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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/20/1978 Meeting , M I NUT E S - EUGENE CITY COUNCIL December 20, 1978 Adjourned meeting from December 13, 1978, of the City Council of the City of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by His Honor Mayor Gus Keller December 20, 1978, 11:30 a.m., King's Table, Oakway Mall, with the following Councilors present: D.W. Hamel, Ray Bradley, Eric Haws, Jack Delay, Brian Obie, and Betty Smith. Coucilors Tom Williams and Scott Lieuallen were absent. Mayor Keller extended happy holidays and seasons greetings. I. Items from Mayor and Council A. Councilor Bradley, noting this to be his last official Council meeting, extended his sincere thanks and appreciation to the staff for its assistance over the last four years. B. Civic Center Project--Mr. Obie noted three meetings in the last two days regarding the architectural plans for the Project. He urged Councilors go to view the visual model at the Civic Center - Offi ceo He felt it to be a good example of what good things could be done with the Project. It was noted that the models had been sent back to New York for further work. However, Manager said there was a large picture on the wall in Mr. Baumgartner's office, and several slides had been taken, which Councilors could view. C. Alton Baker Park Slough--Mr. Haws had received citizen concerns regarding the slough drainage into the Willamette River, and the containment of pollutants being drained into the city water supply. He requested staff review whether or not it should be a City concern and send both Mr. Hamel and him copies. D. L-COG Orientation Session--Letter distributed to Councilors inviting them to a session January 17, 7:30 p.m., at LCC Board Room. This would give an opportunity for Councilors to become acquainted with the operations and history of L-COG. E. CETA--Manager noted the memo distributed today indicates progress ~eing made in negotiations with Lane County staff. F. New Councilor Orientation--Scheduled today, December 20, Mayor1s office, starting at 2 p.m., with a tour of City Hall at the com- pletion of the orientation. e 12/20/78--1 181 , G. Flak Catcher--Manager said that Mel Jackson was completing his term as Flak Catcher. He congratulated Melon a job well done. Mel will be replaced by Karen Ross, HCC. e H. Smoking Policy--Memo distributed. Manager said the memo indicated that in April 1975, Council passed a motion prohibiting smoking at City Council formal and public meetings. It also encouraged all City commissions, boards, and committees to prohibit smoking at their public meetings. A recent administrative decision to ban smoking by any groups meeting in the Council Chamber over- stepped Council's authority, and for that apologies were in order. However, Manager did encourage the Council to authorize such a ban. Otherwise, the City would be facing replacement of the carpet in the next few years. Mr. Haws favored banning smoking in the Council Chambers for any grou ps. He felt the focal point should be both the protection of City property and the protection of the public who are attending the meetings. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, to prohibit smoking in the Council Chambers. Mr. Delay suggested that Council consider the broader question of requesting all City groups to ban smoking during their public meetings in order to protect the public. Mr. Delay moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to request all City e boards, commissions, and committees, to not smoke during their public meetings. Mr. Haws wondered how that was different from the present policy. Mr. Delay said all groups would be advised that the City Council wishes them to consider and address the problem now. Vote was taken on the amendment to the motion, which passed unanimously. Vote was taken on the main motion as amended, which passed unanimously. I. Election of Councilors--Legal opinion distributed. Manager noted the opinion states there is a constitutional requirement that sets City elections when other general elections are held. It would be very difficult to change the requirement, as it would require a constitutional amendment or a state statutory change by the State legislature. - 12/20/78--2 131 . Mr. Hamel suggested leaving the election laws as stated, with the possibility that City Councilors resign in May after their election - at the primary. It was noted if that were to occur, the City Council could make the appointments of the new Councilors at that time and this did not guarantee the appointment of the winner at the pri ma ry. J. Lane County Room Tax Ordinance--Legal Opinion distributed. Manager said this was in response to the discussion at Council's meeting December 13. The legal opinion indicates the County's counsel would advise County officials concerning compliance with the contracting law. As to whether or not the County can adopt a county-wide ordinance raising the rate without passage of a companion City ordinance, it was the City Attorney's opinion the County has authority in its charter to impose such a tax. It was reported that Lane County Commissioners had tabled the ordinance, with no future date set for a hearing. Staff wi 11 report back to Council within a month on alternatives of what other cities are doing. II. Routine Items for Council Approval A. Council minutes December 13, 1978 Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, to approve Council minutes December 13, 1978. Motion carried unanimously. e B. Authorizing payment of bills Res. No. 3059--Authorizing payment of bills, claims, and progress payments for period November 27 through December 20, 1978 was read by number and title. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, to adopt the resolution. Roll call vote. Motion carried unanimously. C. Improvement Petitions Res. No. 3060--Authorizing initiating process for street paving, sanitary sewer and storm sewer construction within Kiska Subdivision; and sanitary sewer construction within 160 feet of east ,margin of Kiska Subdivision (1547) was read by number and title. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, to adopt the resolution. Motion carried unanimously. Res. No. 3061--Authorizing initiating process for street paving, sani- tary sewer, and storm sewer constructin to serve Flatbush 1st Addition (1700) was read by number and title. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, to adopt the e resolution. Motion carried unanimously. 12/20/78--3 183 . D. Calling public hearing January 31, 1979 re: Easement Vacation C.B. 1806--Calling public hearing January 31, 1979 re: Easement e vacation located at southeast corner of West 18th Avenue and Washington Sreet (A & X, Inc.)(EV 78-15) was read by council bill number and title only, there being no Councilor present requesting it be read in full. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be read the second time by council bill number only, with unanimous consent of the Council, and that enactment be considered at this time. Motion carried unanimously, and the bill was read the second time by council bill number only. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote. All Councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered 18314. I I I. Public Hearings Re: Alley/Street/Easement Vacations A. Alley vacation located between Willamette Street and Olive Street, north from West 16th Avenue (Suchy) (AV 78-1) Unanimously recommended by the Planning Commission September 25, 1978. Jim Saul, Planner, was available to answer questions. Don Allen, Public Works Director, requested Council give first reading to this bill and hold for a second reading until payment had been received e by the City. Public hearing was held with no testimony presented. C.B. 1807--Authorizing alley vacation located between Willamette Street and Olive Street, north from West 16th Avenue, and retaining public utility easement over the entire area was read by council bill number and title only, there being no Councilor present requesting it be read in full. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be read the first time and held over. Motion carried unanimously. B. Street vacation located north of West 34th Avenue, west of Chambers Street (Dixon)(SV 78-3) Unanimously recommended by Planning Commission September 25, 1978. Mr. Saul, Planner, was available to answer questions. Public Hearing was held with no testimony presented. e 12/20/78--4 18* . Ii C.B. 1808--Authorizing street vacation located north of West 34th Avenue, west of Chambers Street, and retaining public - utility easement over entire area was read by council bill number and title only, there being no Councilor present requesting it be read in full. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be read the second time by council bill number only, with unanimous consent of the Council, and that enactment be considered at this time. Motion carried unanimously, and the bill was read the second time by council bill number only. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote. All Councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered 18315. C. Public Utility easement vacation located north of Myer Road, approxi- mately 400 feet west of Gilham Road (Baitis)(EV 78-8) Unanimously recommended by Planning Commission September 25, 1978. Mr. Saul was available to answer questions. Public hearing was held with no testimony presented. C.B. 1809--Authorizing public utility easement vacation located north - of Myer Road, approximately 400 feet west of Gilham Road was read by council bill number and title only, there being no Councilor present requesting it be read in full. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be read the second time by council bill number only, with unanimous consent of the Council, and that enactment be considered at this time. Motion carried unanimously, and the bill was read the second time by council bill number only. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote. All Councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered 18316. D. Public utility easement vacation located on east side of Onyx Street, approximately 100 feet north of East 35th Avenue (Mott)(EV 78-11) Unanimously recommended by Planning Commission September 25, 1978. Mr. Saul was present to answer questions. Public hearing was held with no testimony presented. C.B. 1810--Authorizing public utility easement vacation located on east side of Onyx Street, approximately 100 feet north of East 35th Avenue was read by council bill number and title only e there being no Councilor present requesting it be read in full. 12/20/78--5 '85 " . Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be read the second time by council bill number only, with unanimous consent of the Council, and that enactment be considered at - this time. Motion carried unanimously, and the bill was read the second time by council bill number only. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote. All Councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered 18317. E. Street easement vacation located south of Sweetbriar Lane, east of East 43rd Avenue (Stimac)(EV 78-12) Unanimously recommended by Planning Commission September 25, 1978. Mr. Saul was available to answer quesions. Public hearing was held with no testimony presented. C.B. 1811--Authorizing street easement vacation located south of Sweetbriar Lane, east, of East 43rd Avenue and reta i ni ng seven-foot pub 1 i c utility easement along easterly, southerly, and westerly boundaries was read by council bill number and title only, there being no Councilor present requesting it be read in full. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be read the second time by council bill number only, with unanimous consent of the Council, and that enactment be considered at this time. Motion carried unanimously, and the bill was read e the second time by council bill number only. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote. All Councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered 18318. IV. Report on Downtown Parking Restriction Policy (memo distributed) Manager said a task force made up of staff and a Downtown Development Board parking committee had been meeting and conducting several studies to address the problem of downtown parking. The memo outlined parking changes that have been instituted in an attempt to reduce use of parking lots by employees in order to provide parking for downtown patrons. Staff feels this process is now underway, and would prefer to have these studies continued and in effect in order to collect data as to how to address the problem. However, Council may have some suggested changes. Duane Bischoff, Parking Administrator, reviewed the memo for Council. He said the four actions listed were reduced from 37 proposed solutions. The first two actions were temporary, and the second two were permanent. e 12/20/78--6 18b . He noted if the two temporary changes did not work, they would be dropped. - However, if it was found that they were workable, then those solutions may be expanded to other city lots. Assistant Manager noted that the task force and Downtown Development Board Parking Committee had been attempting to find long-range solutions regarding the parking demands downtown. They were trying to address the T-2000 Plan and other policies of the city, as well as eliminate usage of the free lots by both private and public employees. It was hoped there would be some course of action to recommend to the DDB by the end of the fiscal year. He said this report and changes were part of that effort. He said there may be other experimental changes, and Council would be notified of such. Mr. Obie thanked staff for its report, noting his appreciation for the information. Mayor Keller said the DDB is very aware of the parking problem, and the necessity to provide more parking spaces to keep the downtown a viable area. As it becomes more viable, with more people working in the downtown area, there will be a need for more parking. He was very pleased to see work was being done to address the problems and hoped something innovative could be provided. Mr. Delay concurred with the parking experiments. He noted it unfortunate that people did not view parking structures as being as close to the shopping areas as open parking spaces. He wondered - if anything could be done to break the barrier of people viewing parking structures in this way. Assistant Manager said the DDB is keenly aware of the necessity of informing the public of how to park more conveniently in the downtown area. Mr. Bischoff noted Mr. Delay.s concern was a national trend. He said 60 percent of people, if given the opportunity, will not park in parking garages. Mayor Keller commented on the improvement of the Parcade over the Overpark, in that the Parcade is more open, better lighted, and has an outside elevator. He asked Mr. Bischoff if he felt those decisions ~"ere good ones. Mr. Bischoff replied yes. However, he said there were three surface lots directly across the street from the Parcade. If those lots were to disappear, he felt there would be a much higher usage of the Parcade. Staff will keep Council informed of the progress of the studies, and any future experimental programs. v. Consideration of Public Hearing re: Bike Path on 18th Street Manager said staff was available to discuss the matter with Council at this time. However, they would prefer to refer the matter to the staff and Bike Committee for consideration of alternatives relative to improving safer traffic conditions for both bikes and autos. He noted the public hearing process is usually one in which the City e ~ 12/20/78--7 '91 z::::-... I \ , . Manager receives a written request, and he noted he had received none. He said there was concern that the situation, in certain respects, is very hazardous and staff does feel it should be investigated as - soon as possible as to what could be done. Mr. abie wondered if referring it back to the Bicycle Committee would result in a biased position. Manager said the Bicycle Committee membership is composed of persons who do have a high interest in bicycling. However, he said also, there are others who are interested from a traffic safety viewpoint. Mr. abie said Ruth Bascom, Chairman of the Bicycle Committee, and Mr. Lieuallen both asked him to support the recommendation to refer it back to the Bicycle Committee. He concurred with staff's request. He also requested that if any major projects such as this were in the developmental stages, that the Bicycle Committee be asked to review it before action is taken. Beth Campbell, Neighborhood Liaison, said the Churchill Neighborhood Group had unanimously voted to oppose the new lanes, as they feel it is a very dangerous situation. In response to a question from Mr. Haws, Manager said this had been part of the Master Bike Plan, and a work plan that the Bicycle Committee presents to the Council each year. Assistant Manager said the bike lanes are presently there, some parking had been removed, yet no letters of objections had been received. Mayor Keller felt the situation should be studied and recommendations e made as quickly as possible because of the bad weather and necessity to avoid any disasters. Mr. abie instructed staff to refer the matter back to the Bicycle Committee, with a report back to Council in 45' days. Regarding a public hearing, it was noted that once Council receives the report from the Bicycle Committee, it can then assess whether or not there is a need for further public input, could proceed with recom- mended changes, explore other options, or schedule a public hearing. Mr. Delay felt the question was not one of bike users versus automobile users. He felt the Bicycle Committee had a legitimate concern regarding traffic safety, and had the expertise and knowledge necessary for joint facilities to address the safety question. Mr. Haws said he hoped the Committee and staff would consider removing all parking on both sides of 18th Street. e 12/20/78--8 188 VI. Consideration of Request for Supplement'l Budget for Metropolitan Area Planning Advisory Committee (MAPAC)--memo distributed ,. Manager said the request was outlined in detail in the memorandum. .. ... ,'~ '\ The funds would come from the contingency fund, and not out of the Planning Department funds. The request recognizes the need for . better publicizing of the proposal for the updating process. Expendi- tures would be for audio-visual presentation, radio and newspaper advertising, directed toward a workshop to be held February 17, 1979. Total proposed expenditures would be $4,312, with the City's share of 50 percent being $2,156. Mr. Obie said normally he would have difficulty supporting this type of request, but felt this to be a very important issue and one which needed as much public exposure as possible. ~ Jim Hale, MAPAC, said funds had been authorized from both Lane County and Springfield. The request had unanimous support from the Metro- . politan Plan Policy Committee. The Metro Update Plan would have three map alternatives that will be given media coverage in January. Then, in February, the workshop would be held. The intent is to invite as much citizen interest as possible in the update process. He said this would have a direct impact on what direction the area will take, and would like to see as much participation as possible at this meeting. rhe presentation will be coordinated with the Metro staff, MAPAC members, and community relations people from Lane County. The slide presentation and purchasing of advertising will be the only -- expenditures. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, to approve the budget request for MAPAC. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Keller extended thanks to Mel Jackson for ttle very fine job he had done as Flak Catcher for the City in the past six months. He also thanked Mr. Bradley for his participation and contributions on the City Council the past four years. ~ '~ J' Upon motion duly made, seconded, and passed, the meeting was adjourned to January 3, 1979. Ch~nr;~ City Manager CTH:DT:ml/CM27a23 .' 12/20/78--9 1811 'j .