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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/19/1983 Meeting e e e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council City Council Chamber January 19, 1983 11:45 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: John Ball, Dick Hansen, Freeman Holmer, Mark Lindberg, Brian Obie, Emily Schue, Betty Smith, Cynthia Wooten (commencement to 12:35 p.m.). 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. School District 4-J Hearing on Disposition of Surplus Property Councilor Schue said that this evening the Eugene 4-J School District would be taking public testimony on the disposition of certain school sites, including the site of Dunn Elementary School, which is located in her ward. She said that the school play area was used both by the neighborhood and by the Eugene Sports Program and that she would be expressing personal concern at the hearing for retention of the play area in public ownership. She asked councilors to consider directing her to make this a statement from the entire council. She felt that since several school sites were adjacent to, and sometimes even developed in conjunction with, City parks this was an important long-term planning and policy issue requiring coordination between the City and the school district. Councilor Smith agreed that there was a need for such coordination. She wondered what effect designation of the play area as permanent public open space would have on the possible sale of the remainder of the Dunn property. Responding to questions from Ms. Smith, Ms. Schue said that the school district was in the early stages of its planning process for disposition of surplus sites and that she therefore would not make a specific proposal to the school district as to how retention of the play area in public ownership should be implemented, but would instead just encourage the district to consider such retention. City Manager Micheal Gleason said that there was a formal intergovernmental agreement between the City and the school district regarding joint use of co-sited school land and City parkland. He said he also believed that a portion of the Dunn playground was owned by the City or that the City had contributed funds to development of the playground. Councilor Holmer questioned the appropriateness of the council's acting on this item without more adequate notice and information. He noted that the Eugene Chamber of Commerce had made a recommendation to the district that surplus land be disposed of. He said that he had not been involved in developing that recommendation and had not formed an opinion but that he felt the council needed more exploration of the issues before taking action. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 19, 1983 Page 1 e Councilor Schue responded that the council had discussed this policy issue in the past and had agreed to use City funds to maintain the play area at Lincoln School when that school was closed. She asked the council to endorse the concept of maintaining public open space in public use. Councilor Wooten referred to the City's efforts to make the Lincoln School grounds available to its citizens and said she supported Ms. Schue's request. She felt that retaining the Dunn play area in public ownership was in the best interests of the community. Responding to questions from Councilor Lindberg, Mr. Gleason said that the existing agreement with the school district would not preclude the council's making a statement on this issue, nor would it preclude action on the part of the district. He felt it was important that prospective buyers of district properties understand the effect of existing City land use policies including the Metropolitan Area General Plan on the uses to which the properties could be put. Councilor Lindberg said he endorsed the concept of preserving public-trust assets and therefore would support Ms. Schue's request to speak for the council at the hearing. Councilor Obie felt that it would be clear to those who might acquire the Dunn site that use of the property would need to conform to the Metropolitan Area General Plan. e Mayor Keller said he felt it was appropriate for Ms. Schue to testify in a positive way and to encourage the district to consider the issue of retaining public ownership. Ms. Wooten moved, seconded by Ms. Smith, that the Eugene City Council approve the testimony of Emily Schue before the 4-J School District and encourage the district to consider the consequences of retaining the playground and park surrounding Dunn school as public open space. Councilor Obie asked that the motion be amended to read as follows: that the Eugene City Council approve the testimony of Emily Schue before the 4-J School District and encourage the district to consider the importance [consequences] of retaining the playground and park surrounding Dunn school as public open space and recreation area. Ms. Wooten and Ms. Smith agreed to the amendment. Councilor Obie noted that it would be possible for public use of the play area to be retained through other than public ownership, and gave the example of use of the land by a private research or electronics firm that could combine such development with open space. A vote was taken on the motion as amended. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 19, 1983 Page 2 . B. Valley River Center Change of Ownership Councilor Hansen noted that the Valley River Center had recently been purchased by a British firm. He expressed thanks for the council's past support of the center. C. Mall Pigeon-Feeding Councilor Wooten said she was pleased to report that the signs, which she had previously brought to the attention of the council as discouraging feeding of pigeons on the downtown mall, had been removed. She said she had had several calls of appreciation for the removal. D. Seminar on Federal Procurement Councilor Wooten noted that she had chaired a seminar, of which the City was a sponsor, on federal procurement procedures. She said that the event had been well-attended and successful. E. Appointments 1. Consideration of Mayor's appointment to the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (memo distributed) Mayor Keller recommended the reappointment of Mark Westling, 1464 Russet Drive, Eugene, to the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission, term to expire February 1, 1986. e Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to reappoint Mark Westling to the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. 2. Consideration of Mayor's recommendations for City Councilor Committee assignments for 1983 (memo distributed) Mayor Keller noted that councilors had not had much time to consider the memo containing his recommendations and asked that the item be held over for the January 26 council meeting. F. Announcements 1. Oregon Pacific Economic Development Corporation Board Mayor Keller announced that he and Councilors Obie and Wooten had been appointed to the board of the Oregon Pacific Economic Development Corporation (formerly the Lane Economic Foundation). 2. 1983 Appointments to Council Hearings Panel Mayor Keller noted the council appointments to the Hearings Panel for 1983 as: January-March--Lindberg/Wooten; April-June--Ball/Schue; July-September-- Obie/Hansen; October-December--Smith/Holmer. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 19, 1983 Page 3 e G. Presentation by Willard Community School Students Mr. Gleason introduced Jo Bramwell of the Willard Community School parent advisory group. Ms. Bramwell introduced several Willard students who addressed the council and presented councilors with copies of an almanac they had developed to raise funds to support community school programs. Mayor Keller thanked the students for their presentations and for the almanac. H. Presentation of Certificate of Conformance Award Mayor Keller presented City Finance Director Warren Wong with an award from the Municipal Financial Officers of the US and Canada, acknowledging the City's high standards and performance in financial reporting, and noted that this was the third year in a row that the City had received such an award. Mr. Gleason said that staff of the Finance Division had offered to donate time to prepare the documents necessary to apply for the award. He noted that receipt of this award helped in maintaining the City's good bond rating. Mayor Keller expressed the appreciation of the council to staff for the good work. II. ROUTINE ITEMS FOR COUNCIL APPROVAL e A. Consideration of City Council Work Session Minutes of December 8, 1982, and regular meetings of December 13, 1982, and January 10, 1983 (minutes distributed) Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to approve City Council minutes of December 8, 1982, December 13, 1982, and January 10, 1983. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously, with Councilor Holmer abstaining. B. Mayor's Proclamation of November 2, 1982, General Election Results Mayor Keller read the results of the November 2, 1982, General Election. City Council: Ward 1, Emily Schue--4,444 votes; Ward 4, Dick Hansen--3,484 votes; Ward 5, Freeman Holmer--4,027 votes; and Ward 6, John Ball--3,033 votes. Eugene Water and Electric Board: Wards 4 and 5, Dennis Solin--7,233 votes; and At-Large Position, Jack Craig--28,681 votes. III. PUBLIC HEARING: SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET #4 (memo, resolution, exhibits distributed) Mr. Gleason introduced Finance Director Warren Wong. Mr. Wong said that the Budget Committee had unanimously approved the supplemental budget at its January 18, 1982, meeting. Public hearing was opened. There being no public testimony, public hearing was closed. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 19, 1983 Page 4 . e - Res. No. 3743--A resolution establishing a land banking trust fund. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to adopt the resolution. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. CB 2589--An ordinance adopting a supplemental budget; making appropriations for the City of Eugene for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1982, and ending June 30, 1983; and declaring an emergency. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, that the bill be read the second time by council bill number only, with unanimous consent of the council, and that enactment be considered at this time. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. Council Bill 2589 was read the second time by council bill number only. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote. All councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered 19087. IV. UPDATE OF CONSERVATION PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS--Presentation by Jean Reeder, EWEB (listing, booklet on EWEB's Buy-Back program distributed) Mr. Gleason introduced Jean Reeder, director of the Conservation Department for the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB). Ms. Reeder reviewed the City's mandatory weatherization ordinance, discussed EWEB's eight conservation programs, and discussed energy conservation issues from a regional perspective. She noted that EWEB was one of five public utilities leading in implementation of conserva- tion programs through Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). She said EWEB's programs had resulted in a reduction of ten percent per household in electricity use since 1975. Ms. Reeder said that the City had adopted a mandatory weatheriza- tion ordinance in February 1981 and had said that it would review the ordinance in January 1984. She felt that review should include examination of the success of voluntary weatherization efforts, the availability of financing, and a review of regional energy resources. She said that the costs of residential weatheriza- tion for electrically space-heated homes were paid at a ratio of approximately 55 percent by BPA, 25 percent by EWEB, and 22 percent by the customer. She said that 25 percent of EWEB's electric space heating customers had signed up for energy analyses, but that only 25 percent of those who had had analyses performed had actually had the weatherization work done. Ms. Reeder said that EWEB had a study done to determine the cause of this low participation rate and found that customers were not following up on analyses by having work done because they did not have the money to pay their portion of the costs and because the program was too confusing and took too much time. Ms. Reeder said that EWEB had developed a booklet to clarify and simplify the program and noted that copies of the booklet had been distributed to councilors. Ms. Reeder noted that weatherization financing programs were also available for homes heated with oil and gas. She said that EWES had recently signed a contract with the Lane County Housing Authority for a program that would pay 100 percent of weatherization costs for low-income households. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 19, 1983 Page 5 . e e Ms. Reeder said that 32 percent (20,000) of the homes in EWEBls service area had already had water heaters wrapped. She said that EWEBls contract with the BPA for energy buy-pack programs will expire October 30, 1983, but that EWEB was negotiating for a long-tenn contract with SPA. She said that the Northwest Regional Power Planning Council is in the final stages of developing its Regional Conservation and Electric Power Plan and noted that the Oregon hearing on the draft plan would be held in Salem on March 16, 1983. She said the council IS projections were that by the year 2,000 conservation programs would provide roughly the equivalent of 15 times EWEB's power load. She noted that Mr. Gleason had worked on one of the committees that had developed the draft plan and commended him for his efforts. She said that continued conservation efforts were needed not just for Eugene but for the entire region. Councilor Wooten left the meeting. Councilor Holmer thanked Ms. Reeder for her presentation and expressed his personal appreciation for the difference that weatherization in his home had made in lowering his utility bill. He said that he had just returned from a meeting of the Northwest Regional Power Planning Council and that at that meeting it had been decided that Oregonls two Planning Council members would hold a public hearing on the draft plan in Eugene at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 23. V. UPDATE ON BUSINESS ASSISTANCE TEAM ACTIVITES (information distributed) Mr. Gleason introduced Business Assistance Te~l (BATeam) Manager Cathy Briner. Ms. Briner said that in November 1982 the BATeam had presented its Business Assistance and Marketing Plan to the council and that at that time the council had asked for details on the proposed Ambassador Program. Ms. Briner reported first on the assistance the BATeam had delivered to local businesses over the past nine months and noted that over 365 businesses had been served. She referred to information that had been distributed to councilors on the Ambassador Program and said that the goal of the program was to make Eugene better known in the US and in the world through participation of Eugenels citizens in information dissemination efforts. She said the program would make use of existing ties of Eugene citizens in spreading information, would provide local hosts/escorts for visiting business people, and would solicit the help of those who regularly meet visitors to the City, such as hotel clerks and service employees. She said recruitment of ambassadors could be done through the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, media contacts, and the Eugene Action Forum. She said that ambassadors would be provided with a packet of materials and instructions and that their work would be coordinated and recorded through computerized tracking. She said that the program's goal for 1983 was to speak to at least 30 groups in the area, resulting in recruit- ment of approximately 100 committed ambassadors, who would then contact 1,000 people outside Eugene. She said that the ultimate goal was an ambitious one of having one percent of those 1,000 contacts actually become IIhot prospectsll for locating in Eugene. She said that the predicted economic turnaround would aid in realization of this ambitious goal. Ms. Briner said that the theme of the campaign would be the existing program's theme of IIEugene-- Fit for Bus; nessll. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 19, 1983 Page 6 e Ms. Briner said that part of the promotion of the program would include a large event, incorporating the talents of famous people with ties in Eugene. She said that the City of Springfield would also be invited to join the project. She said that contacts the BATeam had already received from the community in regard to the Ambassador Program indicated there would be good support. e Responding to questions from Councilor Smith, Ms. Briner said that the promotional event would take several months to organize. Ms. Smith asked that the council be kept informed about and involved in planning efforts. Councilor Obie urged that an organizational structure for the Ambassador Program, including a chairperson and an advisory board, be formed and that leaders in the community be recruited to lead program efforts. Ms. Briner responded that the BATeam and its advisory group, the Joint Committee on Economic Diversification (JCEO), made up of representatives of the City of Eugene, University of Oregon, Lane Community College, Chamber of Commerce, and Lane Economic Foundation, would serve as the advisory group for the program. Councilor Obie did not feel that this was the most effective way to organize the program and emphasized that visible community leadership was needed. He said there were many people in the community who would volunteer to work on this effort through such means as staffing an information distribution booth at the City's airport. Councilor Hansen asked if there was evidence that such a program would get results and how much the program would cost. Ms. Briner responded that this was an innovative program and that there were therefore no concrete figures to use in predicting results. She said that the BATeam's budget for operational expenses for the remainder of the fiscal year was $80,000 and that a portion of those funds would be spent on the Ambassador Program. Ms. Briner said that the budget for the BATeam for the next fiscal year would be around $250,000 for the entire business assistance and marketing program. She gave the recent work of the BATeam with an industrial realtor in the sale of the Centre Court Building as an example of the type of assistance and success that the Ambassador Program could have. Councilor Obie reiterated his request that staff return to the council with proposals for an organizational structure and use of volunteer help before initiating the program. Ms. Briner said that the Chamber of Commerce had asked to take the lead role in recruitments for the program and that she would return to the council with details of the recruitment effort as they are developed. Mr. Gleason cautioned against publicizing initial efforts too widely, since response could produce overwhelming demands on the BATeam staff and resources. He stressed the need to allow the program to grow in size gradually as the BATeam acquires experience in handling program needs. Mr. Gleason also emphasized the need to work closely with the JCEO in coordinating the program. Mr. Obie disagreed and said it was important to have visible leadership and an organization from the start. Mr. Gleason said that it had taken seven months of sensitive discussions to develop the proposal before the council and felt that the fragile agreement might be jeopardized by council introduction of further requirements. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 19, 1983 Page 7 e e Mr. Gleason noted that the budget figures cited by Ms. Briner were for the entire BATeam effort, not just for the Ambassador Program, which represents only a small portion of the entire effort. Councilor Ball asked that the council be given actual figures on the direct materials and staff time costs of the Ambassador Program, since he personally had some reservations about the efficacy of such a program. He felt that recruitment and image establishment were fairly sophisticated concepts to be turned over to untrained volunteers. Mr. Gleason noted that in November 1982 the council had requested an aggressive marketing and promotional effort. He said that staff had provided this. He said that the council had then discussed the roles of the various agencies involved and had agreed to delegate responsibility for making more sophisti- cated contacts and image development to the Oregon Pacific Economic Development Corporation. He said that this left a need for contacts with entrepreneurial- based firms with less than 100 employees. Mr. Gleason felt strongly that such firms were prime candidates for relocation in the Eugene area and that the direct personal contact that the Ambassador Program would provide would be effective in making such contacts. He noted that this would be an experi- mental program and urged that it be started up slowly rather than risking overwhelming the program with a response greater than could be met with appropriate staff support. Councilor Hansen reiterated the request for budget figures for advertising, staff support, materials, and volunteer coordination for the program. Councilor Smith agreed and urged staff to return with an organizational chart and timelines for the program. Mr. Gleason said that the organization would be done by the existing JCED, composed of representatives of Lane Community College, the University of Oregon, the Chamber of Commerce, the Oregon Pacific Economic Development Corporation, and the cities of Eugene and Springfield. He said that staffing and budget would come from the City of Eugene's BATeam. Ms. Smith felt that a well-defined structure of responsi- bility was important in enabling responsible participation in the program. Mayor Keller summarized the concerns and requests made by the council and said the council felt a need for more details on the cost, timeline, and organization of the Ambassador Program. Mr. Gleason indicated staff would bring back more details on the program. Mayor Keller reminded councilors to review the information on the list that had been distributed noting the addresses and phone numbers of the City Councilors and asked them to let staff know of any changes. The meeting was adjourned to January 24, 1983. (Recorded by Darcy Marentette) ~ MDG:DCM:ce/CM8a17 MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 19, 1983 Page 8