Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/31/1990 Meeting e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall October 31, 1990 11 :30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Roger Rutan, Emily Schue, Shawn Boles, Bobby Green, Robert Bennett, Freeman Holmer, Ruth Bascom. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Debra Ehrman. The regular meeting of the Eugene City Council was called to order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller. 1. ITEMS FROM THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY MANAGER In recognition of Halloween Mr. Rutan read a prepared speech. Mr. Boles noted that the Lane County Commissioners would review the Tree Ordinance at an upcoming meeting and that he would be out of town on that day. He requested that the City Council be represented at the meeting. e In response to a comment by Mr. Boles, Mayor Miller said each councilor would have the opportunity to submit comments for the State of the City 1991. Ms. Bascom said the council had received mail from people complaining that there are no public rest rooms in the downtown area. She pointed out that there are rest rooms at both the Overpark and Parcade, but that they are not well marked. She requested that the Planning and Development Department work on signage for the rest rooms. Mayor Miller asked if the council wished to include a report from the Strategic Planning Committee in its November 19 process session. Dave Whitlow, Assistant City Manager, said the FY92 budget might be on the agenda for this meeting. Therefore, there would probably not be enough time for a report from the committee. Mr. Boles noted that a discussion of the Commercial Lands Study had been moved to a November 7 council meeting. He said he would not be able to attend this meeting and asked if this discussion could be rescheduled. Darcy Marentette, City Manager's Office, pointed out that the Commercial Wetlands Study would be the only item on the council's agenda if it met on November 5. Jan Childs, Planning Division Manager, said other work sessions on the study would be held. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1990 Page 1 e In response to a question from City Manager Mike Gleason, Mr. Rutan said he had attended a press meeting at the Eugene Airport the previous day on the Airport Master Plan at which Senator Bob Packwood had also been present, along with local Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representatives. He said he had discussed the City's request for a $7.3 million grant from the FAA and that Senator Packwood seemed knowledgeable and supportive of the request. Mr. Rutan said that if the City received this funding, most would be used for an extended runway. II. UPDATED AIRPORT MASTER PLAN Mike Boggs, Airport Manager, said the final Airport Master Plan had been updated and was similar in concept to the former 20-year plan. He said the County Commissioners had unanimously approved the plan. He said the plan included the acquisition of 980 acres adjacent to present airport property for future expansion and environmental buffers. Mr. Boggs said the master plan had taken 18 months to produce and had involved 20 public meetings. In response to a question from Ms. Bascom, Mr. Boggs said more research was needed before traffic pattern changes on Airport and Clear Lake roads could be predicted. He said the master plan recommended that this research be e conducted in an independent study or through TransPlan. Ms. Bascom asked when flights from Eugene to Chicago would be scheduled. Mr. Boggs said this depended on the market and was a decision which would have to be made by United Airlines. He said the extended runway would make such flights possible. In response to a question from Mr. Holmer, Mr. Boggs said most of the 980 acres recommended for acquisition in the plan were zoned agricultural. He said some of this land that was designated as Airport Reserve on the Metro Plan Diagram might be used for airport-related needs. Gary Chenkin, Planning and Development Department, said use of the land would depend on its designation in the Airport Master Plan. He said most of the land would be used as a buffer between airport property and adjacent lands. He said some portions of the acquired 980 acres closest to the airport might be occupied by airport-related commercial and industrial uses. Mr. Boles asked if the 980 acres should include any industrial use if it were being purchased to be used as environmental buffering. He asked if any agricultural land would be developed by the Airport. Mr. Boggs said a portion of the new parallel runway would be built on agricultural land. Mr. Boles asked why the Airport needed to purchase agricultural land if its use would not change. Mr. Boggs said the FAA recommends airports own e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1990 Page 2 -------- e reasonable amounts of land to use for buffering. Mr. Boles said that if the 20-year plan did not recommend land use changes, the land should be protected as agricultural land. Mr. Gleason said entities such as the Bond Sports Complex were often developed in areas near airports. He said it was prudent to acquire land near the airport to ensure that incompatible businesses were not built on its boundaries. He said this was why the FAA recommended the purchase of such land. Mr. Rutan said SeaTac in Seattle was forced to buy land adjacent to the airport after that property had already been developed as subdivisions. Mr. Gleason pointed out that the Bond Sports Complex had been built after land use studies were in effect. Mr. Boles said it was a mistake to use agricultural land for any other purpose than growing food in light of anticipated shortages. Mayor Miller said that, in view of the recent fatal accident on Barger Road, he would like to see an update of roads in the area of the airport. Mr. Boggs said this had been a major issue throughout the master plan process and that further study of the issue had been recommended. Mayor Miller suggested that a study of roads in the area of the airport should be quickly expedited. Mr. Boggs said the Airport Master Plan would not set any constraints on the timing of such a study. Mr. Gleason said the e City Council could request that additional time be set aside to study traffic flow in the airport area. Christine Andersen, Public Works Director, said a study of Airport roads would need to involve City, County, and State staff. She said the Airport Master Plan Advisory Committee had discussed the installation of signals at the intersection of Airport Road and Highway 99, but this was not a high priority. Ms. Andersen said airport access was an important issue, but the roads in question were in the County's jurisdiction. She said the City could initiate a joint review of roads accessing the airport. Ms. Andersen said the City had identified the intersection of Barger and Beltline roads as a problem area, but that the Barger Road-Highway 99 intersection was not a high-accident area. She said a signal at this point could cause longer delays than are presently experienced. CB 4260--An ordinance adopting the Eugene Airport Master Plan; and repealing Resolution No. 3308. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Bennett, that the bill, with unanimous consent of the council, be read the second time by council bill number only, and that enactment be considered at this time. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 7:0. e Page 3 MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1990 e Council Bill 4260 was read the second time by number only. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Bennett, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote; the motion carrying 6:1, with councilors Bennett, Schue, Bascom, Green, Holmer, and Rutan voting aye; and Councilor Boles voting against; the bill was declared passed (and became Ordinance 19730). III. WORK SESSION: LIBRARY SITING DECISION/DISCUSSION OF PUBLIC INPUT Hillary Kittleson, Planning and Development Department, reviewed staff notes on the library siting decision, and introduced Tony Mounts, Administrative Services Department, and Carol Hildebrand, Assistant City Librarian. Ms. Hildebrand said this was the last day on which public response sheets on library siting would be accepted. She said 1,700 response sheets had been received with most favoring relocating the library to the old Sears building. Ms. Hildebrand said some of the issues raised by the public included the need for continued public information, why the Bon Marche building has not been chosen, use of the present library, parking, and free on-site parking. Ms. Hildebrand said survey respondents represented most of the Eugene area, with the exception of the Bethel-Danebo area. She said continued contact e with the public was important. She said that although the survey was not completely scientific, the level of interest in library siting had been high. In response to a question from Mr. Rutan, Ms. Hildebrand said the public seemed to feel that the City should proceed with its plans to move the library to the Sears building, although there were still many questions about this plan. Ms. Schue said she was impressed with the high level of interest shown in library plans. Ms. Hildebrand said the library board and staff were ready to make more public presentations. Mr. Green said that the Bethel neighborhood association's "lukewarm" response to a new library was probably due to a desire for branch libraries. Mr. Mounts said there were few alternatives for financing the library. He said such projects were traditionally funded through General Obligation debt, and operating costs were covered by general taxes. Mr. Mounts said staff had not included an option for a new revenue source because such a plan would take 12-18 months to develop. He said the e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1990 Page 4 e financing package was conservative in that it did not include the possibility of generating revenue from the sale of any eXisting assets, leases, or commercial activities, or from fund-raising or grants. Mr. Mounts reviewed three financing methods involving a bond issue and serial levy. He said the marginal operating costs of all three were approximately the same, but book funding methods differed. He said books could be funded through a serial levy or partially through a bond issue. Mr. Mounts said the cost estimates did not include weekend programming for families which would add approximately $110,000 to overall costs. Mr. Mounts said Ballot Measure 5 would affect the definition of capital construction and would seriously affect the ability to use a serial levy to finance the increase in library operating costs. Mr. Gleason said staff recommended the council not make a decision on library financing until after the November 6 election. In response to a question from Mr. Rutan, Mr. Mounts said the average assessed value of a single-family home in Eugene was approximately $70,000. Mr. Boles said the council had emphasized that it wanted the library to have a minimal affect on property taxes. He suggested the council explore alternative revenue sources as a fourth financing option. He said it would be difficult to convince the public that the library should be financed by increased property taxes. e Mr. Rutan said the council should decide on a funding package for the library before the March election and that a new funding process would require 12-18 months to develop. Mr. Bennett said he was concerned about the continuing, comprehensive financial needs of the community. He said that although he was concerned about the idea of financing the library with property tax money, he was encouraged by the funding proposals. He said he had heard many positive responses to the idea of relocating the library in the Sears building. Mr. Holmer said the council needed to find a continuing source of revenue. He asked if book costs for the library could legally be capitalized. Ms. Schue said that although she agreed that the council needed to reorganize the City tax structure, it had to operate in the interim and she did not want the library project delayed because of such a reorganization. She said she favored proposals to fund the library with increased property taxes. Mayor Miller said that while property taxes and capital projects should be coordinated, the council should also look for ways to shift the tax burden. Mr. Boles said he would like to see someone on the City staff do a "quick e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1990 Page 5 e cut" on alternative revenue sources as a fourth library financing option. Ms. Bascom said private funding and the sale of the present library should be goals. Mr. Rutan said the council should ascertain the actual costs of the library project, including whether $1.2 million would be needed for parking. Mr. Bennett said the City should attempt to find some private funding for the library project. However, he said sale of the present library building should not be included as a revenue source at this time. He suggested the cost of books for the next four years be estimated and a lump sum for them raised. Mr. Boles asked if the council wished to review the pros and cons of an alternative revenue source. Mr. Rutan said staff had already prepared information about a restaurant tax. Mr. Green said he would favor such a review. Ms. Bascom said she felt it was unlikely that a proposal for the financing of the library with a restaurant tax could be prepared by March. Mayor Miller added that the most recent defeat of library relocation plans had begun with a discussion about financing methods. He said this was probably one of the reasons that this proposal was defeated. He said people would agree to increased property taxes if they favored a project. Ms. Schue said that while she was not philosophically opposed to a restaurant e tax, she did not want those who did oppose such a tax fighting plans for a new library. A vote was taken on Mr. Bole's suggestion that the council review a restaurant tax as an alternative revenue source for library funding. The proposal was defeated 4:3, with councilors Bascom, Schue, Bennett, and Rutan voting against; and councilors Green, Boles, and Holmer voting in favor. Mr. Boles corrected page 1 of "Financing Eugene's Future Library: A Range of Options" to read that Option A referred to two stories and Option B to three stories. The councilors agreed to Mr. Rutan's suggestion for a slight change in the proposed wording of the motion. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Bennett, to authorize continued work on a comprehensive proposal for a new library at the northeast corner of lOth Avenue and Charnel ton Street. This project includes renovating the former Sears building, adding new space east of the building, providing surface parking on the half block south of 10th Avenue, and consideration of parking below the library building. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously. e Page 6 MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1990 e IV. WORK SESSION: POLICE UNIFORMS Richard Loveall, Police Captain, presented an ordinance prohibiting the wearing of the police uniform by anyone other than a police officer. He said 19 complaints about police impersonations have been filed in the last two years, and that the City of Springfield has an ordinance similar to the one being proposed for Eugene. In response to a question from Mr. Boles, City Prosecutor Dan Barkovic said the ordinance was enforceable. He said it was similar to a California statute. Mr. Gleason said the ordinance has been under consideration for a long time. He added that there were people in the Eugene area wearing uniforms similar to police uniforms but who were not police officers. He said some security firms wore uniforms very similar to that of the Eugene Police Division. He added that the division had recently changed to new uniforms which made this a good time to issue a uniform ordinance. The City Council agreed to consider the ordinance for approval. The meeting adjourned at 1 p.m. Respectfully submitted, e ~~~r.~1 Michea1 Gleason City Manager (Recorded by Kris Bloch) mncc 103190 e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1990 Page 7