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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/17/1991 Meeting e e e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall April 17, 1991 11:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Roger Rutan, Shawn Boles, Ruth Bascom, Randy MacDonald, Kaye Robinette, Paul Nicholson, Debra Ehrman, Bobby Green. The adjourned meeting of April 10, 1991, of the Eugene City Council was called to order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller. I. ITEMS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND CITY MANAGER A. Council Calendar Mr. Boles remarked on the need to ensure that all council meetings are listed on the weekly media calendar. He suggested that staff of the various commit- tees ensure that meeting information is forwarded. B. Fairgrounds Master Plan Mr. Boles announced that he recently attended a meeting with several juris- dictions about progress on the Fairgrounds Master Plan. The suggestion was raised at this meeting that Eugene, Lane County, and the Lane Transit Dis- trict (LTD), enter into a consortium agreement to speed up progress on plan development. Ms. Ehrman suggested that the Eugene-Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau be invited to participate in these discussions as well. The council offered its support for Mr. Boles suggestion and Ms. Ehrman's suggestions. Mr. MacDonald suggested that the fairgrounds be designated as a place where owners can allow their dogs to run without leashes. Ms. Ehrman said that the council should seek input from the City and County before moving forward with this suggestion. C. Council's Policy on Street Improvement Standards Mr. Boles noted that he has received calls recently from constituents who are concerned with the deterioration of some gravel streets in Eugene. He noted that the council's past policy on this issue was that the City not initiate MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 17, 1991 Page 1 e e e street upgrades. In following this policy, the City hoped that it would cut street maintenance costs, as well as provide citizens with an incentive to initiate their own upgrades. Mr. Boles said that it appears that this policy has not been successful and noted that concerns have been raised that some of these streets are becoming inaccessible to emergency vehicles. He suggested that the council review this policy. Mr. Green agreed on the need to revisit the policy issue and asked that the council explore various funding mechanisms for making street upgrades finan- cially feasible for low-income families. The council agreed on the need to review its policy regarding street mainte- nance and improvement in the near future. D. Structural Analysis for Earthquakes Mr. MacDonald requested that an earthquake analysis be included as a compo- nent of the environmental assessment that is being conducted on the former Sears building. Mr. Robinette noted that the cost for such an analysis should be negotiated with the existing owner of the building. E. Voter's Pamphlet Mr. MacDonald reviewed a letter from Dick Miller, a citizen, expreSSing con- cern that the City does not plan to issue a voter's pamphlet for the upcoming measure on the downtown mall redesign. He stated that when he voted on the issue, he was not aware that the City had an ordinance governing the pamphlet and was unaware of the criteria on which the council was to base its deci- sion. He pointed out that for State elections, Oregon residents tend to rely heavily on the voter's pamphlet for information about upcoming measures. Mr. Gleason noted that the timing on this measure was too short to permit the City to assemble adequate information to publish a voter's pamphlet. Mr. Gary, City Attorney's Office, further clarified that Eugene Code Section 2.993 governing the voter's pamphlet requires the City Manager to publish a voter's pamphlet unless the council determines otherwise. The two criteria on which the council can decide not to publish a pamphlet are if it deter- mines that there is a lack of sufficient time to do so or if the environmen- tal, social, or economic impacts of the measure are not substantial enough to warrant the expense. Mr. Gary said that the council's actions were consis- tent with this ordinance requirement. Mr. Boles suggested that the annual Community Attitudes Survey might contain questions about voter's pamphlet usage locally. Ms. Ehrman noted that the voter's pamphlet was started initially as a trial on which the council would conduct an evaluation at some point in the future to determine if it was to be effective. The council may wish to undertake MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 17, 1991 Page 2 . this evaluation to determine whether the pamphlet is effective enough to just ify costs. F. Migration into Oregon Mr. MacDonald noted that a newsletter recently produced by the Business As- sistance Team (BATeam) highlighted a significant trend of persons migrating into Oregon. He acknowledged the desirability of our community and hoped that the large in-migration of people would not negatively impact the quality of life. G. Solid Waste and Recycling Board (SWRB) Mr. MacDonald inquired about the timing of the council's further SWRB discus- sion regarding territories, yard waste streams, and associated recycling issues. In response, Mr. Gleason said that he would be forwarding his recom- mendations on these issues to the SWRB at the next rate hearing. Mr. Nicholson felt strongly that the council should be involved in decisions of this magnitude. He said that the issue of exclusive territories repre- sents a fundamental change from the City's current practice; this should not be an administrative decision. He suggested referring this issue to a sub- committee of the council. e Mr. Gleason noted that the issue of yard waste streams is a very complicated, time-consuming issue that requires metro wide coordination. He said that he will be proposing that this issue be moved up on SWRB's work plan, but will not be making a specific recommendation during the rate hearing. He agreed to provide the council with a memo outlining his recommendations on these issues prior to the rate hearing. He noted the significant council time that is going to be invested in the Eugene Decisions process and urged the council not to add these issues to its list of agenda items. Mr. Boles suggested that the issue of "integration with other jurisdictions" also be addressed in the discussions and a recommendation be included in the memo. He suggested that Councilor Nicholson attend the SWRB meetings in an ex-officio capacity. H. Participation in the Eugene Decisions Process In response to a letter to the editor recently published in The Register- Guard, Mr. MacDonald requested that the Homeless Action Coalition, Clients in Action, and Clergy and Laity Concerned be invited to participate in the Eu- gene Decisions process. He noted the importance of the perception that this process is open to all who want to participate. Mr. Boles indicated that these groups have already been added to the list of participants in response to feedback during the first meeting process. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 17, 1991 Page 3 e I. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Conference Mr. Green thanked the council for providing funding support for a trip to the NAACP conference recently held in California. He said that it was a very positive experience. J. Human Rights Commission Elections Mr. Green announced that Gretchen Miller has been nominated as Chair of the Human Rights Commission and that Marshall Sauceda has been selected as Vice Chair. e K. BATe am Assistance with Expansion Efforts Mr. Green commended the BATe am for its success in encouraging a computer memory disk operation located in North Eugene to expand in Eugene. L. Vending Carts on 13th Avenue Ms. Ehrman noted that she recently attended a meeting of the University Small Business Association who raised concerns with the City's policy on vending carts. It was the association's understanding that the ordinance that gov- erns this limits the number of vending carts allowed on the street. Ms. Ehrman said that the ordinance regulated spacing between the carts, but not the number. She alerted the council that the association may be coming be- fore the council in the near future asking that the distances be revised. M. Tucson Transit Station Ms. Ehrman said that Tucson, Arizona, has a good example of an open-air tran- sit station and suggested that the City might wish to consider a similar model for its own station. N. Arbor Week Activities Ms. Bascom announced that she recently took part in several tree-planting ceremonies with local middle school students in commemoration of Arbor Week. o. Skateboard Facility Ms. Bascom reported that construction of a skateboard facility is now under way. A mixture of public and private moneys has been invested in this project. P. Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) Activities Ms. Bascom noted that the MPC met recently to discuss progress on the Fair- grounds Master Plan. The committee agreed that this issue would not be a regular agenda item. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 17, 1991 Page 4 e Q. New University Transit Station Ms. Bascom said that LTD has recently announced plans to construct a new transit station for the University at the corner of 15th Avenue and Kincaid Street. The upgraded station is needed to serve the enhanced bus pass pro- gram. She noted that in order to construct the station, a number of metered parking spaces will need to be removed. The Transportation Engineer for the City has reviewed the plan and suggested that LTD conduct a trial period on the station. e Mr. Boles said that he is concerned by the lack of integration in transporta- tion planning efforts between the City and LTD. He noted that the new bus routing plan on Alder Street would have significant impacts on bicycle traf- fic. The council needs more input into these types of land-use decisions. He flagged this issue for discussion at the next quarterly process session. Mr. Gleason agreed that the council needs more ongoing dialogue with the LTD board regarding transportation planning. He pointed out that the City does not have a policy regulating the type of communication which should occur between the LTD board and the City. Mr. Robinette noted that better efforts toward coordination are needed from both the City and the board. LTD has voiced concern that it should be al- lowed to provide input into the City's refinement planning process. Mr. Boles asked Mr. Gleason to discuss this issue with the LTD Executive Director and to examine alternative policy relations between the council and LTD that would result in a solution for improved communication. R. 9-1-1 Enhancement Mr. Robinette noted that the Lane Council of Governments (L-COG) board re- cently voted to oppose legislation for funding of an enhanced 9-1-1 station. He said that he was not in attendance at that meeting, but asked whether this decision was in the purview of the L-COG board. In response, Mr. Gleason explained that the City acts as a contract agent to the 9-1-1 system. The ultimate decision regarding 9-1-1 enhancement is the responsibility of a 9-1-1 management board which is composed of representa- tives from the various users. The City supports moving toward an enhanced system. The council agreed that the City should get a recommendation from the 9-1-1 management board on the type of system which it supports prior to taking a position on this issue. S. Suggestions for the Public Hearing Format Mr. Nicholson said that several citizens have contacted him with concerns for the procedure that is being used at the public hearings. Typically all tes- e MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 17, 1991 Page 5 e e e timony from proponents is heard followed by testimony from opponents. He noted that a more fair and equitable process is needed. Mayor Miller acknowledged the need to find a fair and equitable way to hear public testimony. He noted that the existing procedure was created to elimi- nate debate between persons testifying. While it is the Mayor's prerogative to decide the format for hearing testimony, he said that he would be willing to adjust the process to alternate between proponents and opponents every fifth person when it appears the hearing will be lengthy. The council discussed this issue and agreed to the revised testimony format. It also agreed that the process to be followed should be clearly stated on the public testimony forms and that it should be made clear that testimony is not run on a first-come, first-served basis. T. Response to Testimony Regarding the 8th and Willamette Request for Proposal (RFP) Mr. Nicholson asked when the council would be receiving a reply to Bill Ma- son's questions raised at the last public hearing on the 8th and Willamette RFP. Mr. Gleason responded that the City Attorney's Office is currently drafting a response to Mr. Mason's questions; the council will be informed of that re- sponse as soon as it is announced. u. Ballot Measure 5 and Higher Education Mr. Rutan reported that he was present, but unable to testify, recently in Salem before the Ways and Means Education Subcommittee. He noted that he had the opportunity to meet with Speaker Larry Campbell and other members of the delegation regarding issues of higher education. Mr. Rutan said that the delegation was not very enthusiastic about the likelihood of identifying replacement revenues for higher education by May 1992. He recommended that councilors lobby State legislators aggressively about this issue and help provide them with an understanding of the magnitude of the problem. Mr. Rutan circulated a sign-up sheet for councilors interested in meeting with State officials. Mr. MacDonald noted that Representative Carl Hosticka has introduced the higher education stabilization act--a bill that would guarantee the same levels of faculty salaries and support funding for 1992-93, thus providing some security to existing faculty and enhance the likelihood of retention. Mr. Rutan said that this issue should be monitored closely. There is some controversy over this legislation about whether the existing Legislature can bind future legislative bodies. MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 17, 1991 Page 6 e e e v. Airport Runway Extension Mr. Rutan noted that the City recently managed to secure Federal discretion- ary fund money for airport runway extension. Project construction will begin next month. W. Road Fund Moneys for Downtown Design Mayor Miller noted that the Lane County Commissioners recently agreed to commit road fund monies for use on downtown redesign, contingent on voter approval of the design. x. Cable Franchise Joint Hearing Mr. Gleason said that the TCI Cablevision public hearing is scheduled for April 29. He noted that the council would not have enough time to discuss this agenda item today and suggested that councilors contact Randy Kolb to answer any questions they might have on this issue. He also noted that if necessary, there would be time to hold a work session on this issue, between the April 29 hearing and the decisional meeting May 13. Y. Revised Work Plan Mr. Gleason said that he would be coming before the council soon with a re- vised work plan schedule. The council can expect to invest a large amount of its time in the Eugene Decisions process. The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, .~~~'rl Micheal Gleason City Manager (Recorded by Traci Northman) mncc 041791-1130 MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 17, 1991 Page 7