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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/24/1980 Meeting : .' M I NUT E S e Eugene City Council September 24, 1980 Adjourned meeting of the City Council of the City of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by His Honor Mayor Gus Keller at 11:30 a.m., September 24, 1980, in the City 'Counc il Chamber, with the fo llowi ng counci lors present: Betty Smith, Scott Lieuallen, Brian Obie, Eric Haws, D. W. Hamel, Gretchen Miller, and Emily Schue. Councilor Jack Delay was absent. I. ITEMS FROM MAYOR & COUNCIL, APPOINTMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AGENDA ADJUSTMENTS A. Appointments--Mr. Hamel stated that he would like to nominate Michael J. Hartwig, 2260 Elysium, to replace Jack Pyle on the Eugene Budget Committee. Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Lieuallen, to appoint Michael J. Hartwig to fill the unexpired term of Jack Pyle on the Eugene Budget Committee ending December 31, 1981. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. -- B. Boundary Commission--Ms. Miller stated that a letter was received from Sally Weston regarding contributions to the Boundary Commission and asked for a status report. Mr. Henry stated that nothing has happened on this item yet. He feels the City should check with the County to see what they are going to do. Eighty percent funding was received. Ms. Mille~ stated that it sounds reasonable to ask other jurisdictions to see if they are still interested in contributing to the Boundary Commission funding and how much of the budget will be raised through filing fees. Mr. Lieuallen noted that in the last paragraph, it is stated that the commission has appointed an advisory commission, and he is concerned that no one from Eugene was appointed. Mr. Henry indicated that he would check on this and a report will be brought back. C. Metropolitan Plan Update--Ms. Miller stated that she and Mayor Keller need direction for the 7 a.m., September 25, Elected Officials Coordi- nating Committee meeting, which will discuss proposals for further study of industrial land. It is not clear what the County will do, but she is under the impression that they want to have the study done before approving the urban growth boundary. The results of the Springfield Council work session indicate that they favor approval of e 9/24/80--1 I , I a single urban growth boundary. They would accept a study of indus- trial land, but will not contribute to the funding of the study, and - would be unable to contribute very much staff time to this effort. They are not willing to postpone the acknowledgment process for the study to be completed. She feels that the urban growth boundary should be agreed upon, the plan forwarded to LCDC, and then refinement of various plan elements could be done. She agrees with Springfield City Councilor Gene Hulett that the plan could be amended but it would not be possible to do so until the plan was acknowledged. Mr. Obie indicated agreement with Springfield's position and stated that he thinks Eugene should participate in the study. Mr. Lieuallen stated that the issue must be resolved. The County must understand that they cannot go outside the proposed urban growth boundary as a single jurisdiction. He agrees with Ms. Miller. Ms. Schue indicated agree- ment with Mr. Obie. The plan must be approved. She feels the study is needed although a study of industrial land is a different issue from the urban growth boundary. Mayor Keller noted that the intent of the County would be to study the issue and use it as a basis for the~r decision which would be intoler- ab le. The study needs to be clearly defined. Ms. Schue noted that this would put a terrible "political burden" on the study if it were done the way the County wants. John Porter, Planning, stated that the council is echoing the concerns of the Metro Team. The plan must be placed before LCDC. Any st udy would take longer than six months. e Steve Gordon, L-COG, stated that the County Commissioners will be meeting on Tuesday, October 14. The staff has prepared an amendment removing the industrial triangle, contingent upon being able to work out details of the study. Ms. Smith asked who would provide the leadership for working out the details of this study, and whether the study must be agreed upon prior to County consideration of the amendment. Mr. Gordon stated that if Springfield and Eugene agree on the study, then they will be willing to adopt their version of the plan. Leadership for the study has not been determined. Mr. Lieuallen asked if the commissioners had indicated support in staff or money. Mr. Gordon stated that they had not reached agreement yet. Mr. Lieuallen asked if times, details, and work programs must be agreed upon before the County will agree to the City's adopted plan. Mr. Gordon said that that was his understanding. He noted that the County is trying to cooperate with the cities. Mr. Lieuallen stated the matter should be pursued without compromising the City's position. Ms. Miller asked if Mr. Gordon would be involved in establishing the st udy . Mr. Gordon stated that he has given some information to City Planning staff today. There is a need for common definitions. Ms. Schue indicated that she feels that this is encouraging. . 9/24/80--2 ~ Mr. Obie stated that the Cit& should extend its notice of appreciation to the County Commissioners ased upon the move they have made. The e City should commit itself to working in good faith on the study. This should be done positively and optimistically. Mayor Keller stated that he would convey the message. Consensus was tu proceed with development of the study criteria. D. Certificate of Conformance Award--Mayor Keller stated that each year, the Municipal Finance Officer's Association of the United States and Canada awards a Certificate of Conformance in Financial Reporting to those cities whose annual financial report substantially conforms to the standards set forth by the association. Those standards are developed to ensure that cities report full and complete financial information in a manner that is easily understood by citizens and other users. The requirements are very precise, and less than five percent of the several thousands of municipalities in the United States and Canada are awarded this certificate. The City of Eugene is included in this elite group and has been awarded this certificate for the past three years. The certificate is meaningful in several respects, not the least of which is that it is used by the nation's bond rating houses to measure a community's ability to sell bonds. Eugene sold bonds this past spring at a rate under 6 percent when some other communities could not sell at all. He presented the award to Charles Henry, City Manager, for his finan- e cial leadership and to Greg Klimko, Finance, for developing the report. E. Acquisition of Scobert Property--Stan Long, City Attorney, stated that the City's efforts to acquire the Scobert property for a City park are successful. It was determined that the Whiteaker Refinement Plan is applicable in the area. The Scoberts accepted the City's formal award in the second day of the trial. F. Announcements--Mr. Henry stated that the Elected Officials Coordinating Committee meeting would be held Thursday, at 7 a.m., at Springfield Ut il ity Board. Mr. Henry stated that he would be out of town from September 25 through October 5; David Whitlow is Acting City Manager during that time. II. ROUTINE ITEMS FOR COUNCIL APPROVAL A. Approval of Council Minutes of September 8, 1980 Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Lieuallen, to approve Council minutes of September 8, 1980. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimous ly. e 9/24/80--3 " B. Fi,nance Resolution (memo distributed)--Mr. Henry stated that this proposed resolutlon would make appropriations for a federal grant for a demonstration bicycle-powered maintenance program to keep bike . paths clear of debris. FHA's share will be $2,745; the City's share will be $900. Res. No. 3421--A resolution making appropriations for a Federal grant for a demonstration bicycle-powered maintenance program. Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. L ieuallen, to adopt the resolu- tion. Mr. Lieual1en stated that on behalf of the careful cycling public, he would like to thank the council for pursuing this program. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. C. Call for Public Hearing 1. Easement Vacation for Bernard Ruzika (EV 80-3) (map distributed) CB 2200--An ordinance calling for a public hearing for November 5, 1980; re: easement vacation for Bernard Ruzika for property located north of Crescent Avenue between Norkenzie Road and Tulip Street. Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Lieua1len, 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 e time. ,Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. Council Bill 2200 was read the second time by council bill number on 1 y . Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Lieua11en, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote; all councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered 18709. III. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSAL TO DEVELOP A 911 EMERGENCY COMMUNI- CATION SYSTEM TO SERVE LANE COUNTY (memo and additional information distributed) Mr. Henry stated that the purpose of this item is to gain council support so Eugene can take a leadership role. He stated that Jim Packard, Police Department, Ev Hall, Fire Department, and Galen Howard, L-COG, were present to provide additional information. This item will be before the L-COG Board in October. Action today will be to provide guidelines to Ms. Schue as to how she should vote as a member of the L-COG Board. This proposed ordinance would levy a telephone tax of one percent initially, and up to three percent later, on local calls countywide. Lane County will have to pass the ordinance, so the item will come up for public . 9/24/80--4 hearing before the County Commissioners. It will require a vote of the e people on February l7t 1981. If it passest the decentral-decentral 9.11 system then could be established within 15 months. Anyone in the Eugene area could call 911 to get fire, policet or ambulance service. This also would operate in the Springfieldt Cottage Grovet and Florence areast and will operate at a later date in Oakridge. This should help ease problems for those in emotional states facing emergency situations. Th is also will alleviate the need to deposit ten cents per call from phone booths for emergency service. Under the decentral-decentral systemt calls would be received in a number of centers rather than in just one. They would then be transferred to whatever department was appropriate. The central-central system consists of only one receiving/dispatching centert but this would be much more expensivet requiring all dispatching and receiving equipment to be at one location. This would require having all agencies agree on a common procedure for handling calls. All personnel would have to be trained alike. Service providers agreed that the central-central system would be idealt but not practical at the present timet so their recommen- dation is to adopt the decentral-decentral system with an eventual move to a central-central system. The City must proceed now or it may never be implemented. The telephone system is set up according to telephone exchangest which do not coincide with jurisdictional boundaries. Some unincorporated areas would be served by the Eugene center as well as areas within the city limits. The Eugene Fire Department already dis- patches to other areas. Likewiset the Springfield center would handle some calls from unincorporated areas. This is the least expensive and the most cost-effective alternative for all jurisdictions. The Sher iff is e opposed to this number of centers because he feels his department should have its own center to serve all unincorporated areast which is one alternative in the report. This would give a portion of the Bethel-Danebo area to the Sheriff's Department because of the telephone exchange system. The tax collected in a particular service area would be used for funding the program within that particular service area. The total cost would be $150tOOO to $175tOOO county-wide for the first yeart and eventually would be a three-percent levy on local telephone calls. The report only lists some of the costs as more personnel will be needed to receive calls in Eugene and Springfield. The hope is to consolidate the Eugene Police Department and Eugene Fire Department into a single dispatch area at the same time. Jim Packardt Policet stated that he had met with the user groupst and feels we should proceed with the decentral-decentral 911 system, yet work toward a central-central system. He feels the concerns from the sheriff might be overstated and they could be overcome at the time of implementation. , Ms. Schue asked if a busy signal would ever be received by a caller dialing 911. Mr. Packard said that this is a possibility as during disasters, when the phone company lines can become jammed. The eq ui pment avail ab 1 e should be more than what is needed at any peak time with the exception of di saster times. Available personnel must be taken into consideration. Ms. Schue asked if the caller would ever be put on hold. Mr. Packard responded that that is a possibilitYt but the hope is that the delay would be no longer than 30-60 seconds. e 9/24/80--5 Mr. Obie asked who would answer the calls on the 911 system. Mr. Packard responded that they would be answered by a telephone operator or a complaint e taker. The calls would then be dispatched by radio. This will mean no change in dispatching of calls for Eugene police or fire services. He hopes the system can be improved in the future. Mr. Obie asked who would answer a call from Junction City. Mr. Packard stated that this call would come to Eugene and then be transferred to the sheriff for dispatch. They now receive approximately 300,000 calls per year, and this will probably increase by about 100,000 calls by including the unincorporated areas. A central-central system would increase the calls by 300 percent. Mr. Obie asked if the only services available would be police, fire, and amb u lance. Mr. Packard responded that that is correct. Ev Hall, Fire, stated that fire services in the county support the plan presented by Mr. Henry. Eugene Fire Department takes calls for seven jurisdictions besides Eugene at this time. They handle six contract districts, including River Road. Another receiving area has been the only area of disagreement. Incoming calls would be received by the Police Department and if they were indicated to be fire calls, they would be immediately transferred to the Fire Department. Ms. Smith asked if it were a medical emergency if both fire and ambulance services would be di spatched. Mr. Hall responded that they would. Galen Howard, L-COG, stated that this area is fortunate in its existing level of cooperation. He feels the decentral-decentral system is a good alternative working toward a central-central system. Operating procedures will have to be developed before a central-central system can be imple- mented. There are now over 100 dispatchers. By centralizing, that level e can be reduced. Mr. Haws noted that in the L-COG report, Yachats is mentioned. He is concerned about who will pay for services to this area since it is not a part of Lane County. Mr. Howard stated that revenue can only be used in the area providing the service. The Yachats telephone exchange extends into Lane County and it has not been decided what will happen there. The equipment will have to be upgraded before they can participate. If an area is not served by the service, the additional phone tax will not be implemented. Mr. Haws asked if Eugene is serving areas outside the city limits, what would prevent the cost from being greater than the income. He asked what guarantee there would be that the City would not have to pay the rest of the cost. Mr. Howard stated that the tax will be sufficient to provide 911 service at this time, but the county ordinance could be amended. As Pacific Northwest Bell rates go up, so will revenues. Mr. Haws asked if the City cou 1 d get stuck payi ng for the service the City provides to areas in the county. Mr. Henry noted that this could exist in our current situation. The City system must be upgraded. Any cost overruns for 911 are just as likely to occur within the city as outside it. He does not see the addition of these unincor- porated areas as being a big factor in the total costs. Mr. Haws asked if the city would have authority to increase the tax reserve or stop the service for unincorporated areas. Mr. Henry responded that the County -- 9/24/80--6 , ,. would have the authority to increase.' Mr. Haws asked if an agreement e could be developed which states the City would end its participation in the system if it is too expensive. Mr. Howard stated that there will be intergovernmental agreements reached between the j ur i sdict ions. ' Trans- ferring of calls is the only staff time needed for areas outside the city limits. RFPD contracts could be amended to reflect higher costs. Mr. Lieuallen asked who would sign the intergovernmental agreement. He asked if the council would get this item back for final approval. Mr. Henry indicated that the council should be included in the hearing process at the County level to make certain that the ordinance is acceptable to the City. There is no reason why the council could not act upon this agree- ment as they have on others. Mr. Lieuallen indicated concern about removing authority for this system from the council. He has concerns because of past experiences with intergovernmental agreements. Mr. Henry agreed that there have been problems in the past. Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Lieuallen, to have council instruct Ms. Schue to vote in favor of 911 decentral-decentral system. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. IV. TASK FORCE REPORT ON CITY'S EEO/AA PROGRAM (memo and resolution distributed) Mr. Henry stated that the Affirmative Action Task Force recommends that this task force be made a standing task force (or continuing committee) rather than an ad hoc committee, and that they provide ongoing assistance to City staff with periodic information sharing rather than the current e focus of the annual report. This task force would be similar in composi- tion to the temporary one and could provide input and suggestions to management on various aspects of the City's EEO/AA program, such as reviewing the current EEO/AA program document, the annual staff work plans, and an improved format and schedule for EEO/AA reporting. He introduced Baruch Fischhoff, Human Rights Council, to provide additional informat ion. Mr. Fischhoff indicated appreciation to the council for creating the task force and to Councilors Lieuallen and Smith and to the Human Rights Council for their help. The task force was successful in several areas-- each component of the task force had something to contribute, there is a legal basis for these considerations, a difficulty of implementation due to budget restrictions was noted, and this could be cost-effective in preventing the City's involvement in future lawsuits. Also, this is compatible with good government, and they learned about situations else- where. They have learned about things that make it difficult for minorities. They felt the City had a strong commitment in principle and there needs to be ongoing work to make sure that this continues. They have been drafting a document--the Affirmative Action Plan for the City of Eugene--and it will address some issues not yet addressed such as equal pay for equal work. He indicated his eagerness for further work on the committee and requested council support for the resolution. e 9/24/80--7 " . Ms. Smith noted that she has served on this committee for four years. They are working on a more positive note than in the past and they have received more information that the City has not seen before. She would ,- encourage the council to adopt the resoluti~n to make this a permanent committee. She feels the task force work should be reviewed at the end of two years. At that time, it could be continued if it is working well, or changed if it is not. Mr. Lieuallen indicated that he felt good about the process in working with this committee. However, they did not accomplish the specifics which they would have liked. He asked if the committee had designated or sug- gested an AA Officer. He feels many of these items need to be straightened out to avoid future lawsuits. One main difficulty has been recordkeeping and examination of records due to budget restraints. Ms. Smith stated that the chief affirmative action officer is the City Manager who desig- nated the Assistant City Manager to act on his behalf. Mr. Lieuall~n stated that he hopes work on this matter will continue. The Personnel Department will have different priorities than the Human Rights Council and that is a situation that will have to be mediated. Res. No. 3422--A resolution reaffirming the City of Eugene Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action program. Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Lieuallen, to adopt the resolu- tion. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. v. AUTHORIZATION TO GRANT EASEMENT TO EUGENE WATER & ELECTRIC BOARD e {memo, map distributed) Mr. Henry stated that this consists of two easements on City-owned prop- erty which is leased out. It is being offered without cost to EWEB just as in the past the City has received easements for bike paths from them. Res. No. 3423--A resolution authorizing execution of easement to Eugene Water & Electric Board in connection with the construction of the Pierce-Jefferson transmission line right-of-way. . Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Lieuallen, to adopt the resolu- tion. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. VI. REHABILITATION LOAN AGREEMENT (memo distributed) Mr. Henry stated that this loan agreement is for $600,000 and consists of eight lenders who negotiated the agreement rather than one single bid. The interest rate would be 8-3/4 percent. He introduced Paul Osborn, HCC, to provide additional information. e 9/24/80--8 Mr. Osborn stated that US National Bank is the lead lender in the e agreement. Mr. Haws asked how it is determined what share each lender will receive. Mr. Osborn stated that US National Bank and First National Bank split the major share equally, and each of the others took a'$50,000 share. Mr. Haws asked if that is being done as a favor to the City or as a favor to the lenders. Mr. Osborn stated that it is a favor to the lenders. They requested a consortium since this is tax-exempt borrowing. Mr. Haws asked if cheaper interest rates could be obtained. Mr. Osborn stated he feels this is close to the market at this time. Portland has an agreement with a floating interest rate, with a minimum of eight percent and a maximum of ten percent. Mr. Haws asked if this could be put out for bid. Mr. Osborn stated that this could have been, but in the past there were few bidders. Mr. Haws noted that Veneta just received a loan for seven percent interest. Mr. Osborn stated that that is probably for a short-term loan, but Eugene's is a long-term situation--for ten years. Mr. Obie indicated that he would abstain as he has money owed to him by those banks. He said the banks are working with the community when entering into this type of agreement. Res. No. 3424--A resolution authorizing the City to use Community Develop- ment Block Grant funds to enter into a $600,000 rehabilita- tion loan agreement with local lenders. Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Lieuallen, to adopt the resolu- e tion. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously with Mr. Obie abstaining. VII. COUNCIL REVIEW OF RIVER ROAD TABLOID DRAFT (memo distributed) Mr. Henry introduced Pat Decker, Planning, to provide background informa- tion. Ms. Decker stated that the process of developing this tabloid has been going on a long time, and is being done because the residents needed more information regarding annexation. Changes from the first draft presented to the council are listed in the memo. Some feedback has been received from the Citizen Involvement Committee and from the Planning Commission to make language more easily understood. With the passage of the Tier 2 Budget, any items noted as "contingent on Tier 2" have had that portion of their language deleted. There will be some adjustments regarding the sewer user fees since the council recently passed that item. Ms. Smith cautioned against finalizing information regarding sewer user fees until it is known what action Springfield will take. Mr. Lieuallen noted that the section called "City Perspective" was well written. He feels that the last paragraph should be deleted, or that this information could be summed up in some other fashion. Ms. Miller indicated agreement with Mr. Lieuallen. She feels that the tabloid reads better now and appreciates the time that was spent. e 9/24/80--9 -- - Mayor Keller commended the Planning Department for their work and agreed e that the last paragraph could be tempered. Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Lieuallen, to instruct the Planning Department to proceed with distribution of the River Road Tabloid after making recommended changes. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. VIr. ZONING ORDINANCE UPDATE PROCESS--REVIEW OF ALTERNATIVES (memo distributed) Mr. Henry stated that the alternatives are listed in the memo. He introduced John Porter, Planning, to provide background information. Mr. Porter stated that with feedback received from the council, they have prepared two alternatives. After tallying the votes received from the council showing the interest in the various modules, residential district was shown to be the highest priority. Alternative A would be to revise the module priorities giving the residential module highest priority. The second alternative creates a "hot spots" module where council has identi- fied particular areas of concern. Staff recommends Alternative B. Mr. Obie stated that the Planning Department has done a good job and he feels they should proceed with Alternative B. Ms. Smith moved, seconded by Mr. Lieuallen, to approve Alter- e native B in proceeding with the zoning ordinance update process. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned to October 1, 1980. Re~~~ Charles T. Henry City Manager (Recorded by Lynda Nelson) LN:so/CM27a13 e 9/24/80--10