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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/21/1987 Meeting M I NUT E S e Eugene City Council Quarterly Process Session Treehouse Restaurant--1769 Franklin Boulevard September 21, 1987 5:30 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Brian Obie; Ruth Bascom, Roger Rutan, Cynthia Wooten, Jeff Miller, Debra Ehrman, Emily Schue, Freeman Holmer, councilors; City Manager Micheal Gleason; Assistant City Manager Dave Whitlow; Cathy Freedman, City Manager's Office; Jim Boyd, Don Bishoff, The Register-Guard. ABSENT: Councilor Rob Bennett. 1. INTRODUCTION Mayor Obie opened the process .session. The mayor and counci lors shared vacation experiences. Ms. Ehrman reported that she recently had helped to host the visiting delegation from Eugene's sister city of Kakegawa, Japan. She said the visit had gone well, and the group had attended the County Fair and taken a raft trip e on the McKenzie River. Ms. Ehrman said Kakegawa had sent 28 members, and Eugene planned to send five visitors, including Planning Director Susan Brody and herself. She said the Kakegawa delegation would present a debriefing of the trip on Wednesday. A videotape had been made of the Eugene visit and would be presented as a gift when Eugene representatives visit Kakegawa in October, Ms. Ehrman added. Ms. Ehrman reported that she had attended the Mayor's Art Show last week, and she commented on the good attendance and the quality of the entries, including the winning oil painting. Mr. Holmer discussed his involvement with the National Council on Public Works. He said a split was developing on the council between people who were engaged in the municipal bond business and those with experience in State government. He said issues included tax reform legislation and municipal bonds and whether the report should take a general or specific approach to infrastructure. The Mayor and several councilors said they had enjoyed the recent rodeo. They added that the event seemed to have been quieter, and no complaints had been received from residents along Willamette Street. Mayor Obie reported that he had held several meetings with representatives of State industry, transportation, and economic development departments, and he was optimistic about future activities in those areas. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 1 II. DISCUSSION e A. Airport Traffic Ms. Ehrman expressed concerns about traffic tickets being given out at the airport. She said the new parking lot was too far away from the terminal to allow loading, and tickets were being given to cars parked in front of the terminal for loading. She said she thought the tickets were poor public relations for arriving visitors, and she suggested temporarily substituting warnings or construction notices. Mr. Gleason and Mr. Rutan agreed to pursue the matter. Mayor Obie complimented the positive comments from the driver of the City van at the airport but said the design of the van made it difficult to use. Mr. Whitlow said that van had been rented and would be replaced with a design intended for airport use. Mr. Gleason added that the short-term parking lot now was open. B. Trees/Beautification Ms. Bascom reported on the publication of a Community and Urban Foresty Guide featuring scenes of the Eugene area. She added that the guide to the area had been inspired by the Tree Commission. Ms. Ehrman reported that sidewalk and tree improvements to the Fifth Avenue area almost were completed. Ms. Bascom praised the flowers along Franklin Boulevard. Responding to Mayor Obie1s i n qui ry , Ms. Bascom said cert ifi cates of appreciation for beautification efforts were available. Ms. Freedman agreed to check on T- e shirts. Ms. Bascom reported that in response to efforts of the Business Assistance Team, merchants in the vicinity had met and had agreed to make improvements to Broadway Street between Pearl and High streets. She said Bob Fenstermacher and the City Pride committee had contributed to those efforts. Ms. Bascom sa i d an attempt had been made to separate the beautification program from the tree program. She said staff now was reviewing a budget outlook and trying to work within the existing budget. Ms. Wooten said Oakland, Cal ifornia, had deve loped an aggressive urban forestry program over the last 10 years. Ms. Bascom added that California provided many examples of good programs. Ms. Bascom said she thought the trees recently planted along Willamette Street had made a great deal of difference. She noted that a couple of the trees had been knocked down and said she hoped they would be replaced. Ms. Bascom said replacements for the trees removed during construction along 6th and 7th Avenues were the responsibility of the City. She said those trees this year now were surviving better than they had last year. Mr. Holmer said some of the woonerfs in the West University neighborhood were not in good shape, and he asked whether they could be planted with trees. He added that he had discussed the issue with the neighborhood organization. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 2 Mayor Obie said he had met with Planning staff and had requested recommendations for beautification projects using gas tax revenues. He said e the recommendation would be sent to the Joi nt Parks and Beautification committees. C. Economic Development Mr. Rutan said the Council Committee on Economic Diversification (CCED) was grappling with a future economic development plan, holding lots of meetings and forums and reviewing suggestions from staff. Ms. Bascom said she preferred "special events," rather than the term "destination point activities." Mr. Rutan said SWPIC now was located in the Schaefer Building and continued to be a strong, well-managed regional organization. D. Legislative Subcommittee Mr. Rutan reported that he was enjoying his term on the Legislative Subcommittee and he thought it had contributed to many exciting accomplishments. E. Hayward Field Mr. Rutan said he was busy working on the Hayward Field project, which he would discuss at a future council meeting. e F. Permit and Information Center Mr. Rutan said he had received several calls over the summer about building permits. He said tremendous progress had occurred in the Permit and Information Center, and staff was competent and responsive. He noted the need for continued attention to address the construction demand. G. Future Council Process Mr. Rutan suggested that the City Council.s consideration of the Nuclear Free Zone Task Force report first include a discussion of process and then time to be spent developing consensus. Mr. Rutan said he also hoped to discuss process for a decision about reopening Willamette Street. He added that he favored a "win-win" situation representative of the entire community, Mr. Rutan requested an update on Riverfront Research Park process, particularly regarding commitments by the Carley group and by governments. C. Economic Development Ms. Wooten said CCED had held lengthy discussion about a new direction and the role of citizen involvement in economic development. She said staff e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 3 recommendations were to be considered, and a draft plan and roundtable forum were being developed to involve more people as community partners. She said e the organization differed from past plans, and recommendations were intended to be specifically project-oriented. Ms. Wooten said the Citizen Involvement Committee was doing well under the leadership of Chair Ken Tollenaar. She noted that one topic before the committee was the appropriate amount of citizen involvement in joint public/private partnerships, such as those for development projects. The committee was discussing ways to improve quality of citizen involvement and perhaps to reduce quantity, she added. H. Nuclear Free Zone Task Force Ms. Wooten said she was sorry Councilor Bennett was not present to discuss the Nuclear Free Zone Task Force, which recently had held two meetings. She said she had worked quite hard on a compromise between proponents of the original ordinance and those who would like to see the ordinance substantially revised, adding that it had gone well until about the last hour of the meeting. She said Chair Gerry Gaydos had done an admirable job. Ms. Wooten said the task force had agreed on 80 or 85 percent of the ordinance. She added that the task force would hold a public forum on two recommendations concerning the scope of the ordinance and would submit those recommendations and comments to the City Council. Ms. Wooten said she thought the City Council process should recognize the complex, technical nature of the issue and she was unsure about the desired e level of discussion. She said she and Mr. Bennett caul d descri be the compromise proposal, adding that she agreed with scheduling the item for an evening or a long work session. She suggested that she and Mr. Bennett meet with staff about process. Mayor Obie agreed. Responding to Ms. Bascom and Mayor Obie, Ms. Wooten said a public vote or a recommendation from a council subcommittee were possibilities that also could be di scussed. She noted that five task force subcommittees had worked on the reports and said she hoped the council could agree on a compromise. She added that the task force had not made a recommendation about ballot referral. Mr. Holmer asked whether the task force had agreed on City Council appointment of the Nuclear Free Zone Board. Ms. Wooten said that although concern still existed among some of the community about the issue, a majority of the task force had voted in favor of an appointed board. Mr. Holmer said he wanted to implement what the voters had passed, and he thought council appointment would go against that intent. Ms. Bascom said she disagreed) because most of the task force had made the recommendation. Mr. Holmer asked whether the task force had agreed to qualifications for board membership. Ms. Wooten said agreement had been reached, but it had not been complete. She said recommended qualifications had been taken from Chapter 3 of the code for City organizations and from the enforcement provisions of the ordinance. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 4 1. Willamette Street e Ms. Wooten requested an update of the current staff proposal for Willamette Street. She said information on overlays also was needed. Mr. Gleason said the first presentation on that item was scheduled for a two-hour work session on September 30. He said staff would respond to questions, and empirical evidence would be presented in response to council requests. J. Community Development Committee Mr. Miller said he had enjoyed serving on the Legislative Subcommittee. He also reported that the Community Development Committee and the Community Development Block Grant program were working in very creative ways. He said members were aware that funds might be short-lived, and they were working on proposals for the best use of funds. Mr. Miller said one current project was a loan program for target groups, such as minorities, and he said information about that project soon would be sent to the City Council. Mr. Miller said another concern expressed by the CDC involved access for persons with disabilities at the new airport facilities. He said the committee wanted to prevent a repeat of the lack of access in the play area of the recent Broadway improvement project. Mr. Rutan agreed to raise the issue at the Airport Commission. He said he thought the issue had been addressed, but he also would have plans reviewed by the Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. e Ms. Bascom asked whether every development was required to be accessible to persons with disabilities. Ms. Schue said children's strollers were another concern, and the area did not allow access to lower levels, which were safer. Mr. Miller said a ramp on the Broadway play area would not be expensive. He said he saw a need for listening and rechecking to ensure access for all residents. Mr. Holmer said the National Council on Public Works had found that low-cost alternatives would allow access and he thought they should be sought, Mr. Miller added that Eugene was more accessible than many other communities, but simple projects should not be overlooked. K. Human Rights Mr. Miller said he thought the council should discuss examining human rights commissions to ensure that funds are well-spent. Mr. Holmer said he encouraged City and Lane County staff to work to address human rights problems jointly. Mr. Miller said representatives of Lane County were willing to participate in joint solutions, but the county did not have any funds available. Ms. Wooten requested that the item be placed on the agenda because she had received many calls about staff activities regarding a proposal for consolidation of commissions. Mayor Obi e sa i d staff was exploring joint efforts with the county. Ms. Wooten said she thought the commissions were e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 5 progressing and accomplishing workplans. She said she thought council interviews helped the council to stay in touch with the commissions. She said e she wanted the council to consider further staff preparation for consolidation of commissions. Ms. Wooten said she was concerned about an organization that would cause competition for funds between human rights and economic development lobbying efforts. Mr. Gleason said administrative service cuts in the organization were not intended as recommendations for cuts in human rights programs. He said he had held discussions with the County administrator and the school superintendent about changes in State law. He said the City's FTE and resource commitment to human rights was the same as it had been for the past four years, and it was intended to continue unless changed by the City Council. He said five commissions required more staff support than they now were receiving. Mr. Gleason said he wanted to increase the commissions' capacity for work, which he proposed to do through realistic dialogue among the City Council, the human rights commissions, and Lane County. He said, for example, that State law regarding youth had changed and that the County soon would assume responsibility for juvenile programs. He said he thought a commission was needed to deal effectively with $10 to $12 million in State, Federal, and local commitments to issues of youth at-risk. Ms. Bascom noted that human rights commissioners at the jOint meeting with the council had expressed recognition that the shift of human rights programs from the City Manager's Office to Intergovernmental Relations had not been negative. Mr. Gleason said metropolitan coordination was needed among courts, Skipworth Juvenile Center, job training, police, the school district, etc. He also said many seniors' programs were available in the area, and he thought metropolitan e coordination would make the existing programs more effective. He said City human rights staff then could address other issues, involving women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. He added that no recommendation would be made for radical changes to those commissions. Ms. Ehrman said she thought metropolitan coordination would offer a greater range of applicants for commissions. Mr. Miller said he saw a need for coordination and resources. Mr. Holmer said he was surprised and disappointed to have read about the human rights issue through a staff statement in the newspaper rather than having it brought to the attention of the City Council. Ms. Wooten agreed, and Mr. Gleason said he had been surprised as well. Mr. Miller asked whether the City Council was willing to address funding. Ms. Bascom said she thought a better process should be examined to prevent staff frustration and burnout. Mr. Rutan asked about the level of community invovlement and interest in serving on commissions. Ms. Wooten said some commissions were more effective than others, but resource and staff constraints also may have limited their effectiveness. She asked how a metro-wide program would be paid for without grants for more intensive sta ffi ng. She said she was concerned about e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 6 maintaining the integrity and importance of human rights commissions, and she wanted them to keep in touch with their constituents, but she thought funds e were needed. Ms. Bascom said she thought ample services for seniors were available from L- COG. Ms. Schue said changes in State law would allow additional funds. She also noted that the former county citizens advisory group and the City parks department provided seniors' programs that were separate from the City Commission on the Rights of the Aging. She suggested that staff work on reorganization or other ideas. Mayor Obie suggested putting the item on a future council agenda. Mr. Gleason said he was willing to ask the human rights commissions to consider whether metro-wide programs would be more effective for dealing with issues of youth, particularly those at-risk, and of seniors. He said the rest of the commissions then could be refocused, using existing resources. Mr. Holmer suggested that a representative of each commission and a council representative examine the entire City human rights program and develop a recommendation. He said he was not comfortable making conclusions now. Ms. Ehrman said she thought the issue should be looked into, but no decisions had been made. Ms. Wooten said she understood that staff was encouraging the commissions to develop a single point of view for a City Council recommendation when one view was not sufficient, and that was resulting in commissioners feeling frustrated and thwarted. e Mr. Miller suggested a better method of sharing information. Councilors agreed to pursue Mr. Holmer's suggestion and arrange a meeting of the Human Rights Presidents Council and interested councilors. Mr. Miller, Ms. Wooten, Ms. Bascom, and Mr. Holmer volunteered for the meeting. L. LRAPA Ms. Ehrman sa i d the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority recently had received a report of a Federal program that had gone into effect this summer, prohibiting field burning on weekends and intended to prevent smoke pollution in National Parks. She said the program would be evaluated this fall and winter, but appeared to be well-run and strongly supported. M. Libra ry Ms. Ehrman said the Future of Our Library Committee recently had held two public forums for information and feedback and would meet again this week. Mr. Miller asked whether the committee had discussed a proposal for branch library facilities, in addition to a central 1 i bra ry . Ms. Ehrman said the committee had examined that idea. She said the report from the committee would inform the public that branches had been examined and would explain the e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 7 reasons they had been rejected for the immediate future. She said committee members had felt that an expanded central facility would be needed even if e branches eventually were built. She said parking would be addressed at the meeting this Thursday, and staff was examining the issue of the required number of spaces for areas with book stacks. Ms. Ehrman said many comments had been received through testimony and feedback forms. She said the item was expected to come before the council in January, when two site options would be emphasized. Ms. Ehrman said branches still could be incorporated into the system later, but a central location had received heavy weight in the criteria used for site rankings. Mayor Obie asked whether the committee had examined funding. Ms. Ehrman said the committee had looked at several fundi ng sources, including foundation grants. She said the committee was aware of the issue and intended to present recommended options for a City Council decision. Mr. Rutan expressed concern about the costs of the project. Ms. Ehrman said the library survey had shown support for a property tax increase up to a certain point. She also said some committee members were concerned about the library being tied to parking for the downtown area. Mr. Miller said he would like to know the cost alternatives of satellite facil ities. Ms. Ehrman said storefront libraries had been considered, but branches would not divert use from the central 1 i bra ry . Mr. Gleason said branches woul d increase the demand and staffing required for a central facility, while not replacing it. Ms. Ehrman noted that the recent reduction e in library hours had resulted in increased use. Ms. Schue said branches also might result in a division of resources, unless they were duplicated for each branch. Ms. Bascom added that a main library was needed to drive the whole system, but it was not adequate now. Ms. Ehrman said the committee was taking the time necessary to reach a good decision. N. Joint Social Services Committee Ms. Ehrman reported that the Joint Social Services Committee was preparing its allocations for the year. O. Press Relations Ms. Ehrman expressed concern about the impression given in a recent Register- Guard article concerning Willamette Street. Ms. Schue said she had not been upset by the article. Mayor Obie said a recent article about the airport bond issue had mentioned an election that had not been discussed at the meeting. Mr. Rutan asked whether the City would pay for a representative to Kakegawa. Ms. Ehrman said the City would pay for her trip as president of the City Counci 1. Mr. Rutan said he supported City payment for costs of its delegate. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 8 Ms. Wooten said she thought a recent newspaper ad for the trip had made inappropriate use of a councilor's name for commercial purposes. Mayor Obie e suggested that the next Request For Proposal include guidelines to prevent such use. Ms. Ehrman said she would leave on October 2, and she added that the majority of events for this year1s sister city program had been privately hosted and funded. Mr. Holmer asked about the item on relations with Hungary. Ms. Ehrman said she was aware of no issues but would raise the item at the Sister City Committee. L. LRAPA Ms. Schue reported that LRAPA recently had changed Federal standards on fine particulates. She said Eugene did not meet the new standards, and an LRAPA Citizen Advisory Committee now was studying the issue, with a report due in January or February. Ms. Schue said the committee had taken a tour of sand and gravel operations and would examine more efforts. Ms. Wooten asked about voluntary guidelines for woodstoves. Ms. Schue said those would be used for another year. P. Cable Ms. Schue said the Metropolitan Policy Committee would be assuming the duties of the Cable Commission, and this might conflict with the Council Subcommittee on cable issues. e Ms. Wooten said she thought the Council Subcommittee had been disbanded and their issues had been given to MPC. She said councilors had discussed a request that staff work with representatives of the MPC and the Springfield Utility Board on recommendations and a feasibility study. Mr. Gleason said Administrative Services Manager Gary Long had reported the request to MPC. Ms. Schue noted a request from a new low-power local television station to be added to a cable channel. Q. Intergovernmental Relations Ms. Schue reported that Ms. Bascom would be attending a tour for the League of Oregon Cities. Ms. Schue said the Mayor of Coburg, who chairs the Lane Economic Committee, had been supportive of the Riverfront Research Park as the first round in the Governor1s economi c deve 1 opment program, but sma 11 cities were concerned about their role in the second and later rounds of the program. She said she saw a need to be sensitive to the concerns, although they might be directed more at the State. Mayor Obie said representatives of economic development departments from around the state had accepted an invitation to visit the area in mid-November, and he suggested arranging a meeting of mayors. Mr. Gleason agreed to follow-up on the meeting. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 9 Ms. Schue said she would appreciate hearing comments about the League of Oregon Cities legislative efforts. She suggested that efforts mi ght be e reorganized to respond to an issue that had arisen regarding the number of small cities versus population. Responding to Ms. Wooten's question, Ms. Schue said Portland was disorganized and was not regularly active in the organization, although it was represented on the executive committee. She said City staff assisted her with the league locally, but they did not attend meetings. She added that staff members were represented on the executive committee. Mayor Obie said he encouraged staff help with that group. R. Budget Committee Mr. Holmer said he was disappointed that Mike Hartwig would be resigning as chair of the Budget Committee. He asked councilors for suggestions of ways to show their appreciation for his work. S. HPORTT Mr. Holmer noted that a week from Thursday would be the first anniversary of the formation of the Historic Preservation Ordinance Task Team (HPORTT). He said the group had developed an ordinance that was three times the length of the previous one. He said he thought progress was being made in the area of delegating administrative rules to a commission or board, but it would be several more months before the group's work was complete. Mr. Rutan asked about cost. Mr. Holmer said he did not know the figures, but the group met about every three weeks and worked with a consultant from Portland. It T. Computer Access for Councilors Mr. Holmer said he recently had requested a report from the National Public Works Council and, using a computer modem in Intergovernmental Relations, had received the report in 20 minutes. He said the report was on disk and had cost the price of a phone call. He noted that a recent newspaper article had mentioned that computer access was available for school board members. Mr. Holmer said he had discussed with staff the possibility of computer modem connections for City Councilors. Mr. Ho 1 mer comp 1 i mented the quality of personnel in the Information Services Division. He said councilors could give thoughts and suggestions to him for exploration, and he would report later on possibilities if they existed. Ms. Wooten said she thought the idea could be very useful. She asked how the council might deal with objections that might be raised, such as non-public communication among councilors. Mr. Holmer said he understood the need for security of certain information and also that a majority of the council or committees were not to meet without adequate public notice. Ms. Bascom said she had found that she did not want modem access, but she would be interested in his report. Mr. Holmer said he wanted to make sure the use would occur often enough to make it feasible and desirable. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 10 ------ Mr. Miller said using computers at council meetings could result in savings for paper and de 1 i very. e U. Voters Pamphlet Mr. Holmer asked for ideas or questions about the proposal for a voters pamphlet. Ms. Bascom said she favored experimenting with a trial pamphlet before making the item an ongoing project. Mr. Miller said the proposal could be continued unless there were some reason to reject it. Respondi ng to a question from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. Holmer said a five-person committee was intended to be appointed for each measure. He said the fifth position, to be appointed by the other members, had been added to ensure impartiality. He said a similar process was used by the State. He requested that the item be scheduled for a future council agenda. Ms. Ehrman said she agreed with Ms. Bascom. Mr. Holmer said he was willing to test the idea, but the ordinance could be written as if it would continue. Ms. Wooten said she had requested that the City Attorney review the City's initiative process and compare it to the State procedure for review of ballot titles to identify obvious problems prior to voter referral. She said the process was not related to the Nuclear Free Zone or intended to thwart the initiative process. Mr. Holmer said the City Council could adopt or refer measures that began as initiatives. Ms. Wooten said State ballot titles could be challenged in the court of appeals. Mr. Gleason said staff would report e back and put the item on the committee agenda. V. Eugene Day in Portland Mayor Obie suggested holding a Eugene Day in Portland. He sa i d the event would assist Portland residents who did not understood or recognize recent economic improvements in Eugene. He said he thought it would be worthwhile to put efforts toward education concerning business, economic development, and the University of Oregon. He proposed that the Business Assistance Team, the Metro Partnership, the press, and others do a "blitz" in Portland. Mr. Holmer said he wanted the efforts to have real impact. Mayor Obie said the effort should include several aspects, such as media, the finance community, housing, the university, and tourism. Mr. Holmer suggested meeting with the Portland City Council and including the Lane County Commissioners. Mr. Rutan said he liked the idea. Mr. Holmer said he thought councilors also should visit Beaverton. - MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 11 F. Permit and Information Center e Mayor Obie noted that City staff recently had accepted an invitation to visit San Antonio to explain solutions to permit problems. D. Legislative Subcommittee Ms. Bascom said the Legislative Subcommittee had not accomplished as much as it would have liked regarding annexation issues. She said she thought the impact of measures on River Road needed more explanation to the City Council. Ms. Schue added that the court recently had ruled on the issue of triple- majority annexations. N. Joint Social Services Committee Ms. Bascom said the Joint Social Services budget, two-thirds of which was provided by Eugene, was undergoing a change in process. B. Trees/Beautification Ms. Bascom said Parks Foundation mailings were resulting in savings. She also reported that a tree booth and tour woul d be offered duri ng the Eugene Celebration. Ms. Bascom said the Eugene Arts Foundation had funds available for use after the brick-selling campaign. Ms. Wooten said she, too, was interested in the Riverfront Research Park and e in annexation. Mr. Miller requested that staff respond to the issue of priorities in the budget process. Mr. Gleason said computer weighting would be done this week. W. Conduct at Council Meetings Mr. Miller said he wanted to clarify the issue of conduct at council meetings. He said enforcement of regulations was up to the chair, not staff , and arrangements for dealing with problems should be made ahead of time. Mr. Gleason said staff had discussed the issue and usually tried to coordinate act ions wi th the Mayor or chair. He said staff had agreed to proceed differently in the future. Mr. Miller added that meetings could be terminated if disruptive activity occurred. X. Council Goals Session Ms. Ehrman said she thought it was important that all councilors attend the goal-setting session. Mayor Obie said he had met with the facilitator, who would interview councilors individually. He asked that Ms. Wooten and Mr. Rutan work together on a way to celebrate this year's achievements. Ms. Freedman said the tentative location for the session was McMorran house at the University of Oregon. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 12 Ms. Wooten said she had been dissatisfied with the goals session in the past because of the way economi c deve 1 opment had determi ned the ranking of e priorities, while other areas were being short-changed. She asked how to proceed. Mayor Obie said he favored no predetermined process. He suggested considering short-term projects. Ms. Wooten suggested discussing short-and long-term goals. Mayor Obie said he had been frustrated with past concentration on funding issues. Ms. Schue said she felt that issues last year had been addressed halfway and then left. She said she hoped the session would be more practical and should not spend too much time on personal issues. Ms. Bascom said she thought it had been critical to identify the airport as the No.1 priority. Mr. Miller suggested focusing on accomplishing one issue at a time. Mr. Rutan said the Strategic Economic Development Plan would contain specific recommendations. Mr. Rutan suggested discussing goals right away on Saturday morning. He added that he thought a consensus was needed for budget decisions. Mr. Holmer said he would like to try a future session without a facilitator e who was outside the elected council structure. Mr. Miller suggested using the facilitator as an outside observer to be called upon if needed. He said he would be uncomfortable without that resource. Ms. Bascom said she had not been satisfied with the process tried last year. She asked about the role of budget discussions. Mayor Obie said he thought the issue of funding should be dealt with, but it should not permeate the whole meeting. He also said he agreed with Mr. Rutan about developing process to deal with those issues. Ms. Wooten suggested giving the facilitator direction about the outcome that was hoped for, such as priorities, values and vision, and process, as well as specific issues and single topics. Mayor Obie said the facilitator would contact councilors three weeks prior to the goal session. Ms. Wooten suggested discussing issues and values on Friday and Saturday and closure and ranking on Sunday. Mr. Rutan said he thought a good facilitator should participate but should not be noticed during the meeting. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 13 Ms. Wooten said she thought the council first needed to agree on goals. e Mr. Miller said a $2 million shortfall was expected, and he suggested ranking priorities and goals to address funding dilemmas. He said funds from user fees had been exhausted, and the only options remaining were to raise revenue or to eliminate projects. He suggested focusing on agreement, not on pet projects. Ms. Bascom said she thought the library should be considered as the first priority issue. Mr. Mi 11 er said he was uncomfortable about the cost expected for fire redeployment. Ms. Wooten said she favored discussing both short-term or annual service priorities and long-term visions for the community. She said she did not think goals could be driven totally by fiscal issues. Mr. Holmer said he thought the Administrative Spending Authority process was resulting in problems. He said he favored forbidding the City Manager from violating the budget passed by the City Council. Ms. Wooten said the financial forecast was intended to restate desired service levels and priorities. Mr. Miller suggested limiting growth. Ms. Wooten suggested revisiting the financial management policies and trendlines for service levels prior to the goal session. Mayor Obie said he favored such action after the goal session. He said adjustments then could be made, and councilors could be asked how to deal with financial issues. e Mr. Miller suggested having Mr. Gleason share perceptions and ways policies were to be applied. He said he wanted to know the impacts of Administrative Spending Authority decisions. Ms. Schue said she was not ready to use cuts to address the shortfall, and she suggested more work on ways to raise revenue. Ms. Ehrman said she was receiving duplicates of some documents, and she asked about the purge system used for items such as weekly agendas. Mr. Holmer suggested that department mailings might be sent in packets when convenient. Ms. Wooten said she appreciated and wanted to continue receiving information from the Development department. She commented on the amount of information in Planning Commission packets and added that she found the information from the Downtown Commission very helpful. Mr. Miller and Ms. Ehrman agreed to develop a way to celebrate this year's accomplishments at the League of Oregon Cities dinner. Ms. Freedman said information about the conference would be sent in November. Responding to Mr. Holmer's question, Ms. Freedman said the City Council work plan was updated quarterly and was used for process sessions and by City executives. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 14 The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m. e ~ (Recorded by Leslie Scales) mncc0921 e - MINUTES--Eugene City Council Process Session September 21, 1987 Page 15