006 Page 8 Work Session Ms. Ortiz stated she had no concerns about Beltline being a top priority. She said that many people were now driving through town instead of taking Beltline because of congestion and safety concerns and she was one of those people. She preferred to address Beltline problems sooner rather than later. She concurred th with Ms. Bettman’s concern about the proposed motion identifying West 11 Avenue as the next EmX corridor. She hoped that the discussion would include ways the City could gain control of that street, similar to the approach with Franklin Boulevard, to assure that the first consideration was to best serve the interests of Eugene residents. Ms. Ortiz asked for clarification of the recommendation related to changes to the Land Use Code. Mr. Schoening said that as new property was developed and Public Works reviewed the land use application, one of the considerations would be managing access to the major street system. Mr. Papé concurred with Ms. Ortiz about the need to make Beltline a priority. He said that traffic problems, particularly during peak morning and evening hours, were frightening. He asked if there was a th portion of the West 11 Avenue study that could not be funded by STP-U because it was a local street. Mr. Schoening said that STP-U funding could be used for a study from Greenhill Road to the Downtown Station th because while West 11 Avenue was a local street, it was of regional significance. In response to a question from Mr. Papé, Mr. Schoening said the RTP was in a cycle to be updated by March 2007 and part of the update would be removing the WEP from the regional traffic model and rebalancing the model to determine the impact on the rest of the transportation system in 2025. He said that would identify any land use actions that had to be addressed in the update of TransPlan. Mr. Papé requested a memorandum from staff explaining how the studies, plan updates and potential land use changes in west Eugene were connected. Mr. Poling said he was pleased to see Beltline at the top of the priority list as he seldom used it because of th the dangerous driving conditions. He was surprised that West 11 Avenue was identified as the next EmX corridor study because the direction of growth and demographics would appear to support Highway 99 as the next corridor; for that reason he could not support the second item in the proposed motion. Ms. Solomon indicated she would make the motion without Item 2. Ms. Solomon, seconded by Ms. Ortiz, moved to identify the Beltline Corridor from River Road to Coburg Road as the City’s top priority for funding in the State th Transportation Improvement Program and West 11 Avenue from Terry Street to Greenhill Road as its second priority, support a transportation corridor study of th West 11 Avenue and the City’s application for $150,000 of STP-U planning funds for the study and support the initiation of regulatory changes to the land use code and associated administrative rule that would implement access management on the City’s arterial and collector street system. th Ms. Bettman suggested rewording of Item 2 to “explore the possibility” of West 11 Avenue as the next th EmX corridor because while she agreed that 6 Avenue to Highway 99 was probably the best choice th demographically, as long as West 11 Avenue was being studied its potential as an EmX corridor should be considered. She agreed that Beltline should be the highest priority and her only objection to the recommen- dation was that it was limited to the section from River Road to Coburg Road. MINUTES—City Council September 25, 2006 Page 9 Work Session Ms. Bettman, seconded by Ms. Ortiz, moved to amend the motion to identify the th Beltline Corridor from West 11 Avenue to Coburg Road as the City’s top priority for funding. Ms. Bettman explained that the original motion addressed fixes to the west Eugene area’s transportation th problems and the Beltline Corridor connecting with the West 11 Avenue corridor was part of that strategy. th She said that leaving the portion of Beltline north of West 11 Avenue off the table as a priority would not address the problem. Mr. Kelly commented that two very important issues were raised: the EmX issue and the third portion of Beltline. He felt that a more thorough discussion should occur as soon as possible and before action. Mr. Kelly, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to table action to an October 2006 date certain. The motion passed, 7:1; Mr. Papé voting in opposition. Mr. Poling asked for information about the existing funding mechanisms and their status, particularly with reference to the third portion of Beltline, prior to the October discussion. Mr. Papé asked for the current STIP project list and the financially constrained list. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis M. Taylor City Manager (Recorded by Lynn Taylor) MINUTES—City Council September 25, 2006 Page 10 Work Session