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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/09/1981 Meeting ....::1,.. . fvlINUTES e Eugene City Council Dinner Meeting Treehouse Restaurant November 9, 1981 5:00 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Gus Keller, Councilors Bill Hamel, Emily Schue, Betty Smith, Mark Lindberg, Cynthia Wooten, Gretchen Miller, and Brian Obie; Jean Borland, Tom Moreland, Lane Economic Foundation; Doug Dinsmore and Roy Lieuallen, United Lane Forum; Micheal Gleason, City Manager; Dave Whitlow, Assistant City Manager; Pat Lynch, Council Administrator; Carol Baker, Community Relations Director; John Porter and Susan Smernoff, Planning Department staff; Clair Van Bloom, L-COG; Fred Webb, KUGN Radio; Glen Gibbons, Willamette Valley Observer; Susan Pack, Eugene Register-Guard; and Peggy Hough, League of Women Voters Economic Development Committee. r. PROPOSED NEW WARD BOUNDARIES Maps of the current ward boundaries and the proposed new boundaries were dis- e played for council review. Mr. Porter said the current ward populations varied from 10,000 to 18,000, which did not satisfy legal requirements. He sa i d ideally each ward would have a population of 13,200; however, a five percent deviation was allowed ranging from 12,543 to 13,863. Ms. Van Bloom explained the proposed boundaries. Mr. Porter said this was a preliminary draft and open to input from the council and the public. He said there should not be any problem meeting the one person/ one vote rule. The council discussed the proposed boundary changes and the need for a public hearing. Mr. Gleason said the council needed to consider several variables, which included residency, the five-percent deviation, the need to have boundaries reasonably consistent with neighborhood groups, and the linkages between adja- cent wards. City Manager was directed to provide the council with a time schedule for the process. II. INFORMATION ON LANE ECONOMIC FOUNDATION AND UNITED LANE FORUM Mr. Moreland said the Lane Economic Foundation was formed to provide a non- political vehicle to raise funds to do an economic audit for Lane County. He said the foundation was working in many areas, one of which was to present a e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 9, 1981 Page 1 " ..'.... :i- ~ truthful image of Lane County and the fact that it was sincerely interested in -- new development. He said the foundation would also provide funds for studies on economic development, including an inventory of existing industry and what new industries might be appropriate for the area. He said consultants would be employed to collect and analyze information on all the pluses and minuses of the area, to identify the businesses that can be healthy and those that could adapt to Eugene, and to narrow the target on which businesses are really. interested in expanding or moving to Eugene. He said the consultants would also develop strategies to deal with the minuses in the area. Mr~ Moreland said the foundation would soon distribute copies of_an RFP which called for an economic audit of the area. He said the foundation was not a professional group with the expertise in this area. He said a staff would be hired to develop an economic development policy responding to the findings of the RFP and input from the United Lane Forum. He said staff would not act on the notions of a few people. He said the director of marketing would hire a staff that would have skills and demonstrated successes in economi~ development. Mr. Moreland said the foundation was not designed to replace the efforts of individual cities or the County itself, but to interface with them. He said there was currently no confidential organization available to respond to inquiries about Lane County. Mr. Moreland said the United Lane Forum was established to determine public consensus and to pt'ovide direction for economic diversification. He said the forum had a central committee comprised of three components: business and labor, citizens, and government. He said the central committee's sole respon- e sibility was to identify issues to take to the forum for public discussion. He,said the committee would not make any judgments on input received at the forum. He said the input would be summarized without any editorial comment and distributed as widely as possible. He said it was appropriate for anyone, including staff and elected officials, to participate in the forum. He said the forums would help articulate what it means to monitor the economy. He said the forums would not make decisions, but he hoped they would assist those who make decisions affecting economic goals. . Mr. Moreland said concern had been expressed that the central committee was not representative. He said it did not have to be representative because it did not have the power to impose its will on anyone. He said the foundation would provide staff to assist the forum with paperwork and legwork in establishing meetings. , Ms. Smith asked about the relationship between the public and private sector and ways the City could cooperate with the private sector efforts. Ms. Wooten asked about membership in the foundation. Mr. Moreland said the membership fee was a means of raising money to support staff and forum costs. Ms. Wooten asked if the forum would be phased out. Mr. Moreland said if the forum became non-viable because people felt they had said all they wanted to say, the forum would be called upon only to deal with certain kinds of issues. He said the economic audit would not be completed before February. He said staff would not oversee the efforts of the consultant. Ms. Wooten asked about the future of the e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 9, 1981 Page 2 " .. ~ foundat ion. Mr. Moreland said the foundation would continue to raise funds, but e would become quieter and meet every three to six months. He said a foundat ion executive committee would interface with staff and direct staff in the area of budget, but not in the area of policy. Ms. Borland said the foundation would raise the money needed, but would have no say in how the money is spent. Mr. Lindberg expressed his concerns about the forum providing representation from the full spectrum of public opinion in its consensus-building efforts. He said he was especially concerned about the unemployed and whether their views would be considered. Mr. Moreland said the representation occurred on the floor of the forum and people should be encouraged to come and speak. He sa i d those speaking or submitting written testimony should recognize they are speaking for the record, which would be widely distributed. He said the forums were designed to deal with an economic region, and not just a specific locality. He said individuals and neighborhood groups should also recognize they have a moral responsibility to come and be heard. In response to Ms. Smith's questions, Mr. Moreland said he hoped the foundation would complement the City's efforts in the area of economic diversification. He said the foundation's staff would help the less sop~listicated, as well as the more sophisticated areas of Lane County with economic development. He said staff would introduce businesses to the possibilities in small communities in the county. He said the competition is fierce, and to be successful in attracting the most desirable businesses and industries the area must have its act well put together. He said what the City of Eugene was doing under the council's direction was most gratifying. He said both the City and the founda- e tion needed to better understand the roles each was playing so they could complement each other and efforts would not be duplicated. He said that, if possible, the council and staff members should participate in the forum so the record would adequately reflect the opinions of the community. Ms. Miller said the public sector was not suited to nationwide recruitment and that could perhaps be accomplished better by the private sector. She sa id it was important, however, that the private sector, when it makes those con- tacts, provide a realistic description of the area. She said she liked the idea of a county-wide forum so there would not be competition between Junction City or Florence or even Roseburg. Ms. Mil~er and Ms. Wooten both asked how the forum could decide what is public consensus. Mr. Moreland said public consensus would be based on the findings of the economic audit, and also on the percep- tions of input at the forums. He said it was most likely that there would be a public hearing on any recommended strategies. He said the foundation would not dictate direction. He said the professional staff would prepare the work plan. Ms. Borland said that was one reason the professional consultants to be hired would be ones with proven ability in economic development. Ms. Schue sa id that wh il e the council shared the same goa"' s as the foundat i on, it did have some practical concerns about who would ma~e decisions. She said reaching a public consensus was not a simple task. She said her work as the e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 9, 1981 Page 3 .. " ,~ council representative on the Lane Council of Governments made her aware that conflicts do arise between competing jurisdictions. She said when a prospective -- new industry approaches this area, there may be several cities interested, and it was not clear to her who would give staff direction in this type of situation. Mr. Moreland said the professional staff would direct a prospect to the appropriate cities and it would be up to the prospect to make the decision. Ms. Miller referred back to the idea of reaching a public consensus and said this would be difficult to develop. She said someone has to define it. Mr. Obie felt the forums would develop the consensus. Mr. Lindberg stressed the importance of complyin9 with the Metropolitan Area General Plan, on which the jurisdictions have already reached a consensus. Mr. Moreland said the central committee would appreciate any input at any time on ways to make this system work better. He said all ideas would be put into the record. Mr. Lindberg also urged more affi rmat i ve act i on to i nc re ase the representation from all segments of the community. Mr. Moreland said the next forum would be in Cottage Grove on November 18, and would deal with specific questions about economic development. Ms. Wooten asked if the foundation intended to fund a venture capital program. Mr. Moreland said the foundation intended to keep its role very simple. He sa i d the foundation would not establish an assistance program or a venture capital program. He said it would be an ombudsman for indicating the needs for certain programs and would help guide people to the proper agencies to receive assistance. Mr. Lieuallen said the central committee was not formed to make judgments about methods for improving economic development but to devise methods for eliciting e comment from all facets of the community. He sa id a consensus waul d be formed from those attending forum meetings. Ms. Smith said it was important to work together so a "we/they" attitude would not develop. Mr. Moreland said there was a need for assisting existing businesses and teaching them management skills. Ms. Schue said she would like information on manufacturing versus service-related industries. Mr. Obie said leadership and focus were needed in the area of economic develop- ment. He said all the groups interested in economic development needed to develop trust with one another and not be suspicious or divisive. Ms. Schue said everyone was supportive of economic growth and she felt the work of the foundation and forum was a very positive approach. She sa id she did not feel that raising questions about possible problem areas was being divisive but rather the first step in getting those problems solved along the way. She said the council and the foundation needed to share their concerns. Ms. Wooten was concerned about people feeling that speaking at the forum would not be appreciated or welcomed. She said there are those who feel the founda- tion and forum were initiated by those with a particular point of view and that speaking out would be fruitless. She said this may restrict the broadest kind of citizen participation that the forum sincerely wants. Mr. Moreland said 1,600 groups and individuals were on the mailing list to receive notification of forum meetings. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 9, 1981 Page 4 '" '.... ~ Mr. Moreland said perceptions were a problem but it was hoped that these would be resolved. He said people must be patient, keep the good faith, and work e closely together to improve the economic situation. Mayor Keller thanked the members of the foundation and forum for attending this meeting and said the council was looking forward to future updates and joint meetings. Mr. Moreland thanked the council for the invitation to attend this meeting. The meeting was adjourned. ~~ (Recorded by Joyce Edwards) -'-. -- , JE:ky/CM7a15 e e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 9, 1981 Page 5