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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/13/1986 Meeting (2) M I NUT E S - Eugene City Council City Council Chamber October 13, 1986 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Richard Hansen, Emily Schue, Cynthia Wooten, Freeman Holmer, Roger Rutan, Jeff Miller. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Debra Ehrman. The regular meeting of the City Council of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by His Honor Mayor Brian B. Obie. I. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Obie said the Public Forum is an opportunity for people to express opinions and provide information to the council about issues which are not scheduled for council consideration. He said the council will not respond immediately to the concerns. Steve Adey, 1375 Bailey Avenue, said the Eugene Bike Master Plan indiGates e that the North Bank Bike Path will extend from the Delta Ponds to the Beltline Bridge. However, a new Planned United Development (PUD) is being constructed where the bi ke path is planned along the Will amette Ri ver. He said the developers and residents should know the bike path will be constructed there so that residents do not get used to having the river as their front yard. Mr. Adey said the Willamette Greenway Study Committee recommended about two years ago that a setback for the North Bank Bike Path be required in new developments, that the City survey and site the bike path so that developers know where it will be, and that the bike path be constructed in PUDs as they are developed and then connected later. He urged the council to do something to ensure that the bike path can be constructed in the future. Mayor Obie asked City Manager Micheal Gleason to report to the council later about the bike path. II. PUBLIC HEARING: ENTRANCE BEAUTIFICATION STUDY City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced the item. Pat Decker of the Planning Department gave the staff report. She reviewed the staff response to questions raised at the council's work session on April 8, 1986. Ms. Decker said the term IIpreferred corridors" can be deleted from the study, a code amendment can be used instead of the site review suffix to obtain landscaping e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 13, 1986 Page 1 in new development along the entrance corridors, and the description of Highway 99 North can be changed. She said the council will have to decide e whether to use the term IIdowntownll or "ci ty center. II She also discussed more recognition of the Ferry Street bridge, signs directing visitors to the city, and incentives for the private sector to provide landscaping and buffering along the entrance corri dors. She sa i d the implementation of policies concerning signs will have to be negotiated with the State Highway Division. Mayor Obie opened the public hearing. Anne Bennett, 979 Ferry Lane, represented the Downtown Commission. She said the Downtown Commission supports the goals and policies in the Entrance Beautification Study. She said the Downtown Commissioners recommended that the term "downtown" be used on any signs directing visitors to the center of the city. She said the community uses the term "downtown" and its use provides consistency. For example, there are the Downtown Commission, the Downtown Rotary Club, and the Eugene Downtown Association. She said the term IIdowntown" is used nationally. Steve Adey, 1375 Bailey, thanked Ms. Bascom for her work on the Entrance Beautification Study. Referring to the City's lack of funds, he suggested the council require property owners along entrance corridors to beautify their front yards. He suggested improvements be required to upgrade the property whenever a City permit is requested. Harold Chapman, 51 Chapman Drive, discussed traffic loads on Beltline Road between Delta Highway and River Road. He suggested the City work with other jurisdictions to get the Beltline Bridge and Beltline Road between Delta e Highway and River Road widened. He said he supports the proposal in the River Road/Santa Clara Public Facilities Plan for an expressway on the west side of the Willamette River that will connect with Beltline Road west of the bridge. He said, however, that the ramp from River Avenue should be closed or some other solution found. Mr. Chapman said residents have been working to save the fir trees on River Road on the west side of River Road south of Park Avenue. He said the Eugene Parks Department owns the property. He discussed plans of the Lane County Public Works Department to construct soccer fields in the area and suggested the City testify before the Lane County Commissioners about the value of the fir trees to beautification efforts. He also di scussed the Northwest Expressway and said it should be landscaped. Wes Stofford, 4494 Cascade Drive, said North Bend has a beautiful entrance from the north. He said people entering Eugene from the north see an unattractive junk yard as they come over the Southern Pacific Railroad overpass. He hoped something can be done about it. There being no additional requests to testify, Mayor Obie closed the public hearing. Ms. Bascom discussed a dictionary definition of IIdowntown." She also said IIdowntown" is interchanged with the term "centra 1 ci ty" ; n the Nat i ona 1 League e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 13, 1986 Page 2 of Cities Newsletter. She said "civic center" refers to governmental areas. She sa i d she prefers the term "downtown. II e Mr. Miller said the staff responses to issues raised at the work session on October 8 address the issues well. He sa i d he probably wi 11 support the study. He agreed with Mr. Chapman's statements about the traffic on Beltline Road and the need to mitigate the congestion. He said he hopes the junk yard can be made more attractive. Mr. Hansen said he is concerned about the suggestion that property owners should pay for beautification. He said he supports having a beautiful city but it may not be fair to ask owners of property on the entrance corridors to pay for beautification. He suggested the study be implemented slowly. Referri ng to the suggestion that a code amendment be used to obtain beautification along entrance corridors, Ms. Bascom said elaborate procedures should not be devised because they will require more staff than will be available. She said the private sector supports the beautification program. Mr. Holmer said there will be some money available from funds other than the General Fund for entrance beautification. He said he concurs with Mr. Adey's statements. Mayor Obie said funds wi i 1 be needed if the resul ts of the entrance beautification program are to be seen within the next few years. He asked the staff to suggest funding mechanisms the next time the council considers the study. e III. PUBLIC HEARING: EUGENE CODE CHAPTER 8 REVISIONS (CITY'S ADDITION OF STATE BUILDING CODES) City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced consideration of revisions to Chapter 8 of the Eugene Code. Larry Reed, Manager of the Building Safety Division, gave the staff report. He said the State adopted the latest edition of the Uniform Building Code and the City needs to adopt the same code to enforce it at the local level. He said the Oregon Attorney General has directed cities not to make substantive changes in the State code. He discussed the plans for Eugene to administer planning and building services for Lane County in the area between the city limits and the urban growth boundary and said the proposed revisions are needed before the transition takes place. Answering a question from Mr. Holmer, Mr. Reed said the Home Builders Association of Lane County, American Federation of Labor, and the Congress of Industrial Organizations support adoption of the revisions. Mayor Obie opened the public hearing. There being no requests to testify, Mayor Obie closed the public hearing. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 13, 1986 Page 3 CB 2911--An ordinance concerning the location, construction, maintenance, repair, alteration, use, and occupancy e of land and buildings and other structures; amending Sections 8.001, 8.003, 8.004, 8.005, 8.010, 8.015, 8.075, 8.495, 8.555, 8.579, 8.895, 8.905, 8.950, and 8.990; adding Sections, 8.020, 8.050, 8.980, and 8.985; deleting Sections 8.135,8.556,8.557,8.580, 8.900, and 8.910 of the Eugene Code, 1971; and declaring an emergency. Mr. Hansen moved, seconded by Ms. Ehrman, that the bill be read the seocond time by council bill number only, with unanimous consent of the council, and that enactment be considered at this time. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 7:0. Council Bill 2911 was read the second time by council bill number only. Mr. Hansen moved, seconded by Ms. Ehrman, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote; all councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed (and became Ordinance No. 19413). IV. PUBLIC HEARING AND FIRST READING: PNB FRANCHISE AGREEMENT City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced the item. Susan Smernoff of the Fi nance Di vi s ion gave the staff report. She said the City and Pacific - Northwest Bell (PNB) representatives have negotiated a franchise agreement. They have also agreed that the agreement will be retroactive to September 25, 1986. She said City and PNB representatives will work cooperatively on the content of PNB billing statements and on inquiries from citizens about the billing. Bruce Hall, 272 Country Club Road, sa i d he i s PNB manager for Commun i ty Affairs. He said the franchise agreement will result in a statement on PNB bills about a 2 percent "effective City tax/fee." He said customers will receive the notification in November if the council approves the agreement. At that time, a two-month City tax/fee will be on customer bills. Mayor Obie opened the public hearing. There being no requests to testify, Mayor Obie closed the public hearing. Ms. Schue said she hoped the City tax/fee will not be printed in red on the bi 11 s. Replying to a question from Mr. Holmer, City Attorney Tim Sercombe said a court would issue a declaratory judgment if the City and PNB cannot agree on procedures for arbitration. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 13, 1986 Page 4 Answering questions from Ms. Wooten, Ms. Smernoff said the City will receive about $1 million annually from PNB. Mr. Gleason added that the new agreement e will result in the City receiving about $400,000 more than in the past. Mr. Hansen said he will support the motion. He said it would be prudent to indicate that the franchise agreement results in a tax. Ms. Wooten agreed with Mr. Hansen. She said information about the public hearing when the council has a second reading on the ordinance should be widely distributed. She said it is important that people understand that the franchise agreement will result in increased costs for PNB customers. Mayor Obie thanked City and PNB representatives for working out the agreement. He said PNB has been a good citizen of the community. CB 2890--An ordinance granting to Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company the non-exclusive privilege to use the public way to construct and maintain public communication facilities within the City of Eugene; and declaring an emergency. Mr. Hansen moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, that the bill be read by council bill number only, and that the City Council adopt first reading of the ordinance at this time. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 7:0. e v. ORDINANCES AMENDING SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS City Manager Micheal Gleason said the special assessments for the improvement projects are reduced from the pre-assessments. CB 2912--An ordinance concerning assessments for sanitary sewers in Country Club Road from Willagillespie Road to 200 feet east; and sanitary sewers 200 feet east of Willagillespie Road from 400 feet north of Country Road to Country Club Road; amending Ordinance No. 19260; and declaring an emergency. CB 2913--An ordinance concerning assessments for paving and sanitary sewers in Alfaretta Drive from Rio Glen to 700 feet east; amending Ordinance No. 19350; and declaring an emergency. Mr. Hansen moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, that the bills be read the second time by council bill numbers only, with unanimous consent of the council, and that enactment be considered at this time. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 7:0. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 13, 1986 Page 5 Council Bills 2912 and 2913 were read the second time by council bill numbers only. e Mr. Hansen moved, seconded by Ms.Schue, that the bills be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote; all councilors present voting aye, the bills were declared passed (and became Ordinance No. 19414 (CB 2912) and No. 19415 (CB 2913)). VI. WORK SESSION: URBAN SERVICE TRANSITION ROADS CONCEPT PAPER Mayor Obie said a councilor had asked to have the work session postponed. City Manager Micheal Gleason responded that Ms. Schue and Mr. Rutan will have to represent the council on the Urban Services Policies Committee (USPC) before another work session can be scheduled. Ms. Schue said she will represent the City at a press conference concerning the urban transition soon. She said she needs to know the opinions of other councilors. Terry Smith of the Public Works Department briefly reviewed the concept paper. He said it was tentatively approved by the USPC. He said the paper indicates a theoretical framework for the transition of road services. When the US PC finally approves the transition, an implementation document will be presented to the council for approval. He said the concept paper is based on policies in the Metro Plan and the urban services resolution which state that the cities will provide urban services and that a rational method of providing urban e services within the urban growth boundary will be developed. Mr. Smith discussed the multi-jurisdictional servi ce deli very system that exists now in the cities. He sa i d the concept paper seeks to reduce duplication in the delivery of urban services by reduci ng the number of jurisdictions providing urban services. He said the staff discussed refining the status quo, a Multnomah County model, a regional road network, and a combination model. The staff recommended approval of the combination model to the USPC. He said a multi-jurisdictional policy body probably would be created if the combination model is approved. Answering questions from Mr. Hansen, Mr. Smith said River Road is now a Lane County road. If the combination model is approved, Lane County will maintain River Road at a rural level and the City will supplement the maintenance to bring the street up to an urban level after River Road is annexed to the city. It would also be true of Goodpasture Island Road if it is included in the regional road network. Goodpasture Island Road is designed to a rural standard now. Referri ng to page 13 of the concept paper, Mr. Holmer asked about the statement that the amount for Eugene's anticipated revenues cannot be sustained beyond FY87 without additional revenue sources. Mr. Smith responded that the statement indicates the loss of Federal Revenue Sharing Funds. He said the final agreement will probably shift some reponsibility to Lane County e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 13, 1986 Page 6 for maintaining roads within the urban growth boundary and within the city limits. He said Lane County now spends between $400,000 and $500,000 on about e 160 miles of County roads within the urban growth boundary. The proposed regional road network would probably be composed of collectors and arterials that would total less than 65 miles but which would be comparatively expensive to maintain. Therefore, Lane County might spend $500,000 to $800,000 on those roads. He said Lane County spends $300,000 to $400,000 on overlaying roads within the urban growth boundary and that cost will probably increase if the combination model is approved. Mr. Gleason said Lane County is not maintaining roads within the urban area now. He said the Lane County road system, in his opinion, is a B+ to A system and the urban street system is a D system. He said the concept paper indicates that significant roads should be maintained at an equal level. Answering questions from Mr. Hansen, Mr. Smith said Lane County has funds to maintain County roads in the city at a B level. The concept paper indicates that a policy should be established that defines Lane County1s long-term responsibility for maintaining roads in the regional network at a rural level. The regional network will contain roads both in the county and the city. The City will be responsible for upgrading those roads to urban levels. Approval of that policy will mean that Lane County will have to spend more funds in the future on roads within the urban growth boundary than it will spend if the policy is not approved. Answering other questions from Mr. Hansen, Mr. Smith said the City probably will actually maintain the streets within the city limits and Lane County will pay for maintenance to a rura 1 1 eve 1 . He said approval of the policy .will e result in a change in the TransPlan to indicate that Lane County should construct and expand roads in the regional network. However, there will not be a big change in TransPlan until projects such as the Ferry Street Bridge are better defined. Mr. Mill er sa i d Lane County will probably continue to withdraw from road maintenance within the city if the proposed agreement is not approved. If the agreement is approved, Lane County will probably maintain regional roads in the ci ty at a rural 1 eve 1 . Answering his questions, Mr. Smi th sa i d Lane County road funds transferred to the City would have to be spent on regional roads. Mayor Obi e suggested the counci lors indicate any di sagreement wi th the proposed agreement. Mr. Hansen said he has reservations about the agreement because it seems the City will assume responsibility for more roads and streets than it maintains now. He said River Road and Goodpasture Island Road will need improvement and the agreement seems to indicate that would be the City's responsibility. Ms. Wooten said she shares Mr. Hansen's concern. She said she is not sure of the "equal" balance. She said it seems the City would assume an eternal burden. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 13, 1986 Page 7 Mr. Gleason discussed the transition agreement the council approved several months ago which involved a shift in responsibility for certain roads within -- the urban growth boundary. He said the agreement before the council now indicates that Lane County will assume responsibility for maintaining roads within the urban area at a level equal to the 1 eve 1 at whi ch Lane County maintains rural roads. He said Lane County is not maintaining the roads at that level now. He said the road system inside the city will be better maintained than it is now if the agreement is approved. He said Lane County officials have focused on the rural area at the expense of the urban area. The agreement indicates that roads within the city are used by county residents and Lane County should maintain them at the same level it maintains roads outside the City. Ms. Bascom said she is pleased with the agreement because it indicates progress. Mr. Holmer said the document is a good outline. He suggested the councilors review the final document. Mayor Obie said he favors approval of the agreement. Mayor Obie adjourned the meeting at 8:45 p.m. ~~~ A~ Micheal Gleason e City Manager (Recorded by Betty Lou Rarick) mnccoc13 ~ MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 13, 1986 Page 8