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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/15/1992 Meeting e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council McNutt Room--Eugene City Hall January 15, 1992 11:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Shawn Boles, Ruth Bascom, Debra Ehrman, Bobby Green, Randy MacDonald, Paul Nicholson, Kaye Robinette, and Roger Rutan. The adjourned meeting of January 13, 1992, 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. Tugman Park Ms. Bascom said she and City Loss Control Analyst Chuck Solin walked through Tugman Park on January 14. She noted that the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has ordered the City to take an expensive abatement action on e the property. Responding to a question from Ms. Ehrman, City Manager Mike Gleason said that the County had no part in operating the waste dump that has precipitated the problem at Tugman Park. B. Springfield Mayor's State of the City Ms. Bacsom said she and Mayor Miller attended Springfield Mayor Morrisette's State of the City event. C. Campaign for the Office of Mayor Ms. Bascom announced the first of a series of campaign statements, to be released at the Hult Center on January 16, at 11 a.m. The second statement will be issued at 11 a.m. on January 22, at the Central Mall Fountain. D. Salvage Recycling Problem Mr. Robinette noted that the area's only auto salvage yard has announced it will no longer accept cars. He said this adds to the community's problem with solid waste disposal and recycling. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Lunch Work Session January 15, 1992 Page 1 e e e E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Mr. Green reminded councilors that today is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. He announced activities at the Hult Center on January 20, cele- brating the event. F. Northwest Crack Down on Drugs Mr. Green drew attention to an article in this month's CoSac newsletter enti- tled: "Northwest Crack Down on Drugs." He said the article announced a three-hour television program on January 22 that encourages the reporting of illegal drug activity to a hotline. He asked that the article be made avail- able to the Department of Public Safety Advisory Committee. G. Sidewalk Vending Ordinance Ms. Ehrman said she will be unable to attend the council's work session on the Sidewalk Vending Ordinance on February 12, but will be available for the public hearing. H. Asbestos Removal Projects Ms. Ehrman said that the topic of asbestos removal projects was discussed at the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority's (LRAPA) meeting on January 14. She expressed concern that the presence of asbestos in residences is common. Ms. Ehrman said that Springfield's permit staff and Fire Department work closely with LRAPA to notify them of any asbestos problems observed. She asked that City of Eugene Permit and Information and/or Fire Department staff attend LRAPA's next presentation on this topic. I. Washington, DC Lobbying Trip Mr. Rutan reported on the Intergovernmental Relations Committee's (IGR) meet- ing on January 14. He said council needs to make at least preliminary plans for the Washington, DC lobbying trip, February 24-26. Mayor Miller and coun- cilors Rutan, Boles, and Nicholson expressed interest in attending. Mr. Rutan said that there is broader local participation in the trip this year. New partners include Lane Community College, City of Springfield, Eugene Water & Electric Board, and Lane County. Both Ms. Bascom and Ms. Ehrman expressed concern that a large delegation would dilute the City's lobbying effort. Linda Lynch, IGR staff, said that the larger delegation adds to the work that the City's lobbyists are required to do; however, local partners have agreed to help with the added costs. She said there was a combined list of issues, having community-wide interest that will be dealt with in the partnership group. City of Eugene issues will be lobbied separately. MINUTES--Eugene City Council Lunch Work Session January 15, 1992 Page 2 e e e Mr. Boles asked that IGR staff craft the short list of overlapping issues to add to the united front the council wishes to present. Mr. Gleason said the City's lobbying efforts are described as the most effec- tive by area legislators in the capitol. J. National League of Cities Meeting Linda Lynch, IGR staff, said that the National League of Cities meeting in Washington, DC is March 7-10. There is a ten-day period between this and the lobbying trip. Councilors need to decide on attendance soon. K. League of Oregon Cities Mr. MacDonald said he is attending the League of Oregon Cities board meeting in Pendleton on January 17. Both previous and ongoing board members will be in attendance. He encouraged councilors to communicate pertinent issues. L. Library Long-Range Plan Mr. MacDonald lauded the Library's long-range planning process, saying that in spite of receiving great support through the Eugene Decisions process, the Library continues to look for ways in which it can become more efficient. M. Southeast Amazon Channel Restoration Project Mr. MacDonald said he continues to work on the Southeast Amazon Channel Res- toration Project. He expressed a desire to make an informational presenta- tion to the council next month. Mr. Boles suggested that Mr. MacDonald contact the Committee on Infrastruc- ture to determine how the restoration project plan relates to issues such as storm water and wetland management. Ms. Ehrman favored receiving the information in writing and then having the council decide if it wants a presentation. In response to a question from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. MacDonald said the restoration project is an evolving group and includes a landscape architectural student named Jeff Kruegar, community members, and him. There was consensus favoring a short, written summary of the project. N. Tree Commission Ordinance Mr. Boles said the Council's Committee on Infrastructure has issued a specif- ic list of charges to the Tree Commission, asking them to rework the tree ordinance, together with the assistance of Ken Tollenaar, the Planning Com- mission appointee to the Committee on Infrastructure. The Tree Commission has 30 days to forward the ordinance back to the Committee on Infrastructure. MINUTES--Eugene City Council Lunch Work Session January 15, 1992 Page 3 - Mr. Boles expressed the oplnlon that the Council was not clear on its initial charge to the commission and that staff did not keep the commission on track. O. Commercial Leasing Prohibition Mr. Boles said he wants to make sure that the City Attorney's Office is ad- dressing the issue of commercial leasing prohibitions. A report on that issue should be forwarded to the council prior to its hearing on the Commer- cial Lands Study. P. Committee Assignments Mr. Boles reported on the Council Officers' meeting, saying it was able to honor councilor committee assignment preferences. He reminded councilors who have been on trips in the last quarter and have not turned in reports to do so. Mr. Boles said council officers also discussed the issue of council efficiency, and are committing to finding ways to improve both the quality results and the time it takes to reach closure on issues. e Q. Withdrawal From Service Districts After Annexation Mr. Boles wondered if there had been a resolution to the process for with- drawing property from the various districts. Sharon Rudnick, City Attorney's Office, said that council is required to consider ordinances separately because they require two votes. However, she said, there is no reason why the City cannot have just one ordinance that section by section includes multiple withdrawals. Exclusions may be dealt with in amendment. R. Solid Waste and Recycling Board Mr. Nicholson recommended approval of the Mayor's appointee to the Solid Waste and Recycling Board, as a meeting is scheduled for January 23. Mr. Boles moved, seconded by Mr. Green, that council approve the Mayor's appointee to the Solid Waste and Recycling Board. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. Mr. Boles left the meeting. T. Construction Activity Hours Mr. Nicholson said he has received a complaint from a constituent regarding construction activity and noise prior to 7 a.m. The developer was completely unresponsive to both the constituent and Mr. Nicholson. He proposed amending the ordinance prohibiting such noise prior to 9 a.m. on weekends. Mr. Boles returned to the meeting. There was enough interest to pursue the matter on a future agenda. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Lunch Work Session January 15, 1992 Page 4 e e e U. Downtown Commission Liaisons Mr. Rutan said he and Mr. Nicholson have been assigned to serve as council liaisons to the Downtown Commission. V. Southern Willamette Private Industry Council Mayor Miller asked for a volunteer to serve on the Southern Willamette Pri- vate Industry Council. Mr. Robinette agreed to do so. II. WORK SESSION: GATEWAY REFINEMENT PLAN Jan Childs, Planning Division Manager, said the purpose of the presentation is to provide an overview of the Gateway Refinement Plan prior to the coun- cil's joint elected officials hearing with Lane County and the City of Springfield later this month. She noted that the City of Eugene's part in the process is not to approve the plan, but rather adopt amendments to the Metro Plan diagram, to the Public Facilities Plan, and to the TransPlan. These amendments are required in order to implement the refinement plan. Ms. Childs said that Eugene's Planning Commission had unanimously approved the amendments to the Metro Plan diagram, TransPlan, and Public Facilities Plan as recommended by the Springfield Planning Commission. Susie Smith, Springfield Development Department, reviewed the proposed amend- ments, highlighting those amendments that generated the majority of public testimony and interest. She noted that a 17-member citizen advisory commit- tee had been involved through the entire process of development and review of the plan. All three jurisdictions have held work sessions on the plan. Ms. Smith said that a joint Planning commissions public hearing has been held and a joint elected officials public hearing is scheduled January 29. Ms. Smith described the area boundary. The western boundary is 1-5, which also forms the city boundary between Eugene and Springfield. The northern boundary is the same as the urban growth boundary (UGB) in that area. The eastern edge corresponds with the edge of the McKenzie River. She noted that the Willakenzie area refinement plan starts on the other side of 1-5, and there is be some route connections that will cross the boundaries of the two plans. Responding to questions from the council, Ms. Smith said the area north of the plan area is zoned agricultural. Riverfront preservation will be accom- plished through policies such as setbacks and set-aside areas all applied through conceptual area planning within the plan, pending approval of the Natural Resources Special Study. Ms. Ehrman and others expressed concern with the implications for Harlow Road west of the plan area. MINUTES--Eugene City Council Lunch Work Session January 15, 1992 Page 5 e e e Mr. Rutan encouraged the council to communicate all its concerns to the Springfield City Council, saying it is prudent to consider how the plan im- pacts residents of Eugene. Ms. Smith specifically reviewed amendments affecting sites 20, 13, 18, 2, and Eugene Water & Electric Board right-of-way housing water facilities under- ground. Springfield Transportation Manager Hicham Chatila reviewed the major amend- ments to the TransPlan. The proposed plan calls for the extension of Pioneer Parkway to Beltline Road, to enhance access to approximately 500 acres of undeveloped land. Another project is extending Belt1ine Road to the east to serve as a collection system for the medium-density site in that area. He noted there are other minor changes, but the major issue is accessibility to Pioneer Parkway. He noted that Harlow Road is designated as a minor arteri- al. Responding to a question from Mayor Miller, Mr. Chatila said there is no plan to extend Gateway to Centennial because McKenzie-Willamette Hospital plans to build in the area. Mr. Boles expressed concern in the way the plan's findings addressed Goal 12 and the lack of response to the direction from the State land Conservation and Development Commission in the Goal 12 administrative rule. Saying that Eugene has undertaken the Central Area Transportation Study (CATS) with Goal 12 administrative rule in mind, Mr. Boles also expressed concern at the in- consistencies of the two planning processes between the two jurisdictions. He asked for more information on the issue for the public hearing. III. WORK SESSION: EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Bill Bass, Department of Public Safety, presented a slideshow identifying major potential problems for emergency management, including the following: railroads, major traffic arterials, the airport, the industrial base, major research facility, significant water containment sites, high rise buildings, and local wooded areas. Other issues noted that could substantially impact the City were 1) earthquakes 2) floods 3) a South Hills fire and 4) major hazardous materials accidents. He listed some current resources as Mobil Command Post, a disaster van, and the Emergency Operations Center in City Hall, with a backup at Public Works. Mr. MacDonald noted the lack of a con- sistent emergency management program. Mr. Gleason said that a Master Plan has been developed but it requires table top drills annually, with plan updates every two or three years, and requires dedicated staffing. It was noted that the Federal Emergency Management Authority's (FEMA) major concern is civil defense. Although low-probability, high-level events can be catastrophic, it was felt that the focus should be turned to high-probabili- ty, low-level events. MINUTES--Eugene City Council lunch Work Session January 15, 1992 Page 6 e e e Mr. MacDonald said that the Emergency Management Plan is budgeted at $800, with Bill Bass as the emergency management officer. He noted that Lane Coun- ty has hired a full-time emergency disaster coordinator. He suggested secur- ing a student intern to identify ways to improve the planning situation with- out significant impact on financial resources. Mr. Boles suggested the issue be deferred to the Metropolitan Planning Com- mittee. IV. NEXT MEETING The council briefly discussed the January 13 evening meeting at the Eugene Conference Center, where it was presented with results of the last round of public input into the Eugene Decisions process by professors Weeks and Simonsen. Pam Berrian, City Manager's Office, asked the council if it wished to set aside time to begin assimilating the report findings and begin developing a process to formulate strategies. The council agreed to meet at 5:30 p.m. on January 22, for that purpose. The council meeting adjourned at 1:40 p.m. R73Jb, Micheal Gle~~ City Manager (Recorded by Yolanda Paule) MNCC 011592 MINUTES--Eugene City Council Lunch Work Session January 15, 1992 Page 7