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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/06/1991 Meeting ---- e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall November 6, 1991 11:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Roger Rutan, Shawn Boles, Ruth Bascom, Randy MacDonald, Kaye Robinette. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Debra Ehrman, Bobby Green, Paul Nicholson. The adjourned meeting of November 4, 1991, of the Eugene City Council was called to order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller. 1. ITEMS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND CITY MANAGER A. Citizen Advisory Interviews Mr. Rutan asked councilors to meet promptly at 5:30 p.m. on November 7, for citizen advisory committee member interviews. The first candidate will be e interviewed at 5:45 p.m. Mayor Miller referred to a memorandum from Bobby Green about Governor Rob- erts' efforts to broaden minority participation on boards and commissions and encouraged those present to do the same. B. Budget Committee Mr. Rutan noted that the time for the Budget Committee meeting on November 19 has been changed to 5:30 p.m. to avoid a conflict with one of the Eugene Decisions workshops. C. League of Oregon Cities Board Mr. Rutan indicated he will nominate Mr. MacDonald for the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) Board at the LOC conference the evening of November 10. D. Accessibility Sign Mr. Boles wondered if the new yellow diamond sign along City Hall on Pearl Street had been approved by the Human Rights Commission's Committee on Acces- sib il ity. Mayor Miller asked staff to ensure they solicit input from affect- ed groups. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 6, 1991 Page 1 e E. City Council Minutes Ms. Bascom discussed the verbatim minutes transcription that council re- ceived in their Friday packets. Mr. Boles noted that the minutes recorders' independent microphone system made it difficult for people at the other end of the room to be heard. Darcy Marentette, City Manager's Office, said staff was in the process of linking minutes recording equipment to the same system as the media. F. Compact Fluorescent Lights Ms. Bascom shared information on Eugene Water & Electric Board's Super Good Cents features and wondered if the City had considered using compact fluores- cent lights which produce more light for less electricity. Staff will re- search their use. G. Lane Economic Council Ms. Bascom said projects chosen by the Lane Economic Council are funded from State Lottery money. She noted that there is no evident progress on projects previously chosen. With regard to the State's regional strategies program, Lee Beyer, Planning and Development Department, said that the Legislature impressed upon counties that decisions had to be made quickly and the money had to be spent within two years. He said 12 key industries were selected for funding considera- - tion. County Commissioners need to choose one of these industries by Febru- ary and submit a grant application by May. Mr. Rutan said the council needed to decide whether it wants to provide tes- timony before the State Department of Economic Development on November 21. His recommendation is that the City not present testimony. He noted that Lane County qualifies for up to $1.3 million, a reduction from allocations in previous years. Mr. Rutan also noted that Eugene has been one of the largest recipients of regional strategies funding, and this is a good opportunity to let smaller communities benefit. Responding to a question from Mr. MacDonald, Mr. Byers said last year's strategy has not been implemented yet. The grant has just been signed and one of the projects includes manufactured housing. He read the list of the chosen industries: agricultural products, fisheries, horse products, plas- tics, metals, high techonology, bio-techonology, interstate tourism, aero- space, software, film and video, and environmental sciences. There was consensus not to present anything at the State Department of Eco- nomic Development meeting on November 21. H. Southern Willamette Private Industry Council Mr. MacDonald announced that the annual meeting of the Southern Willamette Private Industry Council (SWPIC) would occur at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon at e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 6, 1991 Page 2 the Emerald Job Center. He noted that SWPIC will hire a new director in the e spring. Mr. Gleason reminded the council that SWPIC was a consolidation of City and County services, and formed with the condition that the organization would continue City policies. He expressed hope that the new director would be given this important background information. Mr. MacDonald said he would consult with SWPIC's board chair and obtain pertinent documentation from staff. I. Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority Mr. MacDonald said he is also attending the annual meeting between Lane Re- gional Air Pollution Authority (LRAPA) and its advisory committee this eve- ning. Topics of discussion include long-range air quality issues, such as vehicle emission control and the wood-stove burning management program. J. UO Director of Legislative and Community Relations Mr. MacDonald announced that he has accepted the post of Director of Legisla- tive and Community Relations at the University of Oregon. I!. WORK SESSION ON ALTERNATIVE FUELS Christine Andersen, Public Works Director, said pertinent materials have been e distributed to councilors under separate cover. She said today's discussion would focus on the feasibility of using alternative-fueled vehicles in the City's fleet. She noted council's interest in reducing the use of fossil fuels and their environmental impact. Ms. Andersen said staff currently finds alternative modes of transportation very useful in certain applica- tions. Bicycles are used for on-site travel at the treatment plant and air- port. They have also been used for short trips and field trip needs within the metro area by Planning and support staff. In addition, staff are encour- aged to use bus passes as much as possible. The City's changes in its park- ing program, Ms. Andersen said, may lead to changes in other areas, such as walking routes for parking control officers. Fleet Manager George Jessie reviewed the information contained in his April 8, 1991, memorandum to the council giving the City's experience with alterna- tive-energy vehicles, saying there had been problems with the use of propane- fueled vehicles. He noted Eugene Water & Electric Board staff had reported unfavorable experiences with electric vehicles and abandoned a pilot program in the mid-1980s. Mr. Boles encouraged council to pursue use of alternative fuels on at least a 1 i mited bas is. Responding to a question from Mr. Rutan, Mr. Jessie said he was not sure if there had been much improvement in the electric vehicle industry. Mr. MacDonald related the use of electric vehicles for mail delivery in e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 6, 1991 Page 3 e Cupertino, California, noting that California and ten other states had adopt- ed strict rules and set minimum standards for the use of nonpolluting vehi- cles in the near future. He felt this will invigorate interest by the indus- try. Mr. Boles agreed with Mr. MacDonald and encouraged a more proactive posture by the City. Mr. Jessie summarized his findings, saying sedans and pickups offer the greatest opportunity for alternative-fuel systems. These vehicles account for 46 percent of fleet use and consume 36 percent of the City's fuel. He said patrol cars, fire trucks, and ambulances are exempt from regulations because of their special needs. He said heavy-duty vehicles such as tractors and dump trucks have all been converted to diesel. Mr. Gleason recommended that council authorize the purchase of bicycles and an electric cart and experiment with their use. Mayor Miller thought the motor vehicle industry may be willing to loan the City a demonstration vehicle. Councilors agreed that a cost-benefit analysis, including external costs, should be conducted and that the City should make a small investment in al- ternative-fuel vehicles for experimentation. Ms. Andersen suggested council be provided with a brief report in the annual e budget for Fleet on the vehicles that need replacement. II!. FY93 "PLACEHOLDER" BUDGET Continuing the discussion from a previous meeting, Warren Wong, Administra- tive Services Director, introduced the topic of general capital projects funding. He reviewed three tiers developed by staff on potential resource and requirement adjustments and four budget options, which are distinguished by the amount to fund the Capital Budget (ranging from $500,000 in Option 1 to $2 million in Option 4). Responding to a question from Mayor Miller, Mr. Wong said that the Options all assume a fully funded operating budget. In response to Mr. Rutan, Mr. Wong defined a placeholder budget as one that is a legal document to bring before the council for adoption in June. It can later be amended to implement Eugene Decisions strategies. Mr. Gleason said he held Cash Reserves as a higher fiduciary priority than the Capital Budget because tapping reserves is like "living on borrowed time." Spending reserves is spending income (earned interest on reserves). The price of borrowing goes up and the volatility of other revenues (such as property taxes) have a greater impact, resulting in inflexibility. He noted e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 6, 1991 Page 4 -------- e that the Cash Reserve was currently at $7.5 million when it should be at $9 million based on pre-Ballot Measure 5 programs, or at about $11 million to meet current needs. Responding to a question from Mr. Rutan, Mr. Wong said that about $3.5 mil- lion is going toward catching the City up on code and statutory compliance dealing with health and life safety issues and mechanical systems. Summarizing the discussion, Mayor Miller said staff should hold beginning working capital (including Ballot Measure 5 money) to $9 million and capital at $1.5 million and, taking today's council discussion into consideration, make adjustments accordingly. Mr. Wong asked the council to allow for staff creativity because he is con- cerned with property tax collection rates. Noting there is only a $.5 million difference between Options 3 and 4, Mr. Boles preferred Option 4 in order to best protect the City's physical infra- structure. Mr. Robinette agreed that if the $.5 million made a great differ- ence, council might want to spend it. Ms. Andersen said staff could provide information on the $.5 million differ- ences. Mr. Gleason said that the timing of projects provided some flexibili- ty. There was consensus to have staff work with Option 3, with the possibility of e Option 4, if the $.5 million trade-off makes a great difference. Mr. Gleason said Budget Committee members have been invited to Eugene Deci- sions workshops. He also encouraged councilors to communicate with other Budget Committee members. The council adjourned at 1:20 p.m. (Recorded by Yolanda Paule) MNCC 101691-11:30 e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 6, 1991 Page 5