HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/15/1982 Meeting
M I NUT E S
e Eugene City Council
City Council Chamber
December 15, 1982
11 :45 a.m.
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COUNCILORS PRESENT: John Ball, D. W. Hamel, Mark Lindberg, Brian Obie,
Emily Schue, Betty Smith, Cynthia Wooten.
COUNCILOR ABSENT: Gretchen Miller.
Adjourned meeting of the City Council of the City of Eugene, Oregon, was called
to order by His Honor Mayor Gus Keller.
I. ITEMS FROM MAYOR & COUNCIL, APPOINTMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AGENDA ADJUSTMENTS
A. Feeding of Pigeons on the Downtown Mall
Councilor Wooten said that she had received a number of calls from citizens,
particularly seniors, who were upset about signs that had recently been posted
on the mall in the Olive Street and Broadway area asking that people not feed
the pigeons. She asked staff to investigate the matter, determine who had put
up the signs and why, and report back to her. City Manager Micheal Gleason said
e staff would respond.
B. Councilor Hamel's Retirement from Service on the Council
Councilor Hamel said this would be his last council meeting after eight years of
service on the council. He thanked his constituents in Ward 5, the citizens of
Eugene, and his fellow councilors for their support during his term. Mayor
Keller thanked Mr. Hamel for his service and noted that Mr. Hamel would be
honored at future events for his service to the City.
C. Removal of Food Grills at Skinner Butte Park
Councilor Lindberg said he had been contacted by citizens who were concerned
with the recent removal of food grills from the picnic area at Skinner Butte
Park. He asked staff to investigate the matter and report back to him.
Mr. Gleason said staff would respond.
D. Appointments
1. Consideration of nominees to Vagrancy Task Force (memo distributed)
Councilor Lindberg thanked the council for its support of the formation of a
Vagrancy Task Force and presented a slate of nominees he and Mayor Keller
recommended for appointment to the task force.
- MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 1
Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, to appoint to the Vagrancy
Task Force Marie Fink, Anita Larson, Bill Uhlhorn, and Ernie
Unger, representing Human Serice Providers; Richard Skeie, Jon
- Stafford, and John Van Landingham, representing City boards and
commissions; Richard Guske, representing neighborhoods; and Mark
Lindberg, chairperson, representing the City Council. Roll call
vote; motion carried unanimously.
2. Consideration of Budget Committee appointments for Wards 2, 3, and 7
(memos distributed)
Mr. Lindberg moved, seconded by Mr. Ob ie, to appoi nt Alan Contreras,
735 East 22nd Avenue, to the Ward 3 position on the Budget Committee,
term to expire December 31, 1985. Roll call vote; motion carried
unanimously.
Ms. Wooten moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to reappoint Shawn Boles,
105 North Adams Street, to the Ward 7 position on the Budget
Committee, term to expire December 31, 1985. Roll call vote; motion
carried unanimously.
Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to appoint Akin Blitz, 2111
University Street, to the Ward 2 position on the Budget Committee,
term to expire December 31, 1985. Roll call vote; motion carried
unanimously.
3. Balloting for Planning Commission appointment
Council President Obie reported that balloting for the Planning Commission
e opening had resulted in a tie, with four votes for H. Thomas Andersen and four
votes for Peter Thompson. He said that the council had agreed in the case of a
repeat of a previous tie vote to ask Mayor Keller to interview both candidates
and break the tie. Mayor Keller said that staff would schedule the interviews
for the following week and that he would notify councilors of his decision
during the council's recess.
II. ROUTINE ITEMS FOR COUNCIL APPROVAL
A. Consideration of City Council minutes of: regular meetings
of November 10 and November 17; work session of November 15,
1982; special meeting of November 22, 1982 (minutes distributed)
Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, to approve City Council
minutes of November 10,15,17, and 22,1982. Roll call vote;
motion carried unanimously.
e MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 2
III. PUBLIC HEARING re: APPEAL OF CONSTRUCTION CODE BOARD OF APPEALS DECISION
REGARDING PROPERTY LOCATED AT 544 WEST 20TH AVENUE (Paul Farrar) (memo;
- additional information, including findings, distributed)
Mr. Gleason asked councilors in their consideration of this item to treat code
enforcement issues as a matter separate from the code interpretations issues
raised in the appeal. He reminded councilors that they had recently authorized
staff to work on changes in the Housing Code and possible integration of that
code with building inspection. He said the technical points of the appeal must
be resolved at the council hearing and recommended that the council confine its
deliberations to these technical points, since a recommendation on the code
issue would soon be coming before the council. Mr. Gleason introduced Larry
Reed, Assistant Superintendent of Building Inspection. Mr. Reed said he was
present on behalf of the administration of the Construction Code Board of
Appeals, of which he was Administrative Secretary.
Mr. Reed said that in response to a complaint from a tenant at 544 West 20th
Avenue, the Department of Housing and Community Conservation (HCC) had inspected
the dwelling at that address and had sent a notice to the owner, Paul Farrar, of
violations of code found during the inspection. He said that an administrative
hearing on the matter had been held through HCC. He said the second step in the
appeals process had involved a hearing before the Construction Code Board of
Appeals. Mr. Reed said that three of the points of the original inspection
report were still under appeal by the property owner and had been appealed to
the City Council. Mr. Reed said the the Eugene Housing Code was based on the
1973 edition of the Uniform Housing Code and provided for retroactive applica-
tion of standards to existing buildings. He said that the standards of the
Housing Code were generally lower than those for new construction.
e Regarding the appeal of Item 4 of the original inspection report, Mr. Reed said
staff believes that the point is moot. Staff felt the Construction Code Board
of Appeals was well within its authority in its decision, based on concerns
for safe and sanitary conditions, in its determination on this item. Mr. Reed
read the text of the board's determination from the staff report of October 12,
1982. He said that inspection of the dwelling subsequent to the board's hearing
showed that the kitchen drain in question was not a hazard. He said staff
therefore recommended that the council uphold the staff finding that the drain
was not a health hazard.
Regarding the appeal of Item 12 of the original inspection report, Mr. Reed said
the matter dealt with requirements for equal run and rise in stairs to prevent a
trip-and-fall hazard. He said that the Eugene Building Code has continuously
had these requirements (i.e., run and rise) since 1940 and that the stairs in
question were therefore not built to code standards. Mr. Reed said staff recom-
mended that the council follow the second option presented on page 10 of the
City of Eugene Fact Sheet (prepared Novembe~ 8, 1982), which had previously
been distributed to councilors. He said this action would allow the stairs
to remain as presently constructed if the owner installs and maintains an
additional code-complying handrail (one on each side of stairs).
e MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 3
Mr. Reed read from the October 12, 1982, report of the Construction Code Board
of Appeals regarding Item 14 of the original inspection report. He also read
from the minutes of the board's September 27,1982, hearing. He said that the
e matter had to deal with the 5111" door openings to upstairs bedrooms in the
dwelling. He said the board had ruled that the door height must be increased to
correspond with the ceiling height allowed under another appeal, Item 13.
He said under Item 13 the board had allowed continuance of a substandard ceiling
height. He said unfortunately the board and staff had not realized that there
was a built-in conflict between the adopted standard related to this item as
described in the lCBO Housing Code and that in the adopted City Code. Mr. Reed
said that in 1940 there was no standard door height requirement. He referred to
application of code requirements at the time of construction and said that since
there were none the doors at the time of construction conformed with applicable
law. He noted that the bedrooms, however, did not comform with ceiling height
requirements in the Eugene Building Code at the time of construction. Mr. Reed
said staff recommended that the council follow Option 1 presented on page 5 of
the November 8, 1982, fact sheet and refer the matter back to the Construction
Code Board of Appeals, based on the newly discovered facts.
Public hearing was opened. Mayor Keller noted that the procedure to be followed
for the hearing would include testimony by the appellants, those supporting the
appeal, those opposing the appeal, staff comments, and final comments from the
appellant.
Pat Vallerand, 767 Willamette Street, Suite 302, said she was representing
Mr. Farrar in his appeal and noted that this hearing represented the third step
in the appeal process. She said that because this was an appeal of contested
matter, the due process of constitutional law would apply, including the right
e of the appellant or his attorney to crossexamine witnesses. She concurred with
the City Manager's suggestion that discussion of the appeal be limited to the
facts related to this case and not to the larger code issues. She asked that
the record reflect that supplementary materials received by the council are a
part of the official record. She said her client would speak for himself, but
noted that she had worked with him on the legal points he would be making in his
testimony and believed these points were legally accurate.
Paul Farrar, 23348 South Central Point Road, Canby, Oregon 97013, referred to
the technical issues covered in a folder of materials which he had distributed
to councilors. He noted that material on the right side of the folder included
fact sheets with evidence related to his appeal and a proposed motion for
consideration by the council. He said material on the left side represented
evidence not included in materials previously provided to the council by staff.
Regarding the appeal on Item 4 of the HCC inspection report, Mr. Farrar said he
was in agreement with staff's remarks on the item and therefore asked the
council to dismiss the complaint.
e MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 4
Regarding Item 14, dealing with the heights of doorways to upstairs bedrooms,
Mr. Farrar presented photographs of the doorways and noted in reference to one
e photograph that the doorway was to an original bedroom, not a later conversion.
He noted that a previous owner, Jerome Kramer, had, in 1961, raised the roof of
the upstairs to expand bedroom area. Mr. Farrar felt that changing the heights
of the bedroom doorways would necessitate major construction. He said it was a
fact that the doorways complied with applicable laws governing doorway height at
the time of construction, since there were no applicable laws. Mr. Farrar noted
that City staff had concurred that there were no such applicable laws. Regarding
staff.s suggestion that the matter referred back to the Construction Code Board
of Appeals, Mr. Farrar said that this matter had already been drawn out long
enough. He said he had filed his appeal on October 15. He said that he had
received no rent on the dwelling since June 20, 1982. He said he had been
holding the dwelling vacant since receipt of the inspection report, since the
City insisted that life safety issues were involved in the matters cited in the
inspection report. Mr. Farrar asked that the council dismiss Item 14 due to
code considerations.
Regarding Item 12, dealing with variance in stair rise heights, Mr. Farrar said
he wished first to take issue with the facts in the complaint. He said that the
top rise was 4" and that all other rises were 7-1/2", not 8" as stated in the
HCC complaint report. Mr. Farrar said that the basis cited in the report for
this item was Section 8.305(12) of the City.s Housing Code, dealing with exits.
He said the code exempted buildings which complied with applicable laws at the
time of construction. He said that at the time of construction there was no
requirement. Mr. Farrar cited Section 1404 and Sections 3302, 3307, and 3314
of the 1943 Building Code. He said he believed that, under the provisions of
these articles, the stairs were exempt from width, rise, tread, and enclosure
e requirements. He noted that Building Code requirements permitted an 89-percent
gradient. He said that the stairway in his building had a safer 75-percent
gradient. Mr. Farrar said he believed that since his stairway complied with
applicable codes at the time of construction, it should be allowed to continue.
Mr. Farrar submitted an affidavit signed under oath by a previous owner, Jerome
Kramer, who had remodeled the subject stairs to eliminate a previous 90-degree
turn. In the affidavit, Mr. Kramer stated that the stair remodeling had been
inspected before and after the remodeling. Mr. Kramer further stated that he
had asked at the time of the remodeling whether the top half of the stairway had
to be reconstructed and was told that it did not. Mr. Farrar said he had
referred the complaint on the stairs to the State Construction Code Board of
Appeals and that that board had denied jurisdiction on the basis that this was a
Housing Code matter.
Mr. Farrar gave information to support an estimate that the stairs in the house
had had considerable use--90,OOO descendings--and that there was no evidence
that any of these descendings had resulted in an accident. He proposed that the
council move to dismiss this item. Mr. Farrar noted that he had, since the time
of the HCC report, voluntarily installed a second handrail on the stairway. He
submitted photographs of the stairway with the second handrail.
tit MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 5
Donna Turring, 350 Ful-Vue, said she believed that Mr. Farrar's case was
symptomatic of problems of other homes in Eugene, due to the work of the the HCC
Department and the Building Division. She related the story of the owner of one
. dwelling who paid a large sum to have all the complaints in one HCC inspection
report corrected only to receive a second set of complaints when the first set
of projects was reinspected. She felt that upgrading the City's housing stock
was a good idea but not when it took on the proportions of harassment of home-
owners. She discussed experience with the HCC Department designating ceiling
heights as unsafe when the City and State Fire Marshals said that the ceilings
were safe. She felt that City Building and Housing Codes need to be overhauled
to provide for upgrading houses without condemning them. She also felt that the
appeals process should be speeded up. She did not believe Mr. Farrar should
have had to wait from July to December to have his problems resolved.
Laura Johnson, 1810 Fairmount Boulevard, said she was supportive of Mr. Farrar's
arguments. She said she had attended the Construction Code Board of Appeals
hearing. She hoped that the council would decide in Mr. Farrar's favor.
LaVerne Edwards, 1260 President Street, supported Mr. Farrar's appeal and felt
that the appeal process should not have taken so long. She said that tall
people learned to adapt to low door heights and that Mr. Farrar's low doors
should not be considered a problem. She felt that City Codes should not require
destruction of older houses.
There being no further public testimony, Mayor Keller closed this portion of the
public hearing, noting that staff would be allowed to respond to testimony and
that the appellant would be allowed to rebut.
Mr. Reed, referring to Mr. Farrar's comment that he had been holding the subject
e property vacant, said that staff had never said that the property had to be kept
vacant. He said the Code required only that prospective tenants or buyers be
informed of the Code deviations. Regarding the consideration of the stairway,
Mr. Reed said that the Code prior to 1960 has allowed only a 3/16" deviation in
riser height. He noted that staff had suggested that, with the addition of the
second handrail, the hazard would be mitigated. He did point out, however, that
the recently installed handrail needed to be returned to the wall, so there was
no trip-and-fall danger in catching or looping clothing over the exposed rail
end. Mr. Reed said that most of the facts that Mr. Farrar had presented in his
discussion of the upstairs bedroom doorway heights were accurate. Mr. Reed
noted that the Construction Code Board of Appeals did not have the information
on Code language conflict when it heard the appeal. Mr. Reed said that if the
City Council felt that there was not a head knock hazard with the low door
heights, it could resolve the matter without referring it back to the board.
Mr. Farrar presented his rebuttal. He read a portion of page 7 of the minutes
of the September 27,1982, Construction Code Board of Appeals hearing, containing
reference to a statement by Building Division staff member Darrell Kahl which
Mr. Farrar felt required him to keep the dwelling vacant. Mr. Farrar said that
he had been in the process of evicting the tenant in the building at the time
. MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 6
that the HCC inspection was done. He said that he felt morally obligated to
show the inspection report to any prospective tenant and that he had no desire
to place any tenant in the middle of the struggle surrounding the dwelling. Mr.
. Farrar cited the names of prospective tenants whom he had turned away as a
result of the report and subsequent proceedings. He said that the report and
subsequent appeal had cost him $5,000 so far and that he had $2,000 in unpaid
bills.
Public hearing was closed.
Councilor Lindberg asked if the City would incur any liability by granting
exemptions on the appeal items. Tim Sercombe, City Attorney's Office, said that
the City could be liable if it acted negligently, but that if the action of the
council was reasonable, there was little likelihood of a suit.
Councilor Ball asked if Mr. Farrar was legally allowed to rent his dwelling
during the appeal process. Mr. Sercombe said he was not sure, although Mr. Reed
had indicated that the building could have been rented.
Councilor Lindberg said that staff and the appellant seemed to agree on most
points regarding the appeal. He suggested that the council approve the appellant's
request.
Councilor Ball asked if the height of the upstairs bedroom doorways could be
raised without major structural change. He asked Mr. Reed if the center of the
doorways could be raised, with the outside corners being allowed to follow the
slope of the roof. Mr. Reed said that staff had examined the area over the
doors and found that it was not load-bearing. Therefore there are no major
e structural changes involved in raising the door heights. He felt that the
slight diagonals in the corner would be acceptable. Councilor Ball felt that
the existing 5111" height was not tall enough to prevent injury in an emergency.
Councilor Schue said that she was glad to have had this illustration of the
problems that exist between the Housing Code and landlords in the city.
She said she had felt some reluctance regarding proposed changes to the Housing
Code, but she agreed that the City should not be interfering by requiring
non-essential processes on minor matters.
Ms. Schue said that Mr. Farrar had presented an interpretation of what codes
applied at the time of construction. She asked if City staff agreed with this
interpretation. Mr. Reed said that staff did not agree with Mr. Farrar's
interpretation that he was exempt from stair rise height requirements.
Mr. Sercombe said that if the council asked questions of City staff after the
public hearing was closed, the appellant should be allowed to comment on the
staff response.
Public hearing was reopened to allow rebuttal of the staff comment.
- MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 7
Mr. Farrar said that he had drilled into the area over the upstairs bedroom
doorway after he had read the staff response that this was not load-bearing.
He said that the area over the doorway was solid, and he did not know whether
e it was load-bearing. He said that four-inch headers were traditionally used
over doorways below the ceiling. Mr. Farrar said there needed to be some way
to hold the two sides of the door together either over the door or in the
attic. He said he did not know what he would do if the council denied him
relief on this item. He felt that the ordinance which the council had adopted
exempted door heights which complied with requirements at the time they were
built.
Public hearing was again closed.
Councilor Obie said he felt the issues involved in this case were minor and
should not have had to be brought to the City Council for resolution.
Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, to dismiss items 4, 12,
and 14 of the report.
Mr. Sercombe suggested that the motion be reworded to "allow the appeal".
Mr. Obie amended the motion to allow the appeal on items 4,
12, and 14. Ms. Schue agreed to the amendment.
A vote was taken on the amended motion. Roll call vote;
motion carried 6:1, with Councilors Hamel, Lindberg, Obie,
Schue, Smith, and Wooten voting in favor, and Councilor Ball
voting in opposition.
e LANE COUNTY BOUNDARY COMMISSION'S APPROVAL TO CONSTRUCT
IV. RESOLUTI ON re:
AND OPERATE A SEASONAL INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER FACILITY (memo, resolution,
map distributed)
Mr. Gleason said that council approval of this resolution would let the Lane
County Boundary Commission rule on the requested permit. He noted that at a
previous meeting councilors had asked why so many such permit referrals were
needed. He said that a permit is needed each time an extraterritorial extension
i s made.
Councilor Wooten asked the status of the environmental impact statement for this
project. Mr. Sercombe responded that the finding had been made in August 1982
that there was no significant impact.
Councilor Obie asked if this was the project that held the danger of attracting
waterfowl into the flight pattern range for Mahlon Sweet Airport. Mr. Gleason
said that this was not the site with that problem, since solid matter on which
waterfowl feed would be precipitated out before water is spread on this site.
Public Works Director Don Allen said that another site, Site C, was the site
where there was a potential problem with waterfowl near the airport.
. MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 8
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Res. No. 3740--A resolution directing the City Manager to request
the Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission
. to approve an extraterritorial extension of a
seasonal industrial wastewater pipe line and to
operate a seasonal industrial wastewater treatment
and disposal system.
Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, to adopt the resolution.
Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously.
V. TRANSFER OF EIGHTH AVENUE AND HIGH STREET PROPERTY TO GENERAL GOVERNMENT
USE (memo, resolution distributed)
Mr. Gleason said staff believed that the 8th and High property should remain in
the public domain even though the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) no
longer needs it. He said that transfer of the property to the City would offer
a possible future solution to City space needs and would help in efforts to
maintain good relations with EWEB. He said that a formal study of the space
needs of the City had been conducted in 1981, and that, while the council took
no action on that study, the alternatives outlined in the report had served as
the basis for current planning. He felt that the City would eventually need
either the 8th and High property or property of similar size and location, even
if only to address the needs of employee parking. He said that any future
solution would be at least as expensive as the purchase of the 8th and High
property. He said that if the council decides that the property is not needed
for general purpose government, EWEB will presume that it may sell the property.
e Mr. Gleason discussed relations between the City and EWEB. He noted that the
council had sent a letter to the EWEB board two years ago in an effort to work
out issues between the two bodies, and that the council had reaffirmed its
commitment to improved relations at its October 1981 goals sessions. He said
progress has been made in resolving the issues. He said the co-generation issue
had been resolved with a benefit to the General Fund of $150,000 to $300,000 per
year. He said that the water main charge issue had been resolved and that this
would be transferred to the rate base of the enterprise through a transition
process. He said that property issues had been resolved through agreement on
market values. He said that the issue of the 8th and High property was not the
same as the issue of the Gillespie Butte property, because the Gillespie Butte
property is not currently being used by the City, and the 8th and High property
is.
Mr. Gleason strongly recommended that the council approve the resolution to
retain the 8th and High property in the public ownership. He said that such
action did not lock the council into building on the property or into keeping
the property, which could be sold by the City if found surplus at a future date.
Mr. Gleason acknowledged that the problem was one of timing. He realized that
this was economically a bad time to bring such a proposal before the council but
said he felt the issue had to be faced, nonetheless.
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MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 9
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.
Mayor Keller noted that although no public hearing was scheduled on this item,
two citizens had requested opportunity to speak. Councilors agreed to hold a
. brief hearing.
Public hearing was opened.
Tim Bloch, 1236 Willagillespie, represented the Committee to Preserve Gillespie
Butte. He said that the Gillespie Butte property was a "profound spiritual
resource II for the citizens of Eugene. He said that his committee was assembling
suggestions on how the City might acquire the property. He suggested that EWEB
might reconsider the City's purchase offer for this property.
Bill Uhlhorn, said he was Director of Family Shelter House, 367 Highway 99
North. He felt that the staff suggestion of purchase of the 8th and High Street
property should not circumvent the City's own capital improvement process.
He said that a year ago he had asked that Family Shelter House be included in
the CIP. He did not want the expenditure of 'funds for the 8th and High property
to preclude his group's receiving City funds.
There being no further testimony, public hearing was closed.
Councilor Wooten said she felt it was unfortunate that the City was forced to
acquire the property now as part of the resolution of other issues with EWEB.
She felt that acquisition of the property was a clear signal to citizens that
the City will build a publiC service building. She objected to using revenue-
sharing dollars for this purchase and bypassing the CIP public hearing process
and referrals to the Budget Committee and the Downtown Commission. She felt
e that if the City did decide to buy the property, the terms of the agreement
I should be elongated. She felt that the Gillespie Butte issue had no direct
bearing on the matter before the council at this time. She asked if the City of
Eugene had to agree to sale of property by EWEB.
Mr. Gleason said he shared Ms. Wooten's concerns. He said that he had brought
this issue directly to the council, since councilors were the elected representa-
tives of the owners of the property--the people of Eugene. He noted that if the
council decides to make the purchase, payments would begin after the end of the
current budget year. He said that the council was being asked to resolve the
policy issue of whether this property should remain within the public domain.
He said that the question of funding could still be referred to the Budget
Committee. He pointed out that EWEB has a need to liquidate its assets.
Councilor Obie agreed that the council was the proper agency to hear this
matter. He agreed that the economic environment made this a difficult action
to take. He said that the funding mechanism that had been offered was a good
one and that it might not be available in the future. He felt that the decision
had implications far into the future. He said that if the council put off the
transaction, the option of using the property for the City would be lost and
that alternatives would be costly. He said he was prepared to adopt the
resolution.
. MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982
Page 10
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Councilor Lindberg said he would support the resolution, since he believed
it offered a "win-win" solution for EWEB and the City.
.- Councilor Ball asked how the 8th and High property had been appraised and noted
that appraisals the City had used in past consideration of purchase of the
Gillespie Butte property had been about 300 percent too high. Assistant City
Manager David Whitlow responded that EWEB had had an independent appraisal done
for the 8th and High property and that that appraisal had been reviewed by City
staff. Councilor Ball said he felt comfortable with the policy issue on this
matter but would also agree if other councilors felt the matter should be
considered in other forums, such as the CIP process.
Councilor Hamel said that the City had never made an offer for the Gillespie
Butte property, since the Joint Parks Committee had not recommended purchase of
the property.
Councilor Smith said that even if the council approves the policy of the 8th and
High purchase, the matter will be reviewed by the Budget Committee.
Councilor Wooten suggested that the City take an option on purchase of the 8th
and High property and reconsider the matter in several years. She felt that it
might be wise for the City to acquire the property but not in what she considered
a "back door" way. She said that she would oppose the resolution.
Res. No. 3741--A resolution authorizing transfer of property
on the south side of Eighth Avenue between Pearl
Street and High Street from utility uses to general
e governmental uses; directing the City Manager to
propose transfer of funds to EWEB in subsequent
fiscal year budgets and in the event of failure
to appropriate funds, authorizing deduction from
in-lieu-of taxes payment.
Mr. Sercombe referred to Section 4 of the draft resolution that had been distrib-
uted to councilors and suggested that the council amend the language providing a
contingency in the event that an appropriation is not made. He said to make the
language of the ordinance clear, he recommended that the wording be altered as
follows [changes are shown in editorial format, with deletions bracketed and
insertions underlined]: "In the event that the initial transfer is made and
that the City Council fails to annually thereafter appropriate funds to transfer
to EWEB as provided herein. . ." [remainder of text unchanged].
Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, to adopt the resolution
with the suggested changes.
Mayor Keller said that the City is short of space and that he believed it was
prudent to plan for the future. He urged councilors to support the resolution.
. MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 11
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Councilor Ball asked if the City has the ability to delay EWEB's transfer of the
property if the City decides not to make the purchase at this time. Mr. Gleason
said that the property is already owned by the City and that the question is
'." whether EWEB can sell the property without the authorization of the City Council.
, '-
He said that this question could be tested in court.
Roll call vote; motion carred 6:1, with Councilors Ball, Hamel,
Lindberg, Obie, Schue, and Smith voting in favor, and Councilor
Wooten voting in opposition.
Item VI, a monthly economic diversification status report: review of development-
related processes, was held over.
The meeting was adjourned.
~
Respectfully submitted,
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Micheal D. Gleason
,~ City Manager
(Recorded by Darcy Marentette)
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..'" MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 15, 1982 Page 12
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