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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/29/1983 Meeting M I NUT E S - Eugene City Council City Council Chamber June 29, 1983 11:45 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: John Ball, Dick Hansen, Freeman Holmer, Mark Lindberg, Brian Obie, Emily Schue, Betty Smith. COUNCILOR ABSENT: Cynthi a Wooten. 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. Announcement of Council Tour of Owens Rose Garden City Manager Micheal Gleason announced that transportation would be provided immediately following adjournment of the meeting for councilors wishing to tour the Owens Rose Garden. - II. ROUTINE ITEM FOR COUNCIL APPROVAL A. City Council Minutes of May 18, 1983, May 23, 1983, May 25, 1983, and June 8, 1983; Dinner Session minutes of April 11 and May 23, 1983; Work Session Minutes of June 9, 1983; and amended minutes of May 11, 1983 (memo, minutes distributed) Mr. Gleason noted that the May 11, 1983, minutes needed to be amended as noted by staff. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to amend the City Council minutes of May 11, 1983, as outlined in the staff memo of June 22, 1983. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to approve the City Council minutes of May 18, 1983; May 23, 1983; May 25, 1983; and June 8, 1983; Dinner Session minutes of April 11, 1983, and May 23, 1983; Work Session minutes of June 9, 1983; and the amended minutes of May 11, 1983. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. III. COMMENTS FROM MR. G. V. STATHAKIS Mr. Gleason noted that Mayor Keller had granted the request of Mr. G.V. Stathakis to address the council. - MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 29, 1983 Page 1 G. V. Stathakis, 830 Hilyard Street, thanked the Mayor and council for time on e the agenda. He said that he lived in the heart of the Crossroads neighborhood. He described the diverse range of people involved in the Crossroads Alliance, a citizen-based communications software industry. He urged the council to become an ally of this coalition and asked the council to allocate $10,000 to support development of a proposal for use of the $715,000 in Community Development Block Grant Jobs Bill funds that the City had applied for. He said this proposal could be developed within 15 days. He suggested that a councilor, perhaps Councilor Lindberg, be appointed to chair a task force that would oversee development of the proposal. Councilor Lindberg said that he had visited the Crossroads project and hoped the City could be a partner in the venture. He said that he did not, however, support reopening the issue of allocation of Jobs Bill funds. Mr. Lindberg said he believed the process used in determining allocation of those funds had been a good one and would allow funds to be expended by the deadline. He urged Crossroads representatives to stay in touch with the City, particularly regarding the economic development loan funds that would be available in August. Councilor Obie asked if the Crossroads request could be processed through the traditional CDSG funding channels for individually funded activities. Mr. Gleason said that the individually funded activities had largely been curtailed when the CDSG funding for economic development was created, but he said staff would look into this. Mr. Lindberg added that in the past few years the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had made it difficult to provide funding for independent activities. He suggested that the alliance e apply for some of the City's CDSG economic diversification loan funds. Responding to comments from Mr. Stathakis, Mayor Keller said that the council would not discuss the item further at this time but would probably discuss it at a future work session, perhaps with opportunity for public comment. Mr. Gleason said that staff would work with the Crossroads group to process the request through the normal City COBG processes. IV. DAY CARE AND GROUP CARE CODE AMENDMENTS (memo, background information distributed) Mr. Gleason introduced Tom Hayes, Planning. Mr. Hayes noted that at its June 15, 1983, meeting the council had taken testimony on the amendments and had closed the public hearing, postponing action. He said that since the time of that hearing staff had met with Bill Uhlhorn of Eugene Emergency Housing and Sheilah Ewing of Oregon Child Care Network to discuss concerns raised dUt'ing the June 15 public hearing. Mr. Hayes said that, as a result of these meetings, staff was proposing three changes to the proposed amendment. He stated these changes would alter application of standards proposed for fencing and for hours of operation of day care facilities to make them apply only to facilities serving six or more, and would also revise group care home regulations for provision of employee parking to require that one parking space be provided for each employee on duty, based on the maximum number of employees on duty at the same time. Mr. Hayes said that it was further proposed, in response to Senate Bill 478, that the group care home parking regulations be amended so that they e would only apply to facilities serving six or more residents. MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 29, 1983 Page 2 e Mr. Hayes noted that Planning Commission President Eleanor Mulder was present to respond to questions from councilors regarding the commission's discussion of the amendments. Responding to a question from Councilor Smith, Mr. Hayes said he believed that the proposed changes were consistent with the action taken by the Planning Commission and that the matter would therefore not have to be referred back to the commission. Responding to questions from councilors, Ms. Mulder said that, while she could not speak for the commission, she personally supported the amendments and believed they followed the general direction of the Planning Commission's discussion. She noted that Ms. Ewing had not testified before the commission and said that she personally would have voted differently on the amendments if she had known of Ms. Ewing's concerns. Councilor Hansen said he was concerned with the proposed elimination of the fencing requirement for day care facilities serving less than six, since he felt that the fencing would have provided buffering and screening to prevent infringe- ment of the day care operations on neighboring properties. He said he was not sure from reading the Planning Commission's discussion in the minutes whether the commission would have agreed with the proposed changes. He asked if day care centers in residential areas are permitted to have signs. Mr. Hayes responded that such centers would be subject to the residential district standards in the sign code. He said he believed this would allow a sign of one square foot. e CB 2650--An ordinance concerning day care facilities and group care homes; amending sections 9.254, 9.310, 9.312, 9.324, 9-326, 9.338, 9.340, 9.352, 9.354, 9.366, 9.368, 9.380, 9.382, 9.394, 9.396, 9.402, 9.404, 9.408, 9.410, 9.422, 9.424, 9.436, 9.438, 9.443, 9.450, 9.496, and 9.586 of the Eugene Code, 1971; adding a new section 9.504 to that code; 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. Mr. Hansen moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to amend the ordinance to reflect that in day care centers which are permitted in residential areas, the operator must reside in the residence if he/she is going to conduct business in that residence. Councilor Hansen said that he had discussed this amendment with staff and that staff had not felt there would be any legal problems with addition of this requirement. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 29, 1983 Page 3 Mr. Hayes said that this modification could be made, but he recommended that the public hearing be reopened if that change is proposed, since he believed that - the agencies with which staff had worked on these amendments might have concerns about the proposed change. Mr. Hayes noted that the proposed change would make the ordinances more restrictive than the present conditional use permit process. He said that in the R-3 and R-4 zones the proposed change could limit day care facilities because of the preponderance of multiple-family non-owner occupied dwellings. Councilor Holmer asked if Mr. Hansen had intended his amendment to apply to all residential areas. Mr. Hansen responded that he had intended application only to the R-l and R-2 zones. Councilor Smith suggested that action on the item be postponed and that staff be asked to return with information on the impact of the amendment on existing and future day care facilities. She felt the council needed additional information before making its decision. Councilor Obie agreed that the council needed more information before making its decision. He felt that a public hearing might also be appropriate and suggested that the Planning Commission review the changes proposed by the staff and by Councilor Hansen. Mr. Gleason said that if the motion to amend were passed, the council would need to table consideration of the ordinance, since the ordinance would have to be rewritten and since he felt it would be appropriate for the Planning Commission to consider the changes. e Councilor Schue agreed that the council needed more information before making a decision. Councilor Hansen said he would withdraw the motion so that the Planning Commission could review the proposed changes. Mr. Hansen withdrew the motion to amend, with the consent of his second, Mr. Obie. Ms. Schue withdrew the main motion, with the consent of her second, Mr. Obie. Mr. Hansen moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, that the day care amendments be returned to the Planning Commission for additional consideration. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. Councilor Schue suggested that the Planning Commission be informed that the council had expressed a general sense that the staff-proposed amendments are desirable and that the council had requested more information on Councilor Hansen's proposal. Councilor Ball concurred. Councilor Hansen said that he had concerns with the proposal to eliminate requirements for fencing, since he felt there was a need for screening around day care centers in residential areas. Councilor Obie said he shared Mr. Hansen's concerns and felt that day care centers should be responsible neighbors and that their owners should reside in the centers to encourage this. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 29, 1983 Page 4 Councilors agreed to refer the matter back to the Planning Commission, noting e the concerns expressed by councilors. v. CITY OF EUGENE FY84 BUDGET (memo, additional information, ordinance distributed) Mr. Gleason responded to several questions that had been raised at the council's June 27 public hearing in the budget. Regarding streetlights, he noted that there is a backlog on installation of lights for both residential and arterial streets totalling $600,000 in capital costs and $70,000 in operations and maintenance. He therefore recommended that the council not deal with the issue of streetlights for the Spyglass area unless it is also willing to address the issue of the installation backlog for arterial streets, such as the Amazon Parkway, where the current lack of lighting creates a greater public hazard than on residential streets such as Spyglass. Regarding staffing for the human rights program, Mr. Gleason noted that he had made the recommendation that one of the two human rights staff positions be cut only in response to the Budget Committee's direction that $2 million be cut from the executive budget. He said that this cut was made along with a number of other cuts. He said this staff cut would not affect the human rights program to any greater extent than the cut in council support services made last year had affected staff services to councilors. He said the effect of the cut would be mitigated by increased support from other staff members in the Manager's Office and noted that the council had been provided with material on how this would be accomplished. Mr. Gleason noted that Councilor Wooten had requested reports to e the City Council from the Human Rights Presidents Council on the effect of the cuts on the human rights program. Regarding the $277,000 increase in extra help funds, Mr. Gleason said that $146,000 of this was earmarked for the Fire Department to mitigate the current problem of inspection backlogs by providing for concentrated inspection activities in FY84. He said that $100,000 was for the Hult Center and noted that most center employees are part-time employees. He noted that the increased amount for center extra help over last year's budget stemmed from the fact that last year's funds were only for the nine-month operation of the center in 1982-83. Mr. Gleason said that the remainder of the increase in extra help funds was to cover the three-to-four month period when both the new and the existing sewage treatment plants will be operating simultaneously. He said the City continued to operate under a policy of not supplanting full-time employee positions with extra help. Regarding the issue of the management/employee ratio and representation issues, Mr. Gleason said there was a tendency to make the interpretation that employees who were not represented by bargaining units were therefore management employees. He said there are a number of exempt employees who are not in management positions. He noted that State laws determine how employees can be represented. Mr. Gleason said that currently two percent of City employees are at the manage- ment level and 13 percent at the supervisory level. He noted that some reorganiza- tion was taking place and that it was hoped more lead workers could be used rather than management personnel. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 29, 1983 Page 5 Regarding the Library, Mr. Gleason said he would recommend that staff be instructed e to mitigate the immediate budget and service problems of the Library within the confines of the existing budget. He noted that staff could then return in late August or early September, after labor settlements were completed and after FY83 budget figures were finalized, with a proposed solution that would be consistent with established City Council priorities. Regarding concerns that had been expressed about artwork that had recently been installed at the Hult Center, Mr. Gleason noted that the artwork had been paid for with $12,000 from a National Arts Foundation Grant and $12,000 donated by the Eugene Arts Foundation. Regarding questions that had been raised about the number of AFSCME positions eliminated in the Library, Mr. Gleason said that efforts had been made in the initial budget proposal to spare the Library from further budget cuts this year, but that readjustments had had to be made. He noted that seven of the 20 AFSCME positions that had been eliminated had been in the Library, because no further cuts could be made in other departments. Councilor Obie said he appreciated Mr. Gleason's suggestions for mitigating effects of budget cuts on the Library. He asked for a report in the future on how the bookmobile could continue to be operated and suggested that this might be done under contract through a request for proposal process. Mr. Gleason said staff would examine the components of the Library program to see what could be bid or sublet and would report back to the council. Councilor Holmer commended Mr. Gleason and staff for the comprehensive report. e He asked for information on the distribution of streetlights by flanning district. He noted that the Ci ty currently requi res that wi ring for street ights be provided in planned unit developments but then does not install the lights. Mr. Holmer felt this situation should be studied further. Mr. Gleason said he believed a report on distribution of streetlights would be available by July 1. Councilor Obie asked if a private citizen or group of neighbors could purchase a streetlight. Assistant City Manager David Whitlow said that this was possible. Mr. Obie suggested that this fact be publiCized. Mr. Gleason said staff would report further on the streetlight situation and on the relation of streetlights to traffic safety. Councilor Ball said that the staff proposal to work to continue bookmobile service was a good interim solution. He felt that deletion of this service was not acceptable to the councilor to the community. Mr. Ball discussed the overall importance of library service to the community and noted that the 1 ibrary is not just a 1 ei sure or recreational service but an important community resource and repository of information and knowl edge. Councilor Schue thanked Mr. Ball for his comments and said that council and Budget Commi ttee were II trapped" by other Ci ty budget probl ems into maki ng some hard decisions about Library service. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council .1une 29, 1983 Page 6 Regarding the human rights issue, Councilor Lindberg said that he felt the cut e in staffing was a critical policy decision that should have been given more consideration and should have been debated by the council. He said he wished to test the sentiment of the council on this issue and noted he personally felt elimination of one of the two human rights staff positions would put human rights at risk in the community for the coming year. Councilor Schue said that the commitment of the council was a necessary ingredient in the City's human rights program. She noted this commitment should be demonstrated through appointment of protected class members to City boards and commissions. She felt such commitment had been lacking in some previous appoint- ments. Ms. Schue added that improvements to provide handicapped access to the Library should be made as soon as possible. Councilor Smith noted that she had voted at the Budget Committee in favor of retaining the human rights staff position. She did not believe, however, that eliminating the position would put human rights at risk. She said Mr. Gleason had assured the council that human rights functions would continue to be performed. She did not feel it was appropriate for the council to adjust the budget package that had been agreed on by the Budget Committee, although she said modifications could be made later in the year if the council felt this was necessary. Councilor Obie said it was an irresponsible overexaggeration to state that elimination of one City human rights staff position would put human rights at risk in the community. He agreed there was a need to keep knowledge available to the community through the Library and noted that availability of knowledge also affected human rights. e Councilor Ball said he felt the process of making the human rights position cut was flawed from the start. He felt that if the matter had been handled more carefully, confrontations would have been avoided. He said that the council needed to be cognizant of the symbolic appearance of the act of eliminating a human rights staff position. Mr. Ball did not feel that parliamentary and budget procedures should have controlled the process of making this decision. Councilor Holmer said that human rights was a high priority with the council but that the question was whether the council should specify to the City Manager how he will make use of the staff within his office. Mr. Holmer noted that he had met with the presidents of the human rights commissions and that he believed it had been made clear to them that there is a firm commitment to provide adequate staff for the commissions. Mayor Keller said Mr. Gleason has stated that it is his responsibility to operate the human rights program at the needed level. Mr. Keller agreed that the library service issue was important and should be pursued. Councilor Lindberg said that he had raised the human rights staffing issue to define the level of responsibility the council would take for human rights and to allow the council to declare its intent to monitor the human rights situation. He urged that the matter be reintroduced during next year's budget session. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 29, 1983 Page 7 . Councilor Obie said he regretted the attitude of the AFSCME representative toward the wage freeze request. Councilor Ball said he felt it was inappropriate to single out AFSCME as being the cause of budget problems. CB 2658--An ordinance adopting the budget, making appropriations, determining and levying the annual ad valorem property tax for the City of Eugene for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1983, and ending June 30, 1984; 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. Council Bill 2658 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 19159. VI. URBAN RENEWAL AGENCY--TAX ALLOCATION BUDGET (memo, resolution distributed) Res. No. 898A-A resolution of the Eugene Renewal Agency adopting the budget and making appropriations for the fiscal e year beginning July 1, 1983 and ending June 30, 1984. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, that the City Council, acting in its capacity as the Urban Renewal Agency, adopt the resolution. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. Mr. Gleason commended the council for the good job it had done on balancing the difficult issues that had been involved in this budget. VII. ELECTION ORDINANCE CHANGE (memo, additional information, ordinance distributed) Mr. Gleason introduced Assistant City Recorder Karen Goldman. Ms. Goldman noted that $25,000 for the cost of special elections had been eliminated from the FY84 budget. She said that the proposed ordinance would preserve initiative and referendum rights and the right of the council to schedule special elections, with the understanding that funds for such elections would come from the general operating contingency fund. CB 2659--An ordinance concerning elections; amending section 2.981 of the Eugene Code, 1971; 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. MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 29, 1983 Page 8 Council Bill 2659 was read the second time by council bill number only. e Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Ro 11 call vote. All councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered 19160. ViII. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION GRANT OFFER FOR PAVING PROJECT AT MAHLON SWEET FIELD (memo, resolution distributed) Mr. Gleason introduced Bob Shelby, Director of Aviation. Mr. Shelby said that the grant offer would allow the final steps in the pavement renovation process that had begun in 1978. He said that at the conclusion of the project, all the operating services at the airport would have been renovated within the last five years. He said that the proposed paving would have a service life of 20 to 25 years. Mr. Shelby outlined the renovations that had taken place over the past five years, including renovations to runways, taxiways, and addition of fencing, drainage, parking area, and security lighting. He noted that of the $8 million spent over the past five years, $7 million had come from user fees, $700,000 from the 1977 bond issue, and $300,000 from airport revenues. Res. No. 3788--A resolution authorizing approval, acceptance, and execution of a grant agreement for Project No. AlP 3-41-0018-02, Mahlon Sweet field. e Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to adopt the resolution. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. Mr. Gleason commplimented Mr. Shelby for the fine report. Mayor Keller asked the status of the FAA proposed reduction in service for Eugene. Mr. Shelby responded that the reductions were lion hold" for the present. Meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, z~ Mic eal D. Gle on Ci ty Manager (Recorded by Darcy Marentette) MDG:DCM:clj/CM8a16 e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 29, 1983 Page 9