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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/08/1986 Meeting M I NUT E S e Eugene City Council Eugene City Hall--McNutt Room October 8, 1986 Noon COUNCILORS PRESENT: Richard Hansen (noon-1:00 p.m.), Debra Ehrman, Emily Schue, Freeman Holmer, Ruth Bascom, Roger Rutan (noon- 1:00 p.m.), Jeff Miller. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Cynthia Wooten. The adjourned meeting of the City Council of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by Counci 1 President Richard Hansen in the absence of Mayor Brian B. Obie. I. ITEMS FROM THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY MANAGER A. L-COG Banquet Ms. Schue suggested the councilors attend the L-COG Banquet on October 17, 1986. e B. Eugene Celebration Mr. Holmer said he enjoyed the Eugene Celebration this year. He rode on the Cal Young float and it gave him an opportunity to learn about community involvement. He said he would like the council to discuss ways of involving more of the community in the Celebration. He said the parade is a fine event but he worried about the message sent to children by the float that appeared to be a marijuana plant. He said he is not sure how the council can address the issue, but he would like to discuss it at the Council Goals Session. He sa i d he has asked the City Manager for a comprehensive review of City financial support for the Celebration. Later in the meeting, Ms. Ehrman said the Celebration Steering Committee will meet October 29 to assess the event. She has asked that the rodeo be included in the evaluation. B. City Contracts With Non-Profit Organizations Mr. Holmer said he asked the City Manager to provide him copies of all the contracts the City has with non-profit organizations. He said the $10,000 expenditure the council approved for the renovation of Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, sponsorship of the Lane Regional Arts Council, and a suggested contribution to an endowment for the State and Local Legal Center e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Octo be r 8, 1986 Page 1 probably all involve contracts. Because of the suggested change in financing of the State and Local Legal Center, he has asked the Ci ty Manager for a 1 i st e of organizations to which the City belongs. Answering a question from Ms. Schue, Mr. Holmer said he did not request copies of contracts with non-profit social service agencies that receive funds from the City. C. Cyc 1 e L ink Ms. Bascom distributed copies of "Cycle Link" which is published in Eugene. She said the publication contains excellent information about bi cyc 1 e activities. She suggested the City obtain a $2 annual subscription to the publication. D. City Pride Award Ms. Bascom said councilors received a list of businesses that received awards for their participation in Project City Pride this summer. E. Springfield Reception For John Lively Ms. Ehrman said she, Ms. Schue, and Mr. Hansen attended the Springfield reception to honor John Lively. She suggested the counci 1 express its appreciation of Mr. Lively's contributions to the community in writing. Mr. Hansen said he affirmed Eugene's appreciation of Mr. Lively's contribution at the reception. e F. Expansion of Mahlon Sweet Airport Mr. Rutan said the Airport Subcommittee will reconvene soon to discuss the financing of the Mahlon Sweet Airport expansion. H. Budget Process Mr. Rutan said Kim Short and Gary Pape', Budget Committee members, have requested a discussion of the budget process. Consequently, they and Mr. Rutan will meet with Mr. Gleason and Assistant City Manager Dave Whitlow. G. Council Goals Session Mr. Rutan said he would like to have the November Council Goals Session turned over to the councilors sooner than it has been in the past. Answering a question from Mr. Hansen, Mr. Gleason said the council usually has dinner Friday evening and discusses processes for the session. On Saturday, the councilors discuss all the topics on the list. He said the plans are to have Lyle Sumek, who facilitated the session last year, do so again this year. Mr. Holmer said the facilitator might keep the councilors from getting to a substantive discussion. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 8, 1986 Page 2 Ms. Bascom said Rob Bennett will be the only new councilor this year and the facil Hator should understand that the group can begin the important e discussions quickly. Mr. Rutan said he agreed with Mr. Holmer and Ms. Bascom. Ms. Bascom added that the last two year's sessions have been excellent but she would 1 i ke to change the format this year. She sa i d the group and interpersonal analyses have been completed. Mr. Hansen said a leader for the discussions is helpful but last year's facilitator did not permit the councilors to get to the substantive issues soon enough. Mr. Gleason suggested that a "recorder and pacer" (perhaps, John O'Connor) might be more helpful than a facilitator. He said the goal format that was used last year was different from the one used previously and he thought it was better. Mr. Rutan suggested the councilors go through most of the process that was done Saturday morning last year (ranking goals) in the weeks before the session this year. The councilors could finish the process discussion and discuss a couple of other things Friday night. He would like to be discussing goals by 9:30 Saturday morning. Answering a question from Ms. Schue, Mr. Rutan said he meant councilors should list, and perhaps rank, their goals before the session. Mr. Gleason said the staff gains much information by hearing the councilors discuss the initial list of about 40 goals. He suggested Mr. Sumek be hired and that he spend some time with Mr. Rutan and other councilors before, the - session. Mr. Hansen cautioned against following too many of Mr. Rutan's suggestions because other councilors might not support them. He suggested that Mr. Sumek be told that some councilors thought time was wasted last year. He said Mr. Sumek seemed to think councilors were mad at each other and that is not true. Ms. Bascom agreed with Mr. Hansen. Mr. Holmer said he is not sure a facilitator is needed but a facilitator may be practical. He suggested the facilitator act as a presiding officer and help the council reach conclusions. Mr. Hansen said some other councilors seemed to agree with Mr. Holmer. Summarizing, Mr. Gleason said Mr. Sumek wi 11 facilitate the session which should be more streamlined than last year's and which should allow councilors to get into substantive discussions quickly. Mr. Gleason said Mr. Sumek should not interject himself into the discussions and the staff should discuss the session with several councilors beforehand. II. STATE BALLOT MEASURES 9, 11, AND 12 City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced consideration of Ballot Measures 9, 11, and 12. He said Kathy Field of the Finance Division was available to provide information to the councilors. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 8, 1986 Page 3 Answering a question from Ms. Ehrman, Ms. Field said passage of Measure 11 would not have a direct fiscal impact on the City. However, passage of e Measure 11 would shift the tax structure from property taxes to income taxes and would shift the tax burden from home owners to business owners. Ms. Ehrman said she will not oppose Measure 11 because she is not sure it will harm the City. At her request, the councilors agreed to consider the measures separately. Res. No. 4006--A resolution opposing Ballot Measure 9. Ms. Ehrman moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, to adopt the resolution opposing Ballot Measure 9. Ms. Bascom said Measures 9, 11, and 12 indicate there are problems in the present system but she does not think the solutions in the measures would improve the tax system. Mr. Holmer said passage of Measure 9 would create grave problems for the City and he would like to warn the voters. Mr. Mi 11 er said passage of Measure 9 would alter the financing of the government. The motion carried unanimously, 7:0. Res. No. 4007--A resolution opposing Ballot Measure 11. e Ms. Ehrman moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, to adopt the resolution opposing Ballot Measure 11. Mr. Holmer said shifting the tax burden to the business community would have an indirect negative effect on the City and is justification for opposing the measure. Ms. Schue said the result of shifting the tax burden to the income tax would depend on the State Legislature and the actions of the voters on Measure 12. She said approval of Measure 12 probably will create problems for the State government and the City will not benefit from that. Ms. Ehrman said a shift in the tax structure from property taxes to income taxes woul d result in emp 1 oyed peop 1 e payi n9 most of the taxes. Now, unemployed people must pay property taxes. She favors letting the voters decide the issue. Mr. Miller said he, personally, is opposed to both Measures 9 and 11 but he is opposed to them for different reasons. He said he does not think the council should oppose Measure 11. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 8, 1986 Page 4 The motion carried 5:2 with Councilors Schue, Holmer, Bascom Rutan, and Hansen voting aye and Councilors Ehrman and Miller e voting nay. Res. No. 4009--A resolution opposing Ballot Measure 12. Ms. Ehrman moved, seconded, by Ms. Schue, to adopt the resolution opposing Ballot Measure 12. The motion carried 6:1 with Councilors Schue, Holmer, Bascom, Ehrman, Rutan, and Hansen voting aye and Councilor Miller voting nay. III. WORK SESSION: ENTRANCE BEAUTIFICATION STUDY City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced consideration of the Draft Entrance Beautification Study. Pat Decker of the Planning Department gave the staff report. Ms. Decker revi ewed the study and then reviewed the changes recommended by the Planning Commission and the staff. Answering a question from Ms. Bascom, Ms. Decker said Policy #7 in the draft study recommends that the site review suffix be applied to improvements along the entrance corridors and that the site review criteria address several things. She said the Planning Commission recommended that an amendment to the code be used instead of the site review suffix. The code amendment would take effect when properties are improved or developed and probably would apply only to landscaping and buffering. Ms. Brody added that a code amendment would affect more properties immediately than the site review suffix because new development along the corridors would be required to provide landscapi~g and e bufferi ng. Replying to questions from Mr. Holmer, Ms. Decker said the code amendment process probably would provide more certainty than the site review process but standards for landscaping and buffering would have to be developed for the code amendment process. The Planning Commission recommended that pedestrian and bi cycl e facil it i es shoul d be incorporated into improvements "wherever they are needed" instead of "where appropriate." Ms. Decker said access to busineses would be the criterion for "wherever they are needed.1I Ms. Bascom said she favors the phrase "where appropri ate. II Answering questions from Ms. Ehrman, Ms. Decker said the Development Department staff recommended the term "downtown" be used instead of "city center.1I The Downtown Commission and the Planning Commission agreed with the recommendation. She said several commissioners indicated it is difficult to know what is in a "city center" but a "downtown" is easily identified. They noted that efforts are being made to strengthen Eugene's downtown. She said peop 1 e i ndi cated duri ng the Communi ty Goals process that "city center" is somewhat obsolete and that "downtown" is a stronger term. She said replacing signs with the term "downtown" will not be expensive because signs have to be replaced periodically. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 8, 1986 Page 5 Replying to a question from Mr. Hansen, Ms. Decker said the Downtown Commission recommended that the term "mallll not be used to i dent ify the e downtown because people outside the community do not understand what the IImallll is. Ms. Ehrman said "downtownll seems to apply to a small town and she does not favor its use for Eugene. Mr. Hansen wondered about the purpose of signs and Ms. Decker responded that the purpose is to provide directions to hotels, office buildings, and some retail establishments. Ms. Bascom added that signs provide directions to entertainment in cultural centers. Mr. Hansen said IIcity centerll seems more sophisticated than IIdowntown" but there should be reasons for choosing whichever term is used. Mr. Holmer said he prefers "downtown.1I Ms. Decker said the change on page 5 of the staff notes concerning references in the study to Highway 99 North respond to concerns of Mr. Miller. The change clearly identifies Highway 99 as the entrance which is most in need of improvement. Mr. Miller said Highway 99 was not identified in the study as a "preferred route" but it needs improvement very much. He said he would like to change the term "preferred route" to IIprimary entrance corridor." Mr. Ho 1 mer agreed with Mr. Mill er and added that Coburg Road was not e identified in the study as an entrance corridor. He said many people enter the downtown on Coburg Road across the Ferry Street Bridge. Responding to his question, Ms. Decker said Interstate 5, Airport Road, and West 11th Avenue were identified as the main routes people use to enter the city. She said some routes are used mostly by residents. She discussed how the "preferred routesll in the study were chosen. Replying to a question from Ms. Schue, Ms. Decker said Franklin Boulevard was designated a IIpreferred routell in the study. Mr. Miller said there is a difference in beautifying the existing road system and identifying corridors which visitors should use. Ms. Decker said the goals in the study indicate both aims. Mr. Miller said he cannot support the "preferred route" term but he could support a document which identifies IIprimary routesll and includes Highway 99 North and the Ferry Street Bridge among them. He said Highway 99 North should be equal to other entrances to the city. He also said signs should indicate entrances to the business part of the ci ty. West 11th Avenue is such an entrance and needs beautification. Mr. Hansen left the meeting at 1:00 and Ms. Ehrman presided from then on. Ms. Schue said Highway 99 North is not the best route to Mahlon Sweet Airport. Mr. Miller said funding priorities will result from the study and it is important to identify Highway 99 North as a major entrance to the city which e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 8, 1986 Page 6 needs beaut i fi cat ion. He empha sized that the need to beautify corri dors should be separated in the study from the identification of attractive routes e for people to use. Ms. Decker responded that making Highway 99 North equal to Delta Highway, for example, implies that visitors should use Highway 99 which is not very beautiful now. She suggested "preferred routes" be changed to "through routes." Mr. Miller agreed with her suggestion if there are no funding priorities indicated. Mr. Holmer said all entrances to the city should be made more attractive. Ms. Decker said the Entrance Beautification Study was initiated in the economic diversification program to improve the image of the city and to make it easy for visitors to get around in the city. Ms. Schue suggested another word be used for "beautification." Mr. Miller suggested one color be used to identify all the major entrances to the city and another color be used to identify the through routes on the map in the study. Ms. Bascom said one-third of the improvement projects in the study are on Highway 99 North. Answering questions from Mr. Rutan, Ms. Decker said the Entrance Beautification Study is in the work program of the Planning Department and is financed from the department budget. She said landscaping can be included in State Highway Division projects such as the West Eugene Parkway. Mr. Gleason added that beautification probably could be included in improvements to Highway 99 North if the City could finance the designs for landscaping and e other beautification. Ms. Ehrman said the City must urge the State Highway Division to include beautification in its plans. Answering a question from Ms. Schue, Ms. Decker said the slick format of the study was chosen to increase citizen awareness of beautification. She said the format was not as expensive as it looks. Mr. Holmer said the format sends the wrong message. Replying to his question, Ms. Decker said there are no beautification projects in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). She said the council may want to develop an incentive program to encourage owners to include landscaping in their designs. Ms. Ehrman said the council will hold a public hearing on the study on Monday, October 13. IV. WORK SESSION: URBAN SERVICE TRANSITION ROADS CONCEPT PAPER City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced the item. Terry Smith of the Public Works Department gave the staff report. He reviewed the process for considering concept papers and said the Urban Service Transition Roads Concept Paper was tentatively approved by the Urban Services Policy Committee (USPC). e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 8, 1986 Page 7 The staff was directed to present the implications of the implementation of the paper to the USPC. Mr. Smith said the goal of the concept paper is to ~ develop a rational process for delivering services in the urban areas. In .., that process, the need for Lane County to serve residents in the urban area should be recognized and provisions should be made for the cities to provide services in the urban areas. He reviewed several ways to address the issue. Mr. Gleason said the present rural road system is much better than the present City road system because Lane County has not spent very much money on roads within the city. Mr. Holmer said he needs more information about the following statement on page 13 of the concept paper: The amount indicated for Eugene's anticipated revenues cannot be sustained beyond FY 87 without additional revenue sources. . . Ms. Ehrman adjourned the meeting about 1:30 p.m. RespectfUllY~' ~~" ~~. . ~, ~~~~ - icheal Glea n City Manager (Recorded by 8etty Lou Rarick) 4It mncc1008 4It MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 8, 1986 Page 8