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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/25/1989 Meeting e e e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall January 25, 1989 11:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Ruth Bascom, Rob Bennett, Shawn Boles, Debra Ehrman, Freeman Holmer, Roger Rutan, Emily Schue. The adjourned meeting of January 23, 1989, of the Eugene City Council was called to order by Mayor Jeff Miller. I. ITEMS FROM THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY MANAGER A. Gun Control Legislation Mr. Holmer said he received a call from a constituent who would like the City to become involved in gun control. While he did not think the City could successfully institute a gun control ordinance, he felt the City could take a position on State legislation. Mr. Holmer encouraged the Legislative Subcommittee to discuss the issue. Mr. Rutan and Ms. Schue agreed to bring this issue to the attention of the subcommittee. B. Surplus Real Property Mr. Holmer asked whether the Social Goals Committee has considered using the property the City has acquired through a Community Development Block Grant loan to meet some of its housing goals. Mr. Bennett said he had not thought of this, but would look at the issue. C. Solar Ordinance Mr. Bennett received a constituent call from a resident on Cherry Drive whose development is being impeded by the solar ordinance. This constituent would like to build a carport with a roof of similar slope to his house, but this does not comply with the solar ordinance. Mr. Bennett said in this case, it is very clear that what is being protected by the ordinance (the neighbor's garage) is not in need of protection. He said this is not the purpose of the ordinance and felt the ordinance should be reconsidered. Mayor Miller said the intent of the ordinance is partially to protect a future development at that site. Mr. Bennett felt it was unlikely that the use of the property would change in the future. Mayor Miller suggested that Mr. Bennett raise this issue again when the council reviews the ordinance. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 25, 1989 Page 1 e D. Maurie Jacobs Memorial Ms. Bascom announced the first fund-raising effort for the Maurie Jacobs Memorial. She said she was startled to find that the careful design process conducted in conjunction with the neighborhood group did not leave everyone satisfied. Ms. Bascom added that the design review committee knows they are to work closely with the neighborhood and said she hopes to see a continued effort to please as many people as possible. Mr. Boles felt the deep concern among the neighbors resulted from the perception that the memorial is of larger scale than had been agreed upon. Ms. Bascom felt there was a misconception by some about the project size. E. Council Computer Use Mr. Boles expressed interest in borrowing a computer from the City and listed several areas in which he felt a computer would be of use to him and other interested councilors. He suggested that the council review the benefits after he has been on the system for a while. Ms. Ehrman and Ms. Schue were unsure of the costs and benefits associated with widespread borrowing of computers by councilors, but neither were adverse to letting Mr. Boles experiment with one. e Mr. Holmer felt the main benefit to councilors of being linked to the City computer system is communication. He shared other councilors. concerns that if this were to become a council policy, it would be too expensive. Mr. Holmer was also concerned about the attitude of the media and the public about the council's ability to communicate privately via computer. He was willing for the City to loan Mr. Boles a computer and Mr. Rutan a modem, but stressed that the City should not get into the habit of providing computers to councilors. F. Multiple Choice Referendums Mr. Boles asked whether the council can place multiple-choice referendums on the ballot. He said several constituents have expressed concern that they would have preferred to be given alternatives with regard to the library. City Attorney Tim Sercombe said this was one of the key issues litigated in Eugene v. Roberts. It was the City's contention that under home rule authority, the City could use comparative choice on an advisory ballot. The result of this case indicated that it is within the City's home rule authority to have comparative choices, but only if the election is conducted completely by the City, without using County processes. Mr. Sercombe said the City did not prevail because it wanted to use the County Clerk. Mr. Boles asked if the City could purchase election services from another governmental agency. Mr. Sercombe felt this is a possibility, although the City would probably encounter resistance from the County Clerk and the State in doing so. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 25, 1989 Page 2 e G. City Council Assignments Mr. Holmer said he would like to continue serving on the Downtown Development District Review Group, which is nearing completion. The council agreed to give him this assignment. Ms. Bascom noted that the Lane Council of Governments alternate position had been left off the list of assignments; she volunteered to fill this position until the new councilor is appointed. II. STATUS REPORT FROM SOCIAL GOALS COMMITTEE ON HOUSING TARGETS Mr. Bennett said the materials provided to the council indicate the Social Goals Committee's areas of concentration for housing to July 1990. The committee members are seeking council feedback on this preliminary list of targets and actions. The committee will return to the council at a later time with more specific details on priorities within target areas, possible projects, and potential revenue sources. Also enclosed for council information is the background information the committee used to arrive at selected targets. Mr. Bennett felt the goals were realistic and said the committee hopes to see a good combined effort by the City, County, and private sector to accomplish them. e In response to a question by Ms. Ehrman, County Administrator Jim Johnson said the renovation of the Family Shelter House has been reviewed by a number of people. Preliminary analysis indicates that it would be somewhat less expensive to renovate the shelter than to rebuild. The Housing Authority will probably request financial assistance from the City to help with rehabilitation of the shelter. In response to a question from Mr. Holmer, Mr. Gleason said the City's Housing Assistance Plan designates the County as the City's Housing Authority. The City Council contracts with the County for these services. Answering a question from Mr. Boles, Mr. Johnson said the Lane County Board of Commissioners recently met to discuss the formation of a task force to generate a comprehensive housing assistance program, and to determine a financing mechanism for the program. Mr. Johnson felt this task force would provide a good means of communication between the jurisdictions on housing issues. Mr. Boles stressed the need to include the University in housing discussions because of its large impact on low- and moderate-income housing in the community. He felt the University needs to recognize and act on its responsibility to provide housing in the community. Mr. Farkas said an ongoing task force made up of representatives from the University, Sacred Heart, the City, Lane County, and Springfield has been convened. This task force will examine the resources available to provide housing for low- and e MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 25, 1989 Page 3 / e moderate-income households in the larger university area. Each of these organizations has committed a staff person to the task force. Mr. Bennett said that while traditionally the Federal government has played a role in providing low- and moderate-income housing) this involvement has been almost completely withdrawn; local governments are being forced to playa larger role. In setting its targets, the committee has tried to consider what factors must coincide for the community to experience a net housing gain of units affordable to those who can afford to pay no more than $200 per month. The committee has looked at free or reduced cost land) tax credits for investing in housing projects) property tax exemptions) below market interest rate financing) and public financing. Mr. Bennett stressed that the committee's analysis indicates that the Section 8 program cannot be duplicated even if all these factors were to combine. He felt this demonstrates not only the difficulties of the task) but also the need to develop additional financial support from the community. e Mr. Boles agreed with Mr. Bennett that there has been neglect of housing issues over the past eight years. He noted that local governments have increasing responsibilities as the result of Federal policies) but have not been granted additional resources to meet these obligations. Mr. Rutan did not feel he had seen any good) thorough information defining the homeless population and the extent of housing needs in the community. He asked if more precise information is available. Mr. Johnson said thorough records on this type of information were not being kept until November 1988. Since that time, a central waiting list for homeless families has been formed and there has been a concerted effort to collect more accurate information on the scope of the homeless problem. He said he would provide this information to the council. Mr. Holmer felt there are two distinct housing problems in the community. The first is emergency housing) which the community has made a recent effort to address. The second is non-emergency, low-cost housing. He felt the Social Goals Committee should look at providing financial assistance to low-income families to ensure that they can afford to pay reasonable rental rates. Mayor Miller commended the Social Goals Committee on its work to date and asked that the council be kept apprised of the committee's work as it proceeds. III. 1989 WORLD VETERANS' CHAMPIONSHIPS Parks and Recreation Director Ernie Drapela introduced the item. He said the council and the community have worked very hard on economic development goals and on leveraging special events toward meeting some of those goals. The World Veterans' Championships provide a fine example of how these two efforts will converge and enrich the community. Mr. Drapela introduced Tom Jordan and Barbara Kousky who gave a progress report relative to the event. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 25) 1989 Page 4 e Mr. Jordan said Eugene will host the World Veteransl Championships, July 27 through August 6, 1989, under the auspices of the Oregon Track Club. The event is expected to attract an estimated 6,000 participants and 10,000 to 12,000 spectators from more than 52 countries and pump more than $10 million into the Eugene/Springfield economy. Mr. Jordan said virtually every track and field event ever known is open to men 40 years of age and over and women 35 years of age and older. It has been estimated that 419 separate competitions will be required to cover all heats for all age groups of both sexes. While Hayward Field will be the primary venue, it is anticipated that use of both Silke Field in Springfield and the field at Lane Community College will be needed to meet the demand of the competition. Three off-venue events (a marathon, road run, and road walk) will make use of the area's streets and bike paths, as well. Ms. Kousky said based on entries received thus far, the projection of 5,000 to 6,000 competitors and 10,000 visitors total during the event appear accurate. University housing and local hotels/motels will be used to house the visitors; the University has reserved approximately 2,800 beds and 2,500 local hotel/motel rooms have been reserved. In the first week of January, $70,000 in deposits were mailed to local hotels/motels. In May, these businesses will be paid for 40 percent of the total stay, and within 30 days of the event, they will be paid in full. e Mr. Jordan said the organizing committee is doing a number of things to promote the event and the area to the rest of the world. Among the promotional tools being used are articles in various magazines, update advertisements in The Register-Guard, and possible national television coverage. Ms. Kousky said the organlzlng committee wants the visitors to see the area. To this end, there will be daily coach tours throughout the state. These tours will take visitors to the beach, the mountains, Wildlife Safari, local wineries, and other attractions. In addition, Ms. Kousky reviewed a number of local events that will provide entertainment for the visitors. She said the organizing committee is also preparing t-shirts, souvenirs, apparel, and artwork for sale to help fund the event. Mr. Jordan discussed financing for the event. Over $75,000 has come from a trust fund established by National Masters to be used by the first US city to be awarded the championships. There has been good sponsorship from the private sector as well, most of which is in-kind funding. The organizing committee has been working with the City to make a proposal to the Governor for funds from his Strategic Reserve Fund. Mr. Jordan said the committee is looking for additional funding from sponsors--several proposals are still under consideration. Any additional funding will enable the City to produce a better championship and position the community to attract similar events in the future. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 25, 1989 Page 5 e e e Mr. Holmer suggested that Eugene1s sister cities all be notified of the event. Mr. Boles asked if multi-lingual maps would be provided for the event. Mr. Jordan did not think a map would be feasible within the funding available, but said there are plans to produce multi-lingual signs for areas which will be heavily used. Mayor Miller adjourned the meeting of the Eugene City Council and convened the meeting of the Eugene Renewal Agency at 1:15 p.m. IV. LIBRARY MIXED-USE PROJECT Mr. Gleason introduced the item. He said staff is requesting the Eugene Renewal Agency to authorize the expenses (up to $100,000) for development of the library. Mr. Farkas said staff is continuing to negotiate with the Pankow Development Company. There are nine key points to the agreement; staff anticipates bringing the document to council as soon as it is finished. The points generally involve identifying the desired scope of the project as well as the minimum scope of the project. Mr. Farkas said there will be minimal design work on the library portion of the development until the March vote is taken; key library staff persons have been meeting with the company to give basic development input. Mr. Boles requested that the council and public be made aware of any radical changes in costs of the project. Ms. Bascom moved, seconded by Mr. Rutan, to allow Pankow Development Company, Ltd., to proceed with the design of the building that includes a 106,000 square foot public library component. In the event that the project is constructed with a commercial component instead of the library as a result of the March 28 election, the Renewal Agency will reimburse Pankow for reasonable design expenses up to $100,000. The motion passed unanimously, 7:0. The meeting was adjourned at 1:26 p.m. Resp~ctfully submitted, c Micheal Gleason City Manager (Recorded by Tanya Northman) MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 25, 1989 Page 6