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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/26/1990 Meeting - M I NUT E S Eugene City Council Black Angus Restaurant October 26, 1990 4 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Emily Schue, Robert Bennett, Ruth Bascom, Shawn Boles, Debra Ehrman, Bobby Green (after 4:25 p.m.), Freeman Holmer, Roger Rutan. FACILITATOR: Sharon Thorne. The special Eugene City Council meeting of October 26, 1990, was called to order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller. Sharon Thorne reviewed the agenda for the two days of goal-setting and summarized the purpose as being to outline the major priorities that will guide the council's work for the next year. I. REVIEW OF PAST YEAR e A. Public Safety Ms. Ehrman reported that she had received positive feedback from the community on the new public safety concepts. She was particularly pleased with progress made in the West University and Whiteaker neighborhoods and applauded the successful elimination of "the Gut." Ms. Bascom and Mr. Bennett shared her opinion that the City had been successful in the public safety area. Mr. Green attested to the success of traffic patrols. ( B. Economic Development Ms. Ehrman had difficulty quantifying results in this area. Mayor Miller saw a need to prepare for whatever happens in the national economic arena. Mr. Bennett shared Mayor Miller's concern that a recession could be coming. Ms. Schue was uneasy about whether the City is making the right decisions in the area of economic development. On the other hand, Mr. Rutan viewed Eugene's economy as increasingly strong according to the indicators and was optimistic about the future. Mr. Bennett identified issues relating to the urban growth boundary as an important area for council attention. He encouraged the council to consider its definition of the urban growth boundary carefully and to determine how to make development and zoning work within that definition. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 26, 1990 Page 1 Goal-Setting Session ..- e Mayor Miller and councilors Ehrman, Boles, Bennett, and Schue all expressed optimism about the Library, and Ms. Ehrman thanked councilors for their participation in public forums. Mr. Green wondered what would happen to the existing library building. Mr. Rutan noted that regardless of the final outcome, the council has fulfilled its leadership role by providing the community what it asked for. Ms. Bascom asked the council to consider making the Special Events Plan its economic development focus. She questioned the effectiveness of some publications of the Planning and Development Department. She felt it was sometimes difficult to tell what audience was targeted for these publications or why they were being done. Mr. Rutan said it was important for the council to continue its leadership role in making the Riverfront Research Park a reality. He applauded the success of the Airport project. C. Downtown Ms. Ehrman was discouraged by an inflammatory article in The Register-Guard. Mr. Rutan described the article as counterproductive and stressed the importance of the council's making a firm decision about downtown. Mayor Miller was encouraged by public involvement in the planning process, but Mr. Rutan was concerned that too few people care about the future of downtown. Mr. Green hoped for specific recommendations on how the downtown area might be improved. He was especially concerned about accessibility and how to e increase pedestrian traffic. Mr. Boles considered the Retail Task Force report a useful tool. and Mr. Bennett encouraged the council to take a strong position on that report's recommendations. Mr. Bennett shared Mr. Green's concern about access and said that the City is facing one of the most important decisions since urban renewal came into existence. D. Housing Ms. Ehrman expressed disappointment about the recent controversy surrounding a proposed shelter for homeless people, and she viewed the County as the appropriate administrator of the program. Mayor Miller commended the Social Goals Committee for its leadership on housing issues and Mr. Rutan commended the council for its provision of leadership. Mr. Boles and Mr. Bennett agreed that adequate progress was not being made on the housing goal. Mr. Bennett objected to the County's being assigned the lead on housing issues and said that while another social goal may be identified, housing should continue to receive attention because it is so basic to everything else the council wants to do. Ms. Schue recalled arguing unsuccessfully 15 years ago for retaining a separate housing authority. She cited the purchase of sites, the construction of the Uhlhorn Apartments, and the University's interest in a site near South Eugene High School as victories in the effort to address the housing goal. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 26, 1990 Page 2 Goal-Setting Session e E. River Road/Santa Clara Ms. Ehrman said she thought the separation of annexation and sewers had helped citizens become more accepting of the inevitability of the sewer project. F. Financial Stability Ms. Ehrman adopted a wait-and-see attitude on the effectiveness of moving toward fee-supported development services in an effort to ease pressure on the General Fund. Mr. Boles identified systems development charges as an important upcoming issue. Mayor Miller foresaw a need to take action to preserve the City's future regardless of the outcome of State Ballot Measure 5. G. Transportation Councilors Ehrman and Green, and Mayor Miller identified transportation issues as requiring the council's attention. H. Citizen Relations Ms. Ehrman supported the increased use of the Community Attitudes Survey. Mr. Boles was particularly interested in using the survey in relation to the council's goals. e Mr. Green wondered why the council's effort at community outreach had been dropped after an unsuccessful meeting at Amazon Community Center. He reported that inappropriate telephone messages were sometimes left on his answering machine by citizens. I. Intergovernmental Relations Mr. Boles said this was a goal that had lacked a specific work plan and consequently had not received adequate attention. He thought interjurisdictional cooperation was greatest around specific projects and said that transportation may be an issue around which LTD and the City can improve their relationship. Mr. Rutan thought intergovernmental relations was more appropriately a workplan item and not a council goal. Ms. Schue viewed the City's efforts as successful at the Federal level and improving at the State level. She had some reservations about City staff's outreach efforts toward Springfield and wondered about one city using staff to work for another. Ms. Schue encouraged other councilors to become more involved in intergovernmental issues and to use the opportunities available. Ms. Bascom noted that other councilors need to fill the role in this area that Ms. Schue has assumed for so many years. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 26, 1990 Page 3 Goal-Setting Session -- J. Workload Issues Ms. Ehrman was frustrated by the large number of community responsibilities that accompany the position of City Councilor. Mr. Rutan also asked for attention to reducing the work load of councilors and recommended reviewing committee assignments. He emphasized the importance of the council spending its time on policy issues. In general, councilors felt progress had been made over the past year on all the council goals. Mr. Holmer, however, criticized postponement and delay of certain items on the council's list of goals and did not consider the council to have been as effective as other councilors had implied. He referred to development of the site at 8th and Willamette as an example of moving too slowly. Mr. Rutan encouraged the council to focus on its accomplishments and to feel good about them, but at the same time not lose sight of what it has yet to do. Mr. Gleason highlighted some of the past year's accomplishments that he considered particularly noteworthy: councilors' efforts in Washington, DC, represent an investment that will yield tremendous benefits (University of Oregon Science Center, the Airport, Ferry Street Bridge, wetlands); improvements have been made in the Building Division; the sludge site is a model operation; the Airport has done for transportation what the Hult Center e did for the arts; planning for Glenwood has progressed; trees are now part of the road fund; urban transition has provided $1.8 million for roads; an important connection has been made between public safety and neighborhood parks; Highway 99N construction and annexation work is progressing; and issues around special groups in the loan program are now being addressed. At this point, the council took a five-minute break before moving to the next agenda item. II. PROCESS ISSUES Councilors agreed that another process session that will include newly elected councilors should be scheduled in about a month. Rules for the process discussion were established: councilors were asked to be open, direct, candid, and specific; and to use examples when listing their perceptions of what helps and hinders them in their efforts to become a more effective team. Using flip charts, councilors listed the following as being helpful: 1) frank one-on-one discussions of personal feelings on process as well as issues; e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 26, 1990 Page 4 Goal-Setting Session e 2} talking individually to each other on important issues before the issue becomes public in order to know what each other's priorities are; 3} being sure to include every councilor in the individual conversation above whenever possible; 4} the Mayor honoring the council's position or checking with the council before doing anything that appears not to respect that position; 5} establishing a ground rule that retiring councilors are to tell the Mayor whether they feel comfortable having their successors attend goals sessions before their terms officially end; 6} experienced councilors coaching new members of the council; 7} polling the council informally before voting; 8) the Mayor informing the council in advance about his views on issues; 9} staff providing options for council action on items and making recommendations; IO} use of the consent calendar for routine items to shorten the e council's agenda of items requiring discussion (but not putting too much on the consent calendar during the first quarter of new councilors' first year in office); II} availability of staff to provide information needed by new councilors; I2} having immediate feedback from councilors on process (example: Mayor Miller's invitation to County Commissioner Roberts to speak from the floor at the October 8 meeting); I3} using a timer to limit public testimony and provide equal opportunities for all to speak (Ms. Schue objected to this); and 14) using the McNutt Room for meetings at which meals are served. Councilors listed the following as not helping them be effective: I} not being candid about how we feel (example: Mr. Rutan's leave of absence and other councilors' feelings about the resulting increase in their work loads); 2} someone else restating a position after another councilor has expressed it at a council meeting (example: discussion of City Manager's tenure); e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 26, 1990 Page 5 Goal-Setting Session e 3) the Mayor making statements that are interpreted as offering counsel instead of asking questions that clarify councilors' positions; 4) experienced councilors' patronizing attitudes toward new councilors; 5} always seeking consensus instead of just putting things to a vote; 6) councilors requesting delay of action and then not being present for follow-up; 7) not having milk at lunch and the presence of bugs in the McNutt Room; and 8) holding meetings in uncomfortable locations (example: Black Angus). Over dinner, the council discussed the book New World, New Mind and other reading material on governance. They then continued discussing process issues informally, focusing on the appropriate role of the Mayor in council discussion of issues on which he holds a minority opinion; on how the Mayor can move a meeting along without stifling debate on issues; and on issues around travel. Councilors agreed that the Council Committee on Committees e should review councilors' special requests for trips. III. SHORT LIST Ms. Thorne suggested focusing attention on those items which all councilors mentioned during her interviews in preparation for the session and leaving other items on a list of issues to be worked on that are not the council's primary goals. The list for special focus included: - - Li brary --Social Goal (housing or another?) --Transportation --Downtown --Financial Stability In addition, Mr. Green asked that a multicultural center be considered as a possible goal for the coming year. Councilors discussed whether economic diversification or development belonged on the list as separate items and how Facilities (City assets) and Special Events fit within the list. Intergovernmental cooperation, community design review process, and coordination of the new council were also listed as important issues on which to focus some attention. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 26, 1990 Page 6 Goal-Setting Session -- e A. Social Goal Councilors considered whether their social goal should continue to be affordable low-income housing or if they should identify a new social issue to begin working on. Mr. Green asked them to consider a multicultural center as the social goal for 1991. The council reached general agreement to continue with housing as the social goal for another year, making it clear that this would be its final year as the primary social goal and emphasizing the importance of establishing a structure for addressing the issue of affordable housing when it is no longer the primary goal. B. Transportation Councilors agreed to discuss transportation at length on Saturday. C. Financial Stability There was some disagreement as to whether this item should be included as a goal and whether it should be called "financial strategy" instead of "financial stability." State Ballot Measure 5 and the Legislature both could require fundamental changes in the way local governments are financed. Councilors agreed to continue discussing the topic on Saturday. The capital budget and facilities issues were identified as a subsection of this goal. Councilors reached agreement that identifying priorities for the e allocation of capital funds in order to maintain City assets was important. Mr. Gleason agreed to present an overview of the budget early in the Saturday session in order to provide a context for the council's discussion of this goal. D. Downtown Councilors discussed whether downtown was a separate goal or part of a goal best described as Economic Strategy/Special Events. Expenses associated with the Cuthbert Amphitheater facility were discussed in relation to needs associated with what might be considered more important issues such as homelessness. While there was general support for the special events strategy recently accepted by the council, councilors were divided on whether to include it on their short list of goals and agreed that without stronger support, it should be deleted from the short list. Councilors agreed that downtown should remain on the short list of important goals for further discussion on Saturday. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 26, 1990 Page 7 Goal-Setting Session - ----- e E. Multicultural Center Mr. Green said that the community needs a place where all cultures could come together. He envisioned a facility in which public forums and cultural arts performances are held and nonprofit organizations are housed. Councilors expressed concern about potential "ghettoization," how to ensure that all cultures are represented, and the need to not duplicate existing recreational facilities and service agencies. They suggested assigning the new Human Rights Commission the task of studying the community's needs and the costs of a facility, and developing a proposal for council consideration. They agreed to give careful consideration to the recommendations of the commission but noted that agreement did not imply accepting those recommendations. They also emphasized that they were recommending this work be done with existing staff resources. IV. GOALS DISCUSSION While intergovernmental cooperation was not listed as one of the short list goals, Mr. Boles felt strongly that it was important to clarify relationships with other jurisdictions. Councilors agreed that they valued effective intergovernmental cooperation and accepted the responsibility to work toward improving that cooperation. Councilors reached consensus to gather information about what other e communities are doing to address community design issues. Loud music from an adjacent room interrupted the council's discussion and the meeting adjourned at 9 p.m. to October 27, 1990. Respectfully submitted, ~~;? L "~~~1 Micheal Gleason, City Manager (Recorded by Mary Feldman) mncc 102690 e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 26, 1990 Page 8 Goal-Setting Session