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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/28/1986 Meeting I . e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council Dinner/Work Session Eugene Community Conference Center--Bloch Room July 28, 1986 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Richard Hansen, Debra Ehrman (5:45 p.m.-7:20 p.m.), Cynthia Wooten (5:50 p.m-7:20 p.m.), Emily Schue, Ruth Bascom, Roger Rutan (5:30 p.m. - 6:50 p.m.), Jeff Mill er. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Freeman Holmer. His Honor Mayor Brian B. Obie called the work session to order. 1. URBAN SERVICES TRANSITION FINANCING AGREEMENl (memo, background distributed) Assistant City Manager Dave Whitlow said the councilors discussed the financing agreement on June 25, 1986. He sa i d the agreement wi 11 be distributed to the council before it takes action on August 11. He said the Urban Services Policy Committee (USPC) has approved the transfer of e land use and building services in the the area between the Eugene city limits and the Urban Growth Boundary. The financing agreement provides funds for those services and maintenance of Alton Baker Park, addresses the discount Eugene has received for the Regional Information Services (RIS) system, and provides for the transfer of about 25 miles of streets. He emphasized that the financing agreement does not involve the transfer of the roads between the city limits and the Urban Growth Boundary. That issue will be addressed by the USPC in late August. Mr. Whitlow said the financing agreement does not indicate that Eugene will purchase services from Lane County but Springfield may do so. He said the agreement does require Eugene to pay the full RIS charges. Jim Carl son of the Pl anni ng Department said Ms. Wooten asked at the council work session about the per capita contribution of Eugene residents for services provided by Lane County. He said Eugeneans pay an average annual property tax of $27.46 to Lane County. They pay $3 million or 41 percent ($3 million) of the property taxes collected by Lane County. He said taxes provide about 15 percent of the Lane County General Fund; consequently, Eugene residents contribute about 6 percent of the L~ne County General Fund. He said the General Fund pays for almost all the services Lane County provides except road repair and construction. Commun i ty Hea lth and Soc i a 1 Services are funded by dedi cated grants through the Lane County General Fund. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28, 1986 Page 1 , , Answering a question from Mayor Obie, Mr. Whitlow said RIS was created in the late 1960's and the computer was bought by Lane County with General e Fund money. Eugene was given a 20-percent discount because the City used a very small part of the system and in recognition of the double taxation issue. He said Eugene now uses two-thirds of the RIS time and Eugene's share is increasing. RIS is now owned by equa 1 partners and Eugene participates in policy decisions. He said RIS will charge Eugene about $1.2 million this year and the discount will be about $240,000. The City's current budget includes about $800,000 for RIS and the financing agreement will provide about $825,000 income for Eugene. Answering a question from Mr. Hansen, Terry Smith of the Public Works Department said Springfield receives a 20 percent discount from RIS but Springfield has its own computer hardware and does not use RIS very much. Mr. Miller said Lane County officials favor the agreement because it provides money the County can use for things other than roads. Answering his questions, Mr. Whitlow said the Lane County Budget Committee has insisted for the last two years that the RIS discount for Eugene should be terminated. He said the money Eugene will receive from Lane County can be used for road maintenance anywhere in the city. Public Works Director Christine Andersen said the level of road maintenance in the City will not change if the agreement is approved. Answering questions from Mr. Hansen and Ms. Ehrman, Ms. Andersen said approval of the agreement wi 11 mean that Eugene wi 11 own 1 oca 1 and collector streets that are within the City but are owned by Lane County now. The maintenance of those streets thi s year wi 11 cost about e $200,000. She emphasized that no arterial streets are being transferred in the financing agreement. She said a maintenance agreement with Lane County could stipulate that the City would maintain the local and arterial streets without taking ownership of them. She said the collector streets will be upgraded by assessments. The maintenance of the streets will be covered by the funds the Ci ty will receive from the County in the agreement. She said the City does some maintenance on the local streets now as a service to City residents who live on them. Answering questions from Mr. Hansen and Ms. Wooten about the condition of the streets to be transferred and the advantage to Lane County of transferring ownership of them, Ms. Andersen said most of the streets are not up to City standards now. The City will not upgrade most of the local streets to City standards until the residents request improvements. The co 11 ectors wi 11 be upgraded sooner. She said a minimum 1 eve 1 of maintenance is more important for the City than for the County because city residents live on the streets. Mr. Whitlow said the City maintains streets at a higher level than the County and spends more per mile to maintain streets than the County does. Replying to a question from Ms. Bascom, Ms. Andersen said the financing agreement does not affect the new State road improvement program. She said a State study indicates that City and County roads are not maintained as well as State roads. e 'MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28, 1986 Page 2 , Answering other questions from Mr. Hansen and Ms. Wooten, Ms. Andersen said about 5.5 miles of the streets the City will take over are e collectors. Goodpasture Island Road is not in the agreement. Mr. Whitlow said the estimate of $100,000 for maintaining Alton Baker Park was made about two years ago. He said the maintenance the City has done recently in the park is limited to mowing the lawn and picking up garbage. He said $100,000 would maintain the park at the same level as other City parks. Answering questions, Mr. Carlson said land use and building activity between the city limits and the Urban Growth Boundary is expected to increase about 10 to 15 percent. The $60,000 in the agreement for building services is about half of the estimated cost to the City of providing the building services for that area. About $60,000 in fees will be charged for the services and will help finance the services. Mr. Whitlow emphasized that it is hard to be exact now about the costs. Ms. Andersen added that the City will enforce its Sign Code in the area between the city limits and the Urban Growth Boundary. Existing signs will be "grandfathered." Answering other questions from Ms. Wooten, Mr. Carson said the cost of providing land use services between the city limits and the Urban Growth Boundary was estimated to be about $50,000. He said the restrictions on development in that area imposed by the Metro Plan will continue and so the level of development probably will not increase. Responding to a question from Mayor Obie, Mr. Carlson said the financing agreement is for three years. He reviewed the conditions for cancelling it and said the City would retain ownership of the local and co 11 ector e streets if the agreement is cancelled. Answering questions from Mr. Hansen, Mr. Whitlow said the results of this agreement probably could be accomplished by separate agreements for each service but separate agreements would be cumbersome. It would be necessary for the County to finance the services. He said the proposed agreement does not transfer ownership of Alton Baker Park. Ms. Ehrman was concerned about the cost of maintaining and policing Alton Baker Park. Ms. Schue, who is on the USPC, responded that the transfer of urban services is intended to be permanent. The City will maintain the Cuthbert Amphitheater as well as other parts of the park. She said Alton Baker Park is within the city and is very visible. Lane County cannot maintain or police it now. She said most of the park users are city residents. Mr. Whitlow added that the County and City would have jOint responsibility for capital improvements in the park. Ms. Bascom said the City spent about $33,000 annually for the last two years to maintain the park minimally. Mr. Hansen questioned whether $100,000 annually is enough to maintain Alton Baker Park at City standards. He said the City should not accept the park in its present condition. Most of the vegetation is dead. Ms. Bascom and Ms. Schue did not agree with him about the present condition of e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28, 1986 Page 3 the park. Mr. Whitlow said ownership of the park is not transferred in the agreement. e Ms. Wooten said she is not convinced that the financing agreement is advantageous for the City. She said the services are not worthy of the exchange. Mr. Whitlow responded that the City will provide services it logically should provide if the agreement is approved. He said the issue has been discussed for many years. Replying to a question from Mr. Rutant Ms. Bascom said she likes the IIdealll because it solves serious problems. Ms. Wooten said the City seems to be giving more than it is getting in the agreement. Mr. Hansen said the City seems to be buying streets that have a tremendous liability. He said City policy has been that the City will not accept ownership of streets unless they are constructed to City standards. He also has reservations about the maintenance of Alton Baker Park and he does not favor the method of trading funds in the agreement. Mayor Obie said lithe City may have the streets long after the money runs out." Mr. Miller said a golf course or a driving range have been proposed for Alton Baker Park and they would provide revenue which should pay for the maintenance of the park. He saidt howevert that the financing agreement indicates Lane County would receive the revenue. Ms. Schue said Eugene has agreed not to hinder the construction of a golf course in Alton Baker Park but City representatives have stated that Lane e County must construct the golf course. She said the financing agreement indicates the City will maintain all 360 acres of the park. Answering questions from Mr. Millert Ms. Andersen said the City will maintain the local and collector streets in the agreement minimally until they are improved to City standards. She said Lane County wi 11 not resurface any streets within the city limits. The IIminimalll maintenance by the City will be more than the streets would receive from Lane County. Mr. Whitlow said staff needs to know about council concerns with the agreement. He said additional information about Alton Baker Park will be provided before the council acts on the agreement. Ms. Wooten asked for additional information about maintenance of Alton Baker Parkt how much the City has contributed to the Cuthbert Amphitheater t whether the Ci ty coul d recover that money t and if the amphitheater could be excluded from the agreement. She also would like to know how long existing signs would be IIgrandfathered.1I Ms. Ehrman said she would like additional information about anticipated costs for wateringt mowing, and restroom clean up at Alton Baker Park. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28 t 1986 Page 4 Answering a question from Ms. Wooten, Mr. Rutan said he has some concerns about the agreement and they were brought up by other councilors. e Mayor Obie said several councilors wanted additional information about the cost of services the City will provide. He asked for justification of the termination of the RIS discount. Ms. Wooten and Ms. Ehrman said the council should hold a public hearing on the financing agreement. Mr. Hansen said information about the agreement needs to be publicized. II. REPORT ON LANE COUNTY JAIL SITUATION Mr. Whitlow introduced Larry Salmony, Coordinator of Justice Services for Lane County. He distributed copies of a report consisting of chapters titled Current Operation of System, Current Corrections Options, Custody Referee/Pre-Trial Release, Short Term Impact of the Federal Court Order, Projected Need for Corrections Resources, Program Constraints/Possibilities, Mental Health Resources, and A Suggested Approach and Some Final Thoughts/Concerns. He said the statistics in the report are for the period prior to the March 26 Federal Court Order to close the old jail. He revi ewed each of the chapters and answered questions from the councilors. Discussing the Current Operation of the System, Mr. Salmony said the processing time for Lane County courts is good. Improving it would not relieve pressure on the jail. He said the criminal charges filed by the e District Attorney's offi ce are substantiated. He discussed the percentage of people sentenced to j ail or pri son and the 1 ength of sentences. He said 80 percent of the people facing criminal charges need public assistance for their defense. Answering questions, Mr. Salmony said Lane County has more people sentenced to 90-360 days in jail than the national average. Discussing Current Corrections Options, Mr. Salmony said Lane County probation officers now have an average of 100 cases. He said the Weekender Program may be eliminated. Answering questions, Mr. Salmony said 50 to 60 cases would be a good load for probation officers. The loads for Lane County probation officers will be reduced to 70 in the next month. He said lower case loads mean a probation officer gives more personal care to each person. He sa id probation supervision is less expensive than residential supervision. He said some of the community based corrections programs were being planned before the Federal Court Order. He said the people in the Community Corrections Center either have jobs or obtain them within three weeks. Mayor Obi e asked for more information how the soci ety benefi ts if probation officers have fewer cases. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28, 1986 Page 5 \ , Discussing the Short Term Impact of the Federal Court Order, Mr. Salmony said 334 people were released in the group release program between March - 26 and July 10. Twenty-six of those were waiting for a Eugene Municipal Court tri a 1 and 23 had been sentenced by Municipal Court. He said 108 people were refused admittance to the jail before trial and 14 who were sentenced were refused admittance. He discussed typical people who were released or refused admittance and said many people are arrested repeatedly. Answering questions, Mr. Salmony said some people arrested repeatedly are not he 1 ped by a sentence to a maximum security jail. They need a different treatment. Discussing the Projected Need for Corrections Resources, Mr. Salmony said about 400 corrections beds will be needed in Lane County between now and the year 2000. He said about 240 dormitory beds and about 160 single cell beds will be needed. The existing jail has about 163 single cells. Answering questions, Mr. Salmony said Lane County now has about 250 beds in the jail and the Community Corrections Center. Consequently, the County will need about 150 more beds. Discussing the Program Constraints/Possibilities, Mr. Salmony reviewed the cost of additional spaces. Answering questions, Mr. Salmony said the existing jail was well designed for the addition of single cells. It probably would not be wise to add dormitories to it. Dormitories could be constructed less expensively beside the existing jail. He said the Community Corrections Center works e well. It has a capacity of 30 people who pay from $6.50 to $9.50 a day. Discussing Mental Health Resources, Mr. Salmony said more than 3,000 people were treated in Lane County alcohol treatment facilities, 270 people were treated in Lane County drug abuse facilities, and more than 2,000 mentally and emotionally disturbed people were treated in Lane County programs last year. He said most of them have low incomes and only 10th or 11th grade educations. He said the Mental Health Emergency Unit was opened and closed twice last year. He said there is no Lane County residential drug treatment facility. There are 28 beds for alcohol abuse treatment. Di scussi ng A Suggested Approach and Some Fi na 1 Thought/Concerns, Mr. Salmony said he expects a recommendation to increase the facilities with 60 jail and dormitory beds, 80 work camp beds, and 30 Community Corrections Center beds and to reopen the Mental Health Emergency Unit and to add four detox beds and a 24-bed substance abuse and outpatient facility. He said most people sentenced in Municipal Court woul d be sentenced to the Community Corrections Center. Answering questions, Mr. Salmony said a few people sentenced to the jail mi ght be moved to the Mental Health Emergency Uni t for a few days. Probably only three or four people at a time would be in the unit which e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28, 1986 Page 6 /' / I . probably will have 16 to 18 beds. The other people in the unit would have voluntarily committed themselves. He said the State corrections and e mental health facil it i es cannot admit any more people. There is no indication that additional State facilities will be built. He said Lane County receives $4.5 million every two years for corrections services. Ms. Ehrman asked the staff to provide information the next time the council discusses the jail situation about how much the City has saved from the budget because of the March 26 Federal Order. Mayor Obie adjourned the meeting at 7:20 p.m. Re~~ ?/ -, ~ ~ Mic eal Gleason City Manager (Recorded by Betty Lou Rarick) mncc0728 e _.- MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28, 1986 Page 7